Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-15

OF the many things the District Of Column
hia really needs none are more conspicu-
ously absent than a proper ONCE building
In which the city's official business can be
transacted For many years there has been
active effort on the part OF leading citizens
and associations Of citizens to induce Con-
g-ess to make the necessary appropriations,
but up to the present time even the strong
sest arguments have failed to result in any
practical good. Broadly, the plan of num-
icipal procedure here has been to make
Washington a model city. and with this
idea Congress has had more or less OF SYM
pathy. and yet while our streets are the
best in the world. our parks beautiful. and
many other features decidedly superior. We
have had a municipal building which would
be regarded as discreditable to a third-rate
frontier town Of twenty thousand inha5it-
ants. Entirely unfit for office purposes and
and inconveniently located the building row
occupied by District officials should be put
to some use for which IT Is adapted and a
new structure erected in a central location
for the occupation Of the Commissioners
and their subordInates But the :ncon-
venient features of the house on First Street
are. after all. of less importance than its
unsanitary condition: and that has been
established beyond question. The Commits
sioners yesterday received from a boa-i Of
sanitary inspectors a report upon the loca-
ton. ventilation. capacity. plumbinE. and
other essentials. and are now satisfied that
to do otherwise than demand Immediate
congressional consideration wou,i place q
heavy burden Of responsibility OH their
shoulders. The inspectors called particular
attention to the location of the building,
which was originally a warehouse; il Is
built upon what Is known as made
ground" the deposits Of the city's refuse
having been there dumped until it was finn
enough to afford a foundation. From. such
soil there Is constant effusion of unhealthy
odo--not apparent perhaps to the human
nostril, but nevertheless existant and I'M
healthful The inspectors say that as there
Is no system of ventilation between the
ground floor and the surface 1t is fact that
this soil. coming In contact with the steam
pipes. creates noxious gases which are dis
tributed throughout the building. There Is
an utter absence Of ventilation except when
windows are open. and every one knows
how difficult and at times how dangerous il
Is to attempt publication of the inner at
mosphere by the open-window process.
Toilet arrangements. too. are extremely de-
fective; astonshingly insufficient and alb
surdly antiquated. With such a showing as
this before them 1t Is not at all extraordi-
nary that the District Commissioners should
have made up their minds to at once go to
Congress and ask fo- appropriation for
a suitable building: structure In which the
overcrowding, now common, will De impcs-
sible, and where modern architecture will
assure sufficient supply of pure air. There
Is genuine economy in the proposition and
this may be urged should the humane side
OF the question fail to affect the congress
sional mind Were the District of Columbia
without cash balance to it's credit there
might be advanced some reason why such
a building should not be erected but as
there is considerable surplus-which Il
unused for some good purpose will be buried
lfor ever in the Lydecker hole-in-the-
ground-there can be no solid or sensible
objection. Congress by force compelled the
District to partnership in the construction
or that rotten and worse than useless aaue-
duct, and thus wasted more than a million
dollars contributed by the taxpayers of this
city. The general government will neyer
make reparation fo- that injustice but IL
VIII encourage forgetfulness of the ofrense
III IL occasionally makes Affirmative response
10 a request made by the whole population.
Inc District of Columbia has urgent heel
OF a new municipal building.