Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-10
THE HALL OF THE HOUSE.

On glancing at the editorial Columns
OF Sundays Dispatch, my attention was
al once attracted by an editorial headed
"a Cry for More Air" the first words
OF which editorial were: I'm less man
one month the General Assembly OF Viz
ginia will meet" ! at once concluded
that the article was plea Tor better
ventilation in the hall of the House OF
Delegates and in the Senate Chamber,
and started In to read 1t with much IN
terest. / soon found, however. that II
was a plea Tor more cell room In the
penitentiary. / agree In the main with
what YOU say on that subject, though |
have no sympathy with the modern fad
which would seek to make our prisons
comfortable hotels. for II we make
prison life too comfortable IT will lose
it's terrors for the criminal. But re-
turning TO ventilation at the Capitol:
wish you would make some editorial
plea to those In authority to do some
thing In that direction. I don't know
that the Hall Of the House Of Delegates
needs any more air. for II Is said by
some people now that IL Is always 1uli
OF wind" during the sessions OF the
House. But IL certainly does need pet
ter air, as any member VINO mas
ever served a session of the House OF
Delegates can testify. Physically. l am
a strong and healthy man, and yet l
feel absolutely assured that the III ven
tilation in that hall was. at least for the
time benE, seriously detrimental 10
my health during the last session OF the
House. II this was true In my case. now
much worse it must have been with the
weaker and more delicate members IT
ought not to cost much to give us better
ho1 Il n
Of an architect to make suggestions on
the subject, but feel that 1t must be
done. II at all, by forced draft, and
believe that a number of small rotary
electric fans placed at the openings
around the top Of the hall will force out
enough foul air to give fair ventilation.
win Won make an editorial appeal for
us on this line?
MEMBER OF THE HOUSE.
II Is a fact that the Hall of the House
is wretchedly ventilated. That 1t could
be much improved, and this at small
cost. we have no doubt In this day OF
electric motors and of fans designed for
forcing drafts, there ought to be no
trouble in supplying the hall with all
the pure air needed. But the trouble
has been that each House has left 1t
TO its successor to have the work done.
Now. the sensible and practical thing
to do Is for the Superintendent OF Pubic
Buildings to make an arrangement with
an architect. or other experienced per-
son, to prepare a plan for yentilating
the hall and let that person take the
risk of the House accepting it. In that
way the work would be speeded, and IL
the House said so, the necessary appa-
ratus could be put in place during the
Christmas recess.
At the beginning of each session the
time during which the House sits is very
short. but as the session draws to a
close its hours are heightened very
much. Then, there are morning, after
noon. and night sessions. And then 1t Is
that the health of the strongest men,
even, is taxed by the foul air that accu-
mulates in the hall. On such occasions
il is the habit of members to throw open
the windows. and this causes great
stream OF chilling (and killing air to
rush in.
1t is within the power of science to
cause a gentle current of pure air to
flow into the hall at all times and expel
the foul air. Nor would the expense be
great. We know OF no better arrange
ment that the State could make In the
interest of a prompt dispatch OF pubic
business than to make the nall COM
Portable for members. AS 1t is members
are forced to leave their seats and seek
fresh air in the rotunda, and experience
shows that they are not always as
prompt in returning to the hall as they
should be.
So far as the Dispatch can help to
secure an Improvement 1t will gladly do
so. and we begin by urging the Superin-
tendent of Public Buildings to cause
plans to be made to be laid before the
House when 1t meets. We believe there
are architects and others in Virginia who
have enough of public spirit TO SUBJ
NIT plans and specifications with the
risk Of not having them accepted by the
House.
If the condition of members health be
injured by staying in the Hall OF the
House for a few hours each day, con-
slider what it would be If they were
locked in there at sunset there TO re-
main until sunrise! Suppose, also, that
that hall were not only their eating
room. but their sleeping-room-in short,
suppose that all Of the functions OF life
were carried on there during twelve
hours or more, what then would be the
condition of members minds and
bodies. Think of that. Yet that is pre-
cisely the plight of the men whom Vir-
ginia has imprisoned in her penitentiary.
Not only has she deprived them of lib
erty because of their crimes, but she is
giving them short rations of pure air.
But enough of this here. When the
Legislature meets we trust that 1t will
do what 1t has never yet done-visit the
mems cells at night! If members will do
that the case may be safely submitted
without argument.
-------------------------
Martin Thorn, according to his picture