Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-06
COMMUNICATIONS.
The ola State House.


 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 It is but little short of disgusting to write or to read anything more about the "Old State House," and yet feel constrained to
 add few lines to the many already in print.
 Every now and then hear gentlemen say:
 'sTsar down the old hulk and end it." Others
 say: "Nobody wants it, and nobody knows
 what to use it for" And now, lastly: etIt
 costs more to repair than the old hnlk is
 worth" This is said in view of the last fg-
 ures made under the new plans. First-The soldiers monument was turned over to the city by the town. Sscond-The Dixwell monument behind the Center church was turned over to the city by Mir. Dixwell of Boston. Third-The State House was turned over by the State of Connecticut to the cfty of New Haven.
 These three donations wers duly accepted, and stand in their respective locations. What nexta Why, simply that they will stay there as three separate abiding trusts, and neither
 this generation nor any succeeding one has
 it in their legal power to say, down with eithsrl
 To put violent hands upon the State House
 would justify violent hands to down with the
 soldiers monument and to annihilate the
 Dixwell monument.
 Indeed, if all the voters in New Haven
 voted to destroy either the judiciary would
 stop it, for the future has claim on each
 which no present power can obliterate.
 For illustration. The SheHeld and the
 Farnam houses were given to Yale college
 after the present occupants depart. Suppose
 the present occupants decide that they don't
 fancy the houses nor the location and won't
 rent them, and don't want to pay taxes on
 them, so will pull them down, for they don't
 want them, and save taxes and repairs. Yale college would be heard from by the and fhav xrouId atav the hand oe violence. So, too, in the case of the soldiers monument and the Dixwell monument and the State House.
 The rights of the endless future so far overshadowed the rights of the temporary present, that no man in his senses should in- dulge in public evidence of his ignorance of the nature and character of trusts and the rights of residuary legatees in perpetual suc- cession.
 Now as to cost and uses. am more than surprised ct this budget of mystifeations. HS60. 900 to repair the State House?" Non sense In fact, had said fraud, for know too much about building and repairing not to know that to expend $e0, 900 in repairing the State House would be nothing short of a fraud on taxpayers. And for the purpose of being sure before spoke, called on Audit or lake, who sent me to Mir. Stilson, the ar chitect, where found the plans. Judiciously dsvised-the old appropria- tion of $30, ,0O0 is more than sufficient to make all repairs and put the external of that building in most complete order, as now plotted out with improved steps, with plat- form steps in the half way up, and leaves something handsome for the inside. Now let me ask what has the cost of exter- nal repairs to do with heating and lighting, and the making of library cases, furniture, etc., why not add the cost of 8 decent library to the repair account as well as the elaborate 6xings all through the building to adapt it ! to proper uses?
 To my mind the reason 50 much has been said about the old State House is that some body wants to pick of all the stucco, 8 job which is not second to any similar work now done anywhere. Besides, it has been deter mined to burden the cost of repairs with steam heat, water, gas, handsome library rooms, and call them repairs when they are 1 not.
 If anything more is wanted to set this mat l ter right will furnish diagrams of how and what would do to put the external in per feet order, and in place of giving bonds for doing the work will do it and take the pay when the work is completed according to contract, but will confne the diagrams to the external of the building, with external base
 ment of granite all around, etc., etc., and l steps made as drawn with central platform, precisely as I devised for the staircase in the Insurance building, which used to stand near | the corner of Church and Chapel streets. B. NOTES.