Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-06
A FREE LIB RAR Y
The Project Advocated Before the
House District Committee.
Mr.. MOVES SHOWS IT'S NECESSITY
Librarian Spofford Earnestly Sup
ports tho Movement.
THE COMMITTEES REQUEST

| The House committee on the District of
| Columbia this morning gave hearing to
| the committee on public library of the board
of trade on the bill to establish a public
library in this city. Mr.. Theodore w.
Noyes. chairman Of the board of trade COM
mittee, addressed the House committee. He
briefly explained the bill, the provisions Of
which have been heretofore published in
! The Star, and outlined the necessity for
public library in Washington.
| What Was Proposed to BE Done.
He showed that of the fifty-two semi
public libraries in Washington, containing
| over million volumes, not one was a free
circulating library, with reading rooms open
at night for the benefit of the public. AS
rar as these books are concerned, the peo-
| pie OF the city are in the position of the
| mythical Tantalus, starving and famishing
| with an abundance of food and water lust
| out or reach. The project was to make ac-
cesSiple some of these buried books, which
we're suitable for the purposes of popular
! circulating library. Some OF the duplicates
| ifom the Congressional Library, circulating
| DOCKS from the departmental libraries and
the assured contributions of citizens were
| INDICATED as the sources from which books
| might be derived.
1t was proposed to house them in a room
| IN the new city post Office building and to
| manner that all other municipal expenses
| are met. The only question that had been
| raised IN respect to the project was why
the government should contribute to the
| creation and maintenance of the library.
| Viewing the library, Mr.. Noyes said as a
general departmental library a substitute
for numerous small collections in connec-
| tion with the different departments and
bureaus, its creation would be an economical
| investment for the government II IL met
every cent OF the expense Certain depart
| ments now enjoy circulating libraries at
| the cost OF the government; others are ask
ms In justice and consistency for the same
privileges. The establishment OF a general
library to which all the clerks of all the
departments would have access. would save
the government the expensive duplication
| OF books in numerous small collections. and
! would also economiZe in the room space
devoted to departmental library purposes.
Why Government Should Contribute.
To such library as an integral part OF
the city's educational system the govern
ment would be just and natural contribu-
| tor first in its capacity as an equal
sharer. under the law, in all municipal ex-
penses, and, second. in its national capac-
ity. for the nation has steadily pursued the
policy of fostering educational efforts by
donations to the states.
Up to June 80. 1893, the government had
donated eighty million acres of land to the
| states for public schools. a mllion and a
half acres for state universities and nearly
| ten million acres for agricultural colleges
Part of more than eighty million acres of
| swamp lands granted to the states had
also been used for educational purposes
There mad been a series of cash appropria-
| tiOnS to the states for eeauca tsonai pur-
poses,aSgregating millions OF dsliar,s. mostly
derived from sales of public land Not foot
lof land had been thus donated to the Dis
trict Leaving the public schoofland grants
out OF account entirely, If the government
found 1t wise to donate large sums of
mOn9y and millions a nf Tor
state universities and colleges. it would
also find il both wise and consistent to fur
nish the District with the few feet of peblic
space necessary for what Carlyle calls the
peoples university. the free public library.
The government would reap the advantage
of removing the Congressional library du-
plicates from "a place where they were a
valueless obstruction and nuisance, and put
them where they would confer inestimable
blessings upon the people, for whose well
fare all governments exist. The govern
ment should, as its duty demands, dig up
these talents which now lie buried and
like good and faithful servant of the peo-
pie. put them out at usury for the public
| benefit
The Request Unanimous.
The request for the library is unanimous
| on the part of the citizens. The board of
trade and the District Commissioners have
indOrsed it. the local workingmen's organi-
zation has warmly commended it, and other
| organizations of citizens. including the East
| Washington Association and the board of
school trustees. advocate ii. Librarian Spof-
ford of the Congressional Library, in a let
ter to the Senate committee. and in inter-
views in the public press has been one Of
| its strongest supporters. Mr.. Noyes urged
the committee 10 take favorable action on
the bill
| Nr. SpoffOrd Advocates the Project
Mr.. A. X. Spofford. librarian of Congress.
then addressed tie committee. He said he
Is In favor of every means OF increa sing
public intelligence, and this movement be-
ing in that direction. he would hail the bill
as progressive and judicious measure. His
only conception of useful library Is one
that Is used. There now in the Con-
gre SSlonal Library fifteen thousand duplicate
copies of books. which would be available
Tor circulating library. He would adyo-
cate the removal of these books to such n
library. He thought that the proposition
could not properly nclue the removal of
lcCpyrighted books from the Congressional Il
brary. He explained that copyright books
ar" in the nature of trust under the law
congress has never weakened that trust
by alternating any portion of the deposit
Books and other publications which are
copyrighted required to be kept in un-
broken series. Litigation over the copy
right is constantly arising and the librarian n
must be prepared at any time to furnish
one copy Of the copyright book for this pur-
| pose and to keep one copy in the library.
Excluding the copyright books there re-
main about fifteen thousand volumes which
could be better spared than not for they
/ take up room in the library. 1t is his in
/ tentton, he said. soon as Congress pro-
| Vldes another repository to go through the
! books and pick out those which can he
I spared. He thought that the bill should be
/ amended SO as 10 provide that the respon-
s!biiity of selection should not be vested
solely in the librarian. but should be shared
by the Joint committee of the library
! At the suggestion OF Chairman Heard
| Mir. Spofford is to examine the bill and TO
report to the committee at a future meet
ing any amendments which he may de-
sire to suggest.
FiIIette to BE Tried.
naval court-martial has been ordered