Omaha daily bee., 1891-11-14
IS TO TIE LInR4Rr HUILDIsG.

rs 10 THE LIBRiRr BUILDING.
A few months ago a prominent clergy
man, who was about to deliver II lecture
on Success and How 1t is Achieved"
requested the editor of The BEE to state
from personal experience to what he
most attributed his success as n pub
Usher. The reply was very brief and
somewhat lacouic. ~ ascribe my suc-
cess chiefly, " said he, ''to the stupidity
and malice Of my would-be competitors"
This is literally true. THE BEE never
would have become the great journal
that it is today but for the policy pur-
sued by its rivals. 1t has been their
habit to oppose, right or wrong, every
measure that THE BEE advocates and to
maliciously assail its editor upon every
occasion and misrepresent his motives,
even when he was engaged in the most
laudable work in heinteresto of the city.
This is again strikingly illustrated
by the present owner of the World Herald,
who has become a monomaniac in his
crazy endeavor to gain notoriety at any
cost and build up his paper by mean
and malicious misrepresentation of the
aims and objects of The BEE on every
occasion.
This is the spirit that actuates him in
the controversy over the library build
ing. The position taken by TIE BEE is
purposely and maliciously distorted as a
selfish and venal scheme to improve the
value Of THE BEE building.
This is as contemplate as anything
that hns avian amopata1 from tho small.
souled individual whom an inscrutable
Providence has permitted to tcmporar-
lily experiment in Omaha journalism.
What are the facts? THE BEE OPP
posed and still opposes the acceptance
of the Harvey street lot Tor q public Ii
brary and museum building on purely
business grounds. The conditions at
tacbed to the donation are such as
no conservative business man would
accept. In the first place the title to
the property will revert to the heirs of
the late Byron Reed whenever the build
ing is used for any other purpose than a
library and a museum. Suppose the
population of Omaha should each a
half-miilion and the city should
decide to erect a larger and more mag
n~iicent structure on some other site.
Then the entire property woula revert
to the heirs of the Reed estate.
Again, the will requires the con-
struction of Il first-class, fo~ur-story, fire.
proof building covering the whole lot.
Such a building is not desirable, and
would cost at least $3.50, 900. Even a
fire-proof, two-story building, with base
ment that would require fully thirty feet
to reach a safe foundatio n, will cost from
$3.50, 900 TO 5000, 900, unless we build a
mere brick and iron-beam barn-like
| structure that would not reflect credit
ably upon the city.
AS a business proposition not a dollar
should be expended on the building UNI
til the heirs of the Reed estate recede
from every Objectionable condition. But
even If they do so, there are other seri-
GUS barriers in the way. The 100000 of
bonds voted must be expended entirely
on the Reed lot. The bond proposition
ratified by the people is SO worded that
not a penny can be expended on any
other ground. This practically makes
useless the proposed purchase of the lot
ttJoiiii5' AhAA plibp WHO " NUN w
utilized for is as a garden plat and to
admit light into the building.
But the most serious objection to the
whole scheme is that one. fourth of the
800, 900 voted will be required for pile
driving and foundation walls before we
reach the level of Harvey street, and the
balance of the amount voted will not
build such a building as a city of
Omaha's pretensions should nave.
The question also presents itself
whether it is business-like to erect a
fireproof public building on a lot that
has no alley, and is, to use plain talk,
nothing but n filled hole surrounded by
fire traps. The market value OF this lot
is less than $25, 900, and it will cost as
much as it is worth to build n safe
foundation upon it. There is also the
further objection that no matter if we
spend 5000, 900 on it the building will not
be slightly Oh that location.
1t is true a large majority voted for the
bonds, but they would ave voted against
them if they had been familiar with the
ground. AS to the malicious reference
to Eighteenth and Douglas, TIE BEE is
willing TO taio all the odium that may
attach to the suggestion. The city
ought to own that corner to prevent the
erection of an unsightly block or a fire
trap in the rear of the city hall. A
seven or eight-story building erected
back of the city hall, ven il it was ire
proof, would be equally undesirable, be-
cause it would shut out the
light from the rear Of the city
hail. A library building, on the con-
trary, would be "a protection from fire,
prevent the obstruction of light above
the third story of the city hall, and
what Is OF greater advantage still the
building could be heated from the city
hall boilers and the city would save from
5000 to 5000 u year for fuel and engi-
neers. But the corner of Eighteenth
and Douglas is in the square in which
THE BEE building is located and that
building has been an eye sore to the w.
H. monomaniac ever since its erection.
THE coming art exhibit at Exposition