Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-02

When at the beginning Of the Fifty-third
Congress there was agitation for the i'm
mediate erection of a new government
printing office building. none Of the many
humanely Interested hoped for legislation
that would authorize more than one struc-
ture. but the Senate has provided for two.
Some time ago. when the sundry civil bill
was IN the Senate, that body agreed to the
appropriation Of $l21. Coo for the purpose of
putting up on property owned by the gov
eminent and Immediately adjacent to the
present government printing Office site an
additional building in which it would be
possible to labor without danger to health
and without the now ever-present rear Of
disaster by reason of collapse or fire. With
this proposition Incorporated in the bill the
measure was sent back to the House and
placed in the hands of a conference COM
mttee. The committee was decidedly ia
vorabie to the appropriation OF the sum
named: 1t being conceded even by the rigid
economists of the House that there was in
1t promise Of speedy relief such as could
not be afforded by any Of the other plans
submitted to Congress While the sundry
civil bill was in conference there was great
distress among those who were pledged 20
assist ex-senator Malone in selling some
heavily encountered property which he
and few interested friends desired to
dispose of at liberal rate. The result of
this concern was active renewal of lobby
ing operations at the northern end of the
Capitol. and these operations bore fruit
yesterday In the action Of the Senate that
appropriated $250.00o with which to secure
possession Of the Malone site and to conf
mence the construction of a printing office
building thereon. The Senate has thus
mt nf ha tra for
the purpose of putting up building along
side the structure now used for printing
office purposes and $25OOOO with which to
buy another site several squares away and
put up thereon portion of a building
When the House of Representatives re-
Gently declined to do the Senate's will as
to the purchase of the Malone site 1t be-
came evident that agreement on that sub
tect was practically impossible. Again and
again have the Malone site and the Ma
hone methods been subjects of adverse dis
cussion in the House. and on each succeed
ing occasion there has been steady develop
ment of bitter stubbornness in opposition
to appropriating public money for the pay
ment Of political or personal Indebtedness
But II there was improbability of agree
ment prior to the Senates amendment Of
the sundry civil bill. there is much more Of
improbability now that the House has
practically agreed to the appropriation of
$l21, for 1t Is not easily to be imagined
that the House will follow the Senate's
example and make provision for two widely
separated buildings when one will suffice.
Legislators and others who have given TO
this subject something ike the considera-
tion 1t deserves have reached the conclu-
sion that the only action now attainabIe is
that which will probably result In a solid
extension of the present building within q
year or so: to be followed by rebuilding Of
the rickety old shell. In respect to which
there Is now reasonable and general fear,