Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-16

DEnSED-THREE THOUSAND LIVES IN DANGER
rs USsASrTAKY CONDITION.
Should there ever be any great catastrophe
In the government printing office, there may
easily be at any time, Congress will not be able
to excuse its inaction to a new building.
The condition Of affairs in that big and for the
most part unsafe structure has been made plain
In The STAR and has frequently been referred
to by Senators and Representatives.
Another warning was uttered yesterday.
Senator Gallinger was its author. The Senate
was considering the bill providing for the pub
lie printing and binding and the distribution
Of public documents when the New Hampshire
Senator arose and said:
RESULT OF HIS OBSERVATIONS.
During the Fiftieth Congress it was my priv
ilege a. a member Of the other house 10 be
brought in contact with the government print
ing office and to learn something of the details
OF the work there carried on. One thing i'm
pressed me more than any other during the in
vestigstion of the Office then had and that was
the necessity for q new printing house for the
government wish to devote a few minutes
of time 10 calling the attention of the Senate
70 the urgent necessity that exists today, not
only for legislation to codiiy the laws relating
to printing, but more especially for legislation
that will create printing office that Will be
adequate to carry on economically and prop
erly the work of the government In this d.
rsction.
After leaving Congress was exceeding graft
fed to learn from the public prints that an APP
preparation had been made for the purchase of
q site with . view to constructing printing
house for the government But learned with
great regret upon returning to Washington
that for some reason or other that approprla-
ton was not available and that the construction
of . new building was apparently as remote as
IL had been three years before
COMPARED WITH OTHER PRINTING ESTABLISH
MESTs.
A week or ten days ago I passed through
Printing House Square in New York city. i
looked with admiration upon the magnificent
structures that private enterprise and private
money have built for the purpose of accommo-
dating the great newspapers which we are In
the habit of reading every morning. There
the superb building which the Tribune
association has constructed the elegant struc
ture which the World has reared, and the
buildings for the other great newspapers In
that city. all of which have been built by pri
yate enterprise and with private means.
i recall to mind the fact that IN the
city of Boston the Globe and the Herald
have palaces for the purpose OF carrying on the
work Of those newspapers, where the opera
uves have every possible convenience,
where sanitary arrangements are carefully
attended to and where the comfort, happiness
and care of the people who work IN those
buildings are locked after in every detail, and
remembered that the other large cities OF the
country are equally well supplied with modern
printing establishments Then my mind
wandered back to Washington and l saw the
rlckety old building over there on Il street. the |
largest printing house, believe. i'll the world |
where nearly three thousand men and women |
are employed, and L could not but feel that III |
contrast with what private enterprise has done |
the condition of the government printing |
Office Is q disgrace TO the Congress OF the United
States
BAD SANITARY CONDITION.
Mr.. President, not only Is the government |
printing Office an utterly inadequate building |
SO far as its capacity and comfort are concerned
but if my observations hayo been correct its |
sanitary condition Is extremely bad 1t could
not well be worse in that respect, and there Is
also great danger. according TO the opinions of |
those who ought to know the facts, that some
great calamity may befall the 3, 900 people who |
are employe ed within those walls. i do not wish |
to be slarmlst but nevertheless will venture |
to say that that printing house Is not safe and
ought to be condemned There is danger
every day that IL may fall to the ground with |
the weight which Is imposed upon it. have it |
from a trusted official of the government print
ing Office that he has risen from his bed at
night and gone to that building for the purpose
of examining IT, fearing that it would be
crushed by the weight that is necessarily placed
upon its floors
Mr.. President, it is crime for the govern |
ment Of the United States (and no other word |
viii properly characterize it to put 5000 men |
and women within the walls of a building |
whose sanitary condition bad rs that, anu |
which ID as unsafe as that building is
NEW BUILDING NECESSARY.
/ simply wanted to emphasize that point in |
rising at this time, and to say to the Senate OF |
the United States that whether this legislation.
of which approve, is passed not, whether |
the laws relating TO the government printing |
are collated and put into proper form or not |
an imperative duty rests upon the joint COM |
mlttee on printing and an equal duty rests |
upon the Congress of the United States to see |
to II that an appropriation is forthcoming that |
will give to the government building ade- |
Quate and proper IN which to carry on the |
printing work of the country. l trust that a |
liberal appropriation for that purpose may be |
made at an early day and that the disgraceful |
condition OF things that row exist may he |
wiped out |
Then, Mr.. President. all the operations of the |
government printing ofiice be carried on |
under one roo. The superintendent OF docu-
ments, provided for IN this bill have a local
habitation IN immediate proximity to the other
departments OF the Office and genuine economy
WAL be praetleed through the use of modern |
appliances, comfortable work rooms and intel |
hgent supervision IL will be my most earnest |
desire during the time shall be a member OF
much-needed reform. and certainly no effort of
mine will be withheld 10 aid IL lts accomplish
mepk