Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-01
MALONE SITE CHOSEN
Lively Debate on tho New Govern
ment Printing Office.
SENATE MAKES ITS CHOICE
Arguments Advanced for the OFF
ferent Proposed Locations.
MAY BE ERTHROW WIN

| The sundry civil appropriation bill yester-
| day afternoon ran the gauntlet of a very
hot fight on the amendment of the COM
| nlittee on appropriations applying the
| quarter of million dollars, set apart in
| the sundry civil act of $780, for the pur-
| chase of a site for the government print
| office to the purchase of the celebrated Ma
hone lot, at the corner Of North Capitol and
M streets 1t developed that the amend
| rnent did not come from a united commit
! tee. as both Senators German and Cockrell.
| two of the three members of the subcom-
| mittee which had the bill in charge, took
occasion to announce that they did not
agree with this policy. and that they favor
| ed the enlargement of the present plan. AS
| these Senators will be a majority of the
| Senate's representation the conference
committee on this bill, IL remains to be
Seen whether the appropriation viii stand.
When this stage of the bill had been
reached in committee of the whole. MIR.
ManderSOn st3rted the row by Introducing,
at the request OF Senator Roach, who was
absent, an amendment covering the pur
chase of the base bail lot at the corner Of
North Capitol and streets east, instead Of
the Malone site. This is the property for
which the money now to be used was orig
inally appropra ted in 1850 The under
standing is that as soon as the Senate had
aSTetu 10 purchase tne 1fien4S OF the
Malone property raised a question as to the
sutciency of the foundations to be obtain
Ell there, and succeeded in postpcnjng the
purchase until q report should be made by
board of engineers. The result was, that
although the board reported favorably
finally upon the foundation. the embargo on
the property was never raised and the
money has remained idle in TIE treasury
for four years. The Roach-Manderson
amendment describes the property con-
tanning 1IO,GiS square feet, and limits the
purchase price to $243 IT'S. .r'
senator MandersCn in discussing this
amendment was very frank and said that
the persstency with which the Malone site
mas been attempted to be foiStel upon the
government commands admira ton and re-
Spect, not by reason OF any resulting good
that may come to the government by its
purchase. but one cannot help adnirins and
respecting the persistency of those, who, on
their friendships. insist upon the purchase
of this lot" He argued that the base ball
lot is the best available in every respect
though admitting that next to this ball lot
the present site is the best in the view of
the Senate. Il am SO anxious" he contin-
ued. that the present deplorable condition
shall be gotten out of. and that we shall
have government printing office IN which
the lives of employees will be safe that
stand almost ready to accept anything that
Will give to us a proper public building; but
L protest that the government of the United
States should be influenced by but the one
motive, and that Is to obtain the most con-
venicnt and best site that can be obtained
for its government printing Office"
Senator Hawiey indorsed these senti.ne on Is
and said: There never was an objection
to the base hall lot that could stand for a
| single moment before any competent board
1t Is to me one of the mysteries of congress
| slOnal life that there should be such a per
sistent, and | have no doubt q successful
attempt to locate the government printing
! office at least mile away from the CAPITOL
! not cunv enient to us and not convenient fo,.
! the general uses Of the government. | do
NJ 70 hR.~ IA.
ately Ter oUr eyes whore We rb,ula Ia
| troubled with the sTaoke. though the sn1ck Q
| from building used for such a burmese
where there Is no offensive material. is a
small matter"
Both PERSISTENT.
AT this time Mr.. Teller came to the res
cue of the Malone lot. and complained that
Senators Henderson and Hawicy mad spai,-
Ell extensively of the peTsis;ency of the
friends OF tnat site lie suggested that
tnere was quite as much psrsistcncy when
they pressed the taking OF the base bali
Ot, which he declared TO be mHl tor the
uses of the printing Office. lie criticised
us size, ITS location and the character OF
the soil. but admitted later 10 Mir. Aiander-
SON that he had confused the b, Sc nait lot
VITA the Johnson property, which is in the
Immediate helsnborhood OF TIE Malone
site.
senator Cullom defended the committee
On appropriations, Of which he is Il IN IN
Der. and said that the amendment inserted
IN the bill had first received the Approved
of the e0mmittce on public OUTLINES ana
grounds. lie did not think that il could
De charged that the friends OF the AIahcne
lot had been persistent, because, he added,
It has had the Endorsement OF the action
of ne Senate twice repeated.
Mr.. COrnan declared that h. did not
vote with the friends of the Malone lot in
the committee on appropriations ard he
would not support that proposition nor that
Of Mr.. ManlSrSon, believing that the right
policy was 10 locate the printing Onice on
the present site Il am very much grati-
fed, however" he said, that we have
been able to carry through the first claus
of the amer mcnt, making an appropria-
ton G.50O) which will enable to %
least make en- effort to preserve the live
and the health of the people who are en-
ployed in the II street wing Of the printir%
cffice. 1t gives fun authority To the chr.
engineers and the public printer Tin g.:
the joint direction of the joint ccumi, ,ss
on printing. to make some temporary pr
vision for the poor people who are now eTET-
played in that building, which is danserouv
and where n calamity is likely to occur s,
any time"
Mr.. Cockrel also claimed that he felt FIR"
TO vote against the committee on apprcpria-
tons for the same reasons that influence
Mr.. German.
The Old Site.
At this point Senator Ciallnger proposed
a substitute to the committee amendmenr
largerneHt of the present site. and he mad"
a brief speech In defense Of this proposi
ton. He called attention to the fact that
If the present plant is enlarged at lea:s
100000 Will be saved to the government
lin buildings that are already 'coastrqctel !.
fire-proof and safe in every way, and thai
are adequate for the purposes. Ct the gov
eruMcnt printing office 50 far as they go.
That amount will be saved he continued
mot alone in the buildings. but in the water
and gas mains which are already located
there and which would have to be reproddc-
ed If we select a separate hot Il lot not
contiguous to the present site"
Mr.. Gailinger argued that the enlarge
ment of the present site had been advocated
by the late public printer. Mr.. Palmer, the
present public printer Mr.. Bene,iict, and
the foreman of printing, Mr.. Brian. lie
urged that the printing office should not be
placed too near the railroad tracks, for
the smoke ami dust would destroy more
white paper than could possibly be saved
to the government by the reduction of
truck expenses. lie declared that a very
small percentage of the freight coTGing to
the government printing Office is moved
over the Baltimore and OHIO railroad, that
4 large amount Of the supplies come by
water and q still larger percentage over the
Pennsylvania road.
"But, as matter of fact he went On
land it is susceptible of the arnplast demon