The morning times., 1896-06-20
TRUsTEEsAR ARE HELD BACK
Hitch Somewhere in Naming
the Library Officials.
GEN. GREELY's LETTER
% :
He Has written the Com missioners
Regarding the Merging of tho
washington City Library With the
New Institution--It Has a Splendid
Nucleus.

1t looks now as If the appointment Of the
nine trustees for the proposed free library
has been held up by the Commissioners
1t was expected that the names of the
trustees. whose appointment lies with the
Commissioners, would have been made
Yesterday: IN fact. il was understood that
the Comms ssioners had already selected
lie trustees and that the announcement
would have been the only remaining work,
Tie Commissioners. however, stated yes
terday that they had not yet had time to
give the matter pr oper consideration
Congress gave the Commissioners the
right to appoint nine trustees, who shall
select a librarian, the latter 10 choose
his usSistants.- 1t is "A matter OF record
that it was suggested at the hearing ON
the bill to authorize the library that the
assistants he selected after examination
as TO qualification, but tue committee dlu
not ADOPT that suggestion. The librarian
Will, therefore, be able TO select iiis as
sstants Without that Formally.
There is in the air a report that there
is lust the least bit OF feeling I'D tile irese 1t
situation growing out or the iaCt that the
Washington free library, an institution
wcli equipped, was in existence before the
passage or the act creating the new organ
iza,ion.
WHERE THE RUB COMES.
II was natural 10 assume that Congress
would take some oognizapce of this iact
Ill Its consideration vi the present scheme.
Such was the fact. Gen. Greeiy, who
is at the liea OF the Wa psbingtoD fl ee library
appeared before tie Committees, and il is
unGerstuod that his idea was that the ex-
isiing library should be merged with the
one proposed
g. There was another effort made to get
up free library, headed by Mr.. Noyes,
who, il IS said, had received subscriptions
aggrtgating about three thousand five
hundred dollars FOR The purpose.
Associated with Gen. Greedy are Judge
Hagncr, Gen. james McCannon, Gardner
q. Hubbard, DR.. Merriam, W. A. hcCaindry,
DR.. Rober rt Reyburn, Miss Josephine
Clark, Mr.. L. Francis Riggs, Judge Thayer
and others. The library has been open for
six months. las about six or seven thousand
volumes. aI'<has supplied between twenty
five and thirty thousan people with read
ing matter since its establishment.
The value of the book S and other property
is about $4,000.
GEN. GREELY's LETTER.
II was known yesterday that the Com
missioners had received letter frum Gen.
Greedy on this subject on Thursday. Gen.
Greedy was called on last night and was
asked what the letter was about He said
that he Could not give its contents in ad-
vance nt the Commissioners, but, ina smu ch
as II was already known to Congress that
the Washington free library had teen ten
dered. he would say that such an offer had
been made in the letter to the Ccmmis-
sioHcrs.
Gen. Greedy said that he knew of no
friction; certainly there was none that
could be traced to the organization to
which he belonged. 1t was simply a
library that had been gotten up in view
of the circumstance that Washington was
exceptional in the fact that it had no free
library. His colleagues and he had worked
hard to get up this library and they had
come to the conclusion that it would be
the proper thing. considering the action
Of Congress, to offer their property as an
addition to what would be otherwise pro-
vided.
1t was understood from Gen. Greedy that
the trustees OF his library had made no
suggestions as to the appointment of trus-
tees for the new institution.
The Commissioners will probably have no
objection to giving the letter of Gen.
Greedy to the public. II there be any
hitch growing out of the fact of any desire
of private citizens to control the appoint
ment of the trustees it will probably come
out in due time.