The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-14
FOR THE EAST SIDE.
An Argument For Converting
the Industrial Home
INTO A GOVERNMENT BUILDING
For Federal Ofiicials-The Economy-Eliei-
bility of the Site-Uselessness of the
Home at Present.

WASHINGTON, March Especial tele-
gram to THE HERALD. Am argument in
favor of the Woman's home being con-
verted into public building for the use OF
the federal officers in Salt Lake city, was
handed to Senators and Representatives
oday. The document, which is given
below, is quite lengthy. What impression
it made on members could not be learned,
as they have not had time to read it:
THE PUBLIC BUILDING FOR SALT LAKE.
The following considerations are respect
fully urged to the honorable committee on
public buildings, as reasons why the pro
posed government building for Salt Lake
city, Utah, should not cost to exceed the
sum of $4,000. Your attention is also re-
specially directed to the plan contained
herein by which the expenditure of that
amount will provides building satisfactory
in all respects, ample for the needs of the
city, and the sum of S350,00 be saved to
the government.
The Inhabitants of Salt Lake city are
earnest and united in favor of public
building, wide as their differences are on
most other subjects. The great increase in
criminal prosecutions under recent enact
ments of Congress, the duties of the Utah
commission, which has charge of all the
elections in the territory and whose head
quarters are at Salt Lake city, the in
creased Importance of the United States
land interests, and more than all, the re-
cent decided growth of Salt Lake city,
have all combined to make commodious,
central place of business for the federal
olnces an imperative necessity. AS it is
today, the various government offices are
situated in not less that six different local
tiles in Salt Lake city, at cost to the gov
ernment of about $1,000 per annum in
rents alone, and that figure will be almost
doubled when the leases of the present
quarters expire. The uniting of all these
branches, with which the public has so
many dealings, under one roof and in some
locality easy of general access is consum-
nation the desireableness of which can not
be questioned.
AS happens in every other city for which
public building is proposed-the question
OF site has commenced to agitate various
business and property circles in Salt Lake
city. 1t is realized on every hand that the
vast volume of business which would flow
to the government headquarters would
have the effect to increase values on all
adjacent properties, and already combina-
lions and syndicates have been formed in
Salt Lake city looking to the influencing
of the commission which will have the 10
eating of the site. Whole blocks have
been tiled up'' under long options on the
chance Of the public buildings being
located somewhere contiguous. Since it
has been decided by committee of Con-
gress to recommend the insertion of s4OO.
600 in the appropriation bill for the pur-
chase OF site and erection of the building,
the agitation, speculation, and discussions
IN the circles referred to have increased by
t MOLD growth.
An important fact which should not be
lost sight of now that the amount to be used
for erecting the building and purchasing
the land for its site, has been definitely
named, is that the sum proposed is not ade-
quate to carry out both the purposes
named. Had the land been acquired years
ago, before values rose to their present
height in Salt Lake city, site might have
been obtained, and sufficient funds left out
OF S400, 600 to erect an edifice for the gov
eminent needs, but even then it would
have sufficed only for the time being: but
with land values anywhere near the bust
ness center OF Salt Lake as they are to-day,
the purchase of a suitable site would con-
sumo so large part of the appropriation
thatit may be doubted whether the residue
would be sufficient to erect such a building
as would meet the requirements of the
government. The supervising architect of
the treasury department addressed a re-
quest to the postmaster of Salt Lake. ask
ing him to solicit proposals from owners of
corners in the central part of the city, look
ing to the requirement of lot 150x20O feet.
the postmaster in his advertisement limited
the location to two blocks east or west of
Main street, and between South Temple
and Fourth South streets-an area which
embraces the part of the city strictly de.
voted TO business pursuits Basing
an estimate upon the value of
foot frontage for corners within the dis
trict valued as quoted in actual transfers
in Salt Lake during the past five months
and it's sale to say any site such as the
one named by the supervising architect.
would cost from 81 200 to $1,000 per front
foot-an expenditure of from $4,000 to
5000, 600 for the site alone. This objection
forms an additional reason for the adop-
ton of the plan we respectfully submit
which is as follows:
That the institution in Salt Lake CITY
known as the Woman's Industrial home
already owned and controlled by the gov
eminent, be converted into and constitute
the federal building for Salt Lake city.
The reasons urged in support of this plan
are
1.-The failure of the institution to ac
complish the ends sought to be attained in
its creation. and its entire uselessness to
either the government or the people of
Utah.
2-rhe saving of large sum of money to
the government.
3-The immediate solution of a question
which otherwise will require long inyesti-
CATION and delay to settle.
THE FAILURE OF THE HOME
as an asylum for Mormon women who have
renowned polygamy, is due to causes
which do not need to be enumerated at
length here. In the annual report of the
Utah commission lin whose hands the con-
troll of the home is now vested) to the sec
rotary of the interior, September %, 1889.
occurs the following significant passage:
''As to the ultimate success of the home
the commission express no opinion. It is
an experiment which time only can solve
Whether the deluded women of polyga-
nous marriages will, after while, as the
coils of the law slowly circle them about
avail themselves OF the muniticence which
the government offers them in the home re-
mains to be seen. As yet but few have
done so, and as it appears by the report of
Mrs. Jeanette 81. Ferry, president of the
Industrial Christian Home association.
hereto appended, the number seems to be
lessening.
1.-THE occupants at this time are three
women and six children, who are abun-
dainty cared for and apparently happy'
From the report of Mrs. Ferry, above
referred to, the following extract, giving
a comparative table of the number of in