The times., 1897-12-07
The Postoffice Ruildipr

When the Cleveland regime passed into
obnoxious desuetude, it was natural that, in
advance OF the fact. it shoald attempt 60
inflict upon the nation some signal and
appropriate monument of its former ex-
istence Thus did Rameses and the
Ptolemys in ancient times. Thus in our
own day did the Buffalo apostle OF
pinochIe and ether things not necessary to
mentor.
Tie great work selected 10 remind pos
! terity or nightmare epoch in their his
tory was the new postoffice building in
make it Complementary typical OF the
reign it represents. Indeed, it is ludicrously
suggestive Of the times of Grover, of
manufe ctured panics, and of all 5he other
things that nave ma de the American people
blush for the fnterregnum bet ween Benja-
min Harrison and the sterling citizen
| (whocver he may be- who is to lead the
nation back TO its old faith aud the glories
Of its position as the permanent power Of
the western hemisphere in the year 1900
That consideration, 10 some extent, is
aside from the present purpose. From its
natural inception under the auspices Of
Cleveland, the new post office build
ing has been an object lesson of in
competency, scandal and fraud. We viii
not stop 20 consider the question of
bastard architecture as adapted 10 high
governmental uses; because, in TIE present
stance, the unities, therwise, could
not have been subserved. We shall only
call attention to the scientific adapta-
tion of tl;ose urities, in the awful pile
which confronts the eye Of man upon the
rialto OF the National Capital.
In the first place. the cutting and digging
of hole in the ground occupied year or
two. Next, the logic OF CIevelandism de
manded that dishonest and rotten concrete
should be Gsed in flooring the building.
great deal Of glass was used in the roof;
more than there was any occa sion for, ex-
cept to illustrate the kind OF house in
which the late maladministra ton lived.
From that point OF view ii was proper and
artistic. But that is not the worst of it.
There is a. report to the effect that The
roof in question Is so tad that it must ne
sent to Buffalo. This either is an at
tempt on the part OF Mr.. Mckinley TO
dis, ribute and disseminate the apotfeosis
OF his pinocble predecessor, or else it is a
cruel and unusual punishment which he
aims TO inflict upon a worthy American
city, whose only crime has been the har-
boring ana municipal ev volution of a politi-
cal character neither creditabIe TO it
self nor to anybody else.
Finally, The discovery is made that the
new Notwithstanding has been constructed
without a chimney. There is a local public
outcry against this, in the face of which
we feel compelled to enter protest. Why
should there be a chimney? Is it to let
off steam? We fully are aware that when
the necessity for letting off steam occurred
TO the Administration of which the post
office building is the monumental and
portrait cIctGte illustration, DR. O'Reilly,
Fighting Bot Evans, and lighthouse
tender or two were called into action, and
the steam was let off with such explosive
force that the people down the river, On
such occa Sions, used TO dream that ehey
were incarnated and rapidly reincarnated
inhabitants of Cork.
The Government, however, is kind and
considerate OF its political forbear. We
are told that ehifnneys are not matter