New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-13
strides of late years but he does not attribute
this to any special legislation.
4 SC1NDALOUS SYSTEM

a
There was q most refreshing debate in the
Senate at Washington the other day, which
grew out of bill appropnatlng $4,000 to
complete the public building at Pensacola,
Fla. The discussion Of this apparently modest
nroposition led Senators to free their minds,
generally, upon the system. or lack Of system,
oierecting public buildings. and the result was
series of frank confessions, which ought to
be of public service. As every one knows,
there is hardly public building. whether Ma
tional. State or municipal. if there is so much
rs one which has been built within the original
estimate. The entire business Of erecting such
buildings is conducted with looseness in
accuracy and criminal extravaganza such as
no man would think of tolerating in his private
affairs Congress repeatedly, and indeed,
usually. limits the amount to be expended upon
the buildings in question, but no attention
seems to be paid by the Department to these
limitations. The work goes on, and Congress
is called upon to make appropriation after APP
preparation in excess of its own limitation. in
the "urgcnt deficiency" bill. which is not easily
disregarded Among the urgent deficiencies
now being pressed before Congress are appro
priations aggrcgating S79o 500, to be applied
to completing about thirty public buildings.
every one Of which has already reached the
limit Of cost fixed by Congress. partial ex-
PLANTATION of this is, no doubt, that the figures
are often made too low in order to get the first
appropriation, knowing that when the building
is once under way. Congress will have no
choice but to go on and finish it. II is at the
same time undoubtedly true that the sum
which ought to make the building is too soon
exhausted by loose and wasteful methods.
Mr.. Dawes gave during the debate the his
tory of the st. Louis Post Office, which is
fair example of the workings of this system.
The first demand en- Congress was for the old
post-of1ice building and 100000. The new
building should not cost penny more. The
Supervising Architect went to st. Louis, and
they gave him dinner. II was stated there
that Cincinnati had a post-of1ce costing
81 100000, and Chicago was to have post
Office costing S6.OOO,O0O. Was st. Louis to
be left behind? The Supervising Architect
assured them, in the very face Of the law just
passed, that it should not be. The result is,
that the ST. Louis Post Office cost. it is stated,
about So 100000. 1t was ordered that the
Ncw-York Post Office should not cost more
than S3.OOOOOO hut it has cost, according TO
Senator Dawes, $4,000 600 or S7OOOOOO.
The Boston Post Office ran mp into the millions
in like manner. Senator Vest said the Chicago
Post Office cost four times what was intended,
and is now ready to fall down, condemned by
the grand jury as a public nuisance He told
how. while the building was in progress, the
laborcrs organized society to cheat in labor,
suSpcnding work during the superintendent
absence to gamble and keeping watchmcn out.
so that on his return he found every man busy.
There is a very simple way to prevent the
mismanaGcmcnt and iobbcry now prevailing.
This is that the contract for erecting a building
according to the plans Of the Government
architects shall be awarded 70 the lowest
bidder. with whom the Government shall deal
exactly as private citizen deals with the
builder Of his house. and that tho Government
shall have nothing tn do with tho matter be-
yond holding tho builder STRICTLY to his bargain.
II Congress rcallv wanted 10 save the public
money. it could easily establish such system
nv Inv