Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-19
Into the Delay in Constructing the
Post Office Building.
TIE HOUSE APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE
Will Inquire Thoroughly Into All
the Details.
SENATOR COCKRELL'S PLAN


Washington city post Office is to be inves-
tigated by the House committee on ap-
preparations. The subcommittee Of the ap-
propriations committee having charge Of
the sundry civil appropriation bill has COM
menced work upon that measure and will
soon reach a clause in the bill which car
ries an appropriation of $250OO0 for con-
tinuing work upon the city post office. Be-
fore passing upon that appropriation it
| is the intention of the subcommittee TO
examine very carefully and thoroughly into
all of the details in connection with the
construction Of the building, with the pur-
pose Of ascertaining, If there is any meth
ou, which Congress can use to expedite
work upon the building.
Cost of Rented Buildings.
The appropriations committee has for the
past year, and in fact for the past two
| or three sessions Of Congress- taken under
serious consideration the question of rent
| ing buildings in the District of Columbia
| for the accommodation of outlying bureaus
of government departments which are
crowded out of the main buildings. The
| total rental paid by the government in
| this city is nearly 100000 year, and it is
recognized by the committee that even this
expenditure does not afford the govern
ment the kind of quarters adequate for
the accommodation of the employees and
the safety of the valuable documents re-
| quired to be stored. The committee on
appropriations has been anxious for some
| time to stop the heavy leak in the gov
ernmCnt treasury caused by the annual
rental charges, and the committee is ia
| vorably inclined toward propositions look
ing to permanent accommodation of the
government Offices and the cutting off of
heavy rental charges.
The members of the appropriations COM
| mittee are very much chagrined that after
the expiration Of three years, and the con-
sequent loss of $3OOOOO in rent, the city
post office is now a great many years Off
delay yet costing the government
100000 or 100000 in rents alone The
| fact that the delay In the construction of
| this building will lose the government
enough money through the payment of
rental charges to build an ordinary build
| ing. is thought which is very worrying
| to the economical members of Congress-
The interviews in The Star yesterday
| with Representatives and Senators were
| evidently read with great deal of inter
| est by members of the House. for the mat
| ter was the subject of conversation in the
| lcbbies and committee rooms today. There
| were many expressions of surprise at the
| state of things, and the sentiments OF those
| Congressman who were interviewed yester-
| day were readily indorsed by other men,
1 berS today.
Where the Fault Lies.
| CONGRESSMAN Cannon of Illinois, a men,
| ber of the appropriations committee, Is
| warmly interested in the city post office
| matter. Mr.. Cannon is practically the
| father Of this building. 1t was he who, In
| the Fifty-first Congress, amended the law
| providing for the construction of a two
| story building, so as to authorize an eight
| story to accommodate other branches or
| the government service as well as the post
| office. Mr.. Cannon, who was then cnalr-
man of the committee on appropriations,
| secured the additional appropriation and
/ icin
\ treasury, Mr.. Windrim, to come TO the
| Capitol and talk over the plans OF the
| building. -
within two years after claiming title to the
land he could complete the city post office
After the expiration of three years. and
the second story not yet completed MI.
Cannon recalls that statement.
| 'It was the intention of Congress, said
Mr.. Cannon today, Ito have this work
completed just as soon as possible and
| the work to proceed under contract, and
has made ample provision for the payment
of the contract appropriating an tne
| money that was necessary from tlme 10
| time The fault does not lie with Con-
| gress but with the administration or the
| Treasury Department, under whose super
| vision the work Is DONE"
| Senator COckrelrs Disgust.
"All 1 know about the post Office build
ing" said Senator Cockrell, chairman or
| the Senate appropriations committee, rs
| that it is a most disgraceful spectacle. 1
have watched the building with great in
terest ever since 1t was started, and my
| disgust has increased every time l have
| passed it, 1 cannot understand how such
| an outrage can exist There is certainly
| no lack of money to pay the contractors
and to push the work to the highest pos
| sible speed If there is such a lack 1t Is
| entirely the fault Of the Treasury Depart
| ment or of the contractors. We nave given
| them every cent they have asked for, and
have only been too glad to appropriate, so
| that we might get rid of this horrible ex-
| ample that we daily have before us.
| IT do not see what we can do unless we
shall turn over the building TO General
| Casey as We have had to do with several
| other contracts that have dragged along
| slowly Look what Casey has done. There
| was a water main to be built here several
| made his plans judiciously, and in one
| year he had every inch Of iron under
q ound and the entire system completed,
ard the railroads running into Washing
the iron for which he contracted He did
the same thing to the library building,
collecting his materials from every con-
| ceivable source-almost every marble and
| granite quarry In the world.
Might Put Gen. Casey in Charge.
He merely exercised prudence and fore
thought, and made comprehensive plans
and showed a business Capacity. IHdl is
the secret of his success. With General
Casey in charge of the post office building
| such delays as we have experienced here
| would be out of the question. 1 suppose
| Congress could step in and take away the
| contract from these people. l do not know
why they should keep 1t, for they have
not shown any disposition to hurry the
| work or to give the government good val
ue for it's money. Perhaps the only way
for US to do to prevent these disgraceful
| cla
themselves through administration after
| administration would be to pass q general
law making 1t criminal ofrense to delay
the construction of a public building be-
yond a certain specified time, and to send
to the states prison every public official
who might contribute to such delay as an
accessory to the fact"