Evening star., 1895-04-29
Plans of the Board of Trade Com
mittee.
CONGRESS SSTOBE ASKEDFOR LEGISLATION
Contributions to Be Asked for the
Purchase of Books.
FUNDS ALREADY PROMISED

The fact that very few or the contrlD-
utors to the free library annual INSTALL
ment fund and representatives Of only an
insignificant fraction of the sum contribut-
ed were present at the organization meet
ing called at Gen. Greely's house on Fri
day night is thought to indicate that the
contributors do not favor immediate or
ganization and incorporation, and the
speedy opening of skeleton library. This
inference is satisfactory to the board of
trade and to the library committee and
other library cranks of that organization
who have hoped and expected that this
fund was to be used in cooperation with
the boards well-known library project and
not In opposition to it. Through publica-
tions in the newspapers, especially The
Star. and through speeches and reports in
the board of trade and through labors
before congressional committees a strong
public sentiment favorable to free library
| was aroused many months ago, which was
| ready to take the practical shape of sub
scriptions of money or books as soon as
| the time was ripe and an appeal was made.
Assurances were given by citizens to the
library committee of the board of trade
of Willingness to make such contribu-
tlCns, and in considerable amounts.
The Board of Trade Committee.
This committee, after carefully consider
ing the conditions and the lessons of pre-
vious experiences, in one Of which some
| $1,000 in subscriptions were obtained, but
were deemed insufficient, concluded that
both public and private aid would be abso-
lutely necessary for the maintenance Of a
permanent and satisfactory library, and
their conclusions were reported to the
board Of trade and ratified. In pursuance
of this policy of the board, efforts were
made, which resulted unsuccessfully to OBJ
tain library legislation from the last Con-
gress. But the circumstances of this fall
ure were not such as to discourage hopes
| OF different result in the next Congress,
and the library committee has formally re-
| solved to make an organized movement
upon Congress promptly upon the assem-
| bling of that body, and some preliminary
campaigning has already been accom-
plished. The board of trade wishes to Sc
cure location and maintenance for the
library at public expense, whether the
place be the new city post office or tine new
Library of Congress, or meager rented
quarters under an appropriation in the Dis
| trict bill, with the hope of a permanent
abiding place in the new municipal build
| ing that is to be. The board would like to
accumulate the miscellaneous books in
| several of the department libraries into
| general departmental library and add to
the collection the thousands of non-copy-
right duplicates in the Congressional
Library, which, Mr.. Spofford says, can be
spared with advantage from the shelves
which they now incumber; but If it fails to
realize upon one or even both of these
sources Of supply it will take the loss
philosophically, for, if the housing and
maintenance are at. public expense the
private subscriptions, being devoted ex-
clusirely to the purchase of books, will
make a fine showing and create at the out
set a valuable working library.
The Boards Plan.
1t mas been, and Is now, the boards policy
to present to Congress assurances of large
private subscriptions for books, conditioned
| upon the housing and maintenance of them
as a library by the District, thus using
| these subscriptions as an inducement to the
enactment of the desired legislation. Pro-
posing to continue this policy the library
committee of the board has discouraged the
idea of spending such contributions in the
immediate rental of rooms and the hiring of
a librarian. There have been, and are now,
no revenues in sight with which to buy the
bccks, to make attractive the rented rooms
and to give work to the librarian. 1t is
feared that the existence of discredlta-
BILE alleged library Of this sort would be
fatal to an effort to secure an adequately
equipped library from the next Congress.
not only by diverting subscriptions from the
book fund to be offered as the contribution
of citizens to the public library, but also
by giving to unfriendly legislators the op-
pcrtunity to say that the scant attendance
at this library, unattractive from lack Of
mand for library, and that the meager
support which it receives is fair measure
of the local public interest in such an in
stitution. For these rea sons the library
committee has by formal resolution dis
oouraged the opening of a library until the
opportunity has been had next winter to
establish library of the right sort upon
a permanent basis through suitable legis-
lation, and has endeavored to bring about
cooperation of the various subscribers to-
ward free library.
Subscribers to the Fund.
1t is not to be understood that the board
Of trade and the annual contributors to the
library fund are distinct and opposing
forces. These subscriptions were largely
made as a result of the board of trades
agitation Of the library question, were in
tended by at least some of the subscribers
TO be utilized i'll connection with the board
of trades movement, and among the largest
contributors are a number of the members
of the board. Omittng recent subscrip-
tions if any, the list is as follows, the
amount set opposite each name to be paid
annually for five years:
Woodward & Lothrop.. 500
Crosby 5. Moves. ........................... 100
Mrs. Eenj. H. Warder. der..................... 100
Christian Heurich.. ......................... 100
Gardiner G. Hubbard. ard................ 100
E. F. Riggs. Observation-Disclosures. 100
A. Lisner.. ............................ SO
John w ThOmnSOn