Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-31
It Has Been introduced in Both
Senate and House.
SPEEDY ACTION ON IT EXPECTED
Interest in Its Passage Felt on All
Sides.
MR.. BCOCK'S VIEW S

The bill for free public library in Wash
| ington, prepared by the library committee
of the board of trade, and introduced in
| the Senate yesterday by Senator Mcmillan,
| chairman of the Senate District committee,
| was today introduced in the House by Rep
| resentative Babcock, chairman of the House
| District committee. If the House had been
| in session yesterday it would have been in
| troduced simultaneously in the two houses.
Mr.. Babcock, as a member of the District
| committee of the last House, which unani-
| mously reported favoraby upon the library
| bill, has taken warm interest in the prof
ect and will push it vigorously.
For the purpose of securing speedy Or
gi.nizing legislation the bill has been
| stripped of every proposition which might
| impede its progress The controversy over
| its location in government building is
| avoided, and the consolidation in it of the
miscellaneous books from the department tai
| libraries is not now urged. In view of these
| facts speedy and favorable action is ex-
| pected both from the committees and from
| Congress.
When the beard of trade last year adopt
ed the recommendations of the library
! committee it unanimously authorized and
| instructed that committee to frame and
urge upon Congress for enactment lSgsia-
tion upon the lines Of its report. Not only
| is the board of trade enlisted in the library
campaign, but the labor organizations are
cooperating through their legislative COM
| mittees, the Commissioners favor the pro
| ject and the school trustees, the East
Washington Association and other citizens
| organizations have indorsed it.
The Subscription Fund.
! In order that the new library may from
| the outset be we'll stocked with the abso-
| lutte essential of books, and In order that
a display of substantial interest in the pro-
| ject by citizens may serve an argument
and inducement to speedy action by Con-
gress, subscriptions have been obtained of
money to buy books, conditioned upon the
creation Of a municipal library by Congress.
The total Subscr- pt!oES on the list today
aggregate over $1,000. Part of this is in a
memorial fund, OF which the annual inter
! est is to be used, and the remainder is il
cash contributors, to be available the
creation of the library. Several individuals
| and corpora tions have indicated that they
will turn ever books to the public library
as soon as it is esta bl.Shed.
The subscription form is conditioned as
follows: I'VE hereby agree to pay the
amount set opposite our respective names,
| to be expended in the purchase of Looks
and equipments for a public library in the
District of Columbia. Provided, however,
and said subscriptions upon that eX-
press condition, that the same shall not be-
come due and payable unless during the
F.fty-fCurth Congress of the United States
there shall be legislative provision for the
GStaDltSnmcnl ana maintenance OF Sucn
public library as a part of the municipal
educational system and to be supported
upon the same basis the public schools -
1t is known that there will be numerous
accessions to the public library as soon as
it is created, and it Is thought that it would
help to expedite the legislation establish
ing the library If indication of a purpose
to contribute money or books to it was now
made known.
The public library committee make the
suggeS ton that those who have it in mind
to give money or books, in any amount,
however small. to the public library when
created will aid now in the library move
ment by communicating that fact to John
B. Wight, secretary of the board of trade,
or T. w. Nuyes, chairman of library COM
mittee, Evening Star Office or to any other
member of the library committee, which
is composed as follows: J. T. Dubois, A. 7.
Brtton, 3. II. Warner, NJ. NJ. Parker Dam
iel Murray, ]. 3. Larner Weston Flint and
F. B. Mcclure
What Chairman BabcOck Says.
The bill introduced today was referred at
OF ce to the House District committee. and
prompt action is anticipated Mr. Babcock
said to a Star reporter today that he would
refer the bill at once to the proper sub
CO mrnittee. and that the matter would be
brought before the whole committee and
acted on at a very early day.
1T is an important matter ne said, land
the bill should be put through the House as
promptly as possible. Whatever there was
that might provoke controversy in the bull
of the last Congress has been removed
from this bill.
There is, in my Judgment, no possible
grounds for objection to 1t left. No one
can for minute doubt the absolute need
o: such public library in Washington. 1t
Is extraordinary that there is nothing of
the sort here. This bill makes the proposed
public library practically a part of the
educational establishment of the District,
as it should be. 1t is 4 good bill, for a
good purpose, and think it will be speed
ily adopted by Congress