Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-03-17
4 NEW CAPITOL.

Governor hastings sent a special
message 10 The Legislature On The
subject OF tie rebuilding Of the Cap
itol. The Governor is conservative
III his plan, and il lis estimate Of the
cost of the building in which ha Will
be heartily sustained by the people
generally. Here and there among
people who estimats ali ihipgs
from the standpoint of watered stocl;
operations and monopoly Govern
mcEt contract prices, man will crit
icise the Governors s estim4ts OF cost
and plans.
Here is the messags Read it. It ie
oorn mart of TIE present day history Of the
boyhood d2mmonweaiLh and as such should
you ney,ve the widest circulation possible.
: 'o.gu, .'1' ,. 51oNwEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
RARRIs3URG, Pa, March II, 1897.
To the Honorable the Sena.a ard
House of Representatives Of the
Commonwealth OF Pennsylyania:
Tie pressing necessity for legisls.
tive action providing for the erection
of Capitol building suitable for the
meetings Of the General Assembly
attention to the emergency confront
ing US. TIE fire Of February 2,
1897. having destroyed The main
Capitol building, your honorable
bodies are now occupying quarters,
which are necessarily only temper
ary. a difference of opinion natur-
ally exists among the people as well
as among the members of your hon
orGbie bodies as to what should be
done and the manner of doing it..
To erect single building of such
ample proportions as would be nee
essary to accomuoda|e all the de-
partm ents of the State Government,
is advocated by s0mc, whilst others
believe that the better pan would be
to erect a group of buildings for the
accommodation of the General Assem-
big and the several departments Of
TIE Slate government. A single build
Ing of sufficient size would IN all prcb-
ability require many years for lis com
pletiou, and all agree that the cost
would b9 very great. To adopt the
other plan-viz., that of groap OF
buildings each suitable for specific
department., appears to meet with
moro general approval. The cost, 1
ain advised, would not be nearly so
great and the effect, from On archi-
tectural stand -poiat. scarcely less i'm
posing. This would be to follow
with such improvements as might be
suggested, tae existing plan Of sep
arote buildings which have been
found convenient and satisfactory,
except for the increasing demand for
hx-
the growth Of our population and
business interests. It viii bs con-
ceded b. Gll that whatever plan may
be adopted, re should keep in view
the probable needs for at least 4 cen
tury to come.
THE GOVERNORS SUGGESTIONS.
After a somewhat careful study Of
the question, / have reached the coz
clusiou that the pubic interests will
be best served by erecting first q
building suitable fer tha meetings Of
the General Assembly, with enlarged
accommodations for its officers and
committees, ami, subsequently, as
par: Of the same general plan, and as
the finances OF the State will permit,
to replace the buildings now occu-
pied by the Department of Internal
AfaIrs, Agricultural Department, Ad-
jutant Generals Office, banking in
surance and other de arsments. Il
is manifest that the severai buildings
now occupied by theae Departments
of the State government cannot at
one time be torn down and replaced
without most serious inconvenience
arf interruption of the public bust
ness, to say nothing of the lack of
funds available or o5iaiuable for
such purpose. The records in these |
departments-partcularly in the De-
partment of Internal Affairs aud the |
Adjutant Generals offics-are most |
valuable, ard those not in imaediate-
daily use should at the earliest posi-
bic time he stored in fire proof
building. A main Capitol building
for the meetings of the General As.