The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
AFTER BOOKS, LUNCHEON.
ron 4 FIVE RESTAURANT At
TBE CAPITOL IN W4SHJNGToH'

Plan TO Use the ho"ihs sA'N
library nr Congress for u hcStnurhnt-
,oor accommodation Under the Present Ar
..,..wep,-Othe Cinimnnts for the tooHs.
~ ,su,SoroS. Oct. 2.-For nearly six weeks q
large force OF workmon have been employed In
transferring the contents OF the Congressional
Iihr,rv from the old quarters into the new. The
-orr ia bcinr done with the aid OF a vast num-
bar NJ little wooden boxes and a pine chute with
.horse and wagon at tho other END. AS each
box receives its load OF books 1t 10 carried on the
shoulder of one Of tho army OF laoorcrs across
the great rotunda OF the Capitol and dropped
into the chute, which Is built out over the mar
bic steps on which William Mckinley and
his predecessors stood while being inaugu-
rated as President OF the United States. At
tho foot Of the chute the boxes are piled
into the wagon and trundlcd through the Capt..
tol gro nds to the gorgeous new building. 1t 10
calculated that by the end Of next week all the
books will have shot the chute, and the work OF
placins and classifying them will then begin.
In the meantime the old library is closed to the
public, and visitors to the new must be content
with satisfying their artistic curiosity alone, as
the literary feast to be set forth will not be
ready for some time to como.
In the law organizing the new Congressional
Library it Is provided that no disposition shall
BE- made OF the great rooms to be vacated until
authority is first obtained from Congress. This
means that for three or four months at least,
and perhaps for a much longe. time. the throe
lonr, high.ceilinged galleries or chambers ex-
tending across the west front Of the main por-
ton OF the Capitol will be occupied only by the
empty iron shelves reaching from floor to cell
ing and thickly covered with dust, now dis
turbcd for tho first time IN many years.
All sorts OF public functionarics within the
Capitol building would like to gain possession
OF them. They are desirably located on the
main floor OF the building and their many win
dows look out upon Pennsylvania avenue. the
Mall and away beyond. across the Potomac to
beautiful and historic Arlington. The stone
balcony with it's iron railing. stretching across
the marble building underneath the library
windows, has long been the favorite lookout
for the countless thousands Of human be-
ings from all corners Of the world who
have passed through the little door open
ing from the main corridor Of the
library to take a birdseye Wow OF
south. west, and north Washington. From
this balcony a fine view is to be had, south as
far as Alexandria. west to Arlington and Fort
Myer, and north to the Soldiers Home. The
river, the parks, famous Pennsylvania avenue.
the White House, and nearly all the other pub,
lie buildings and the fashionable business and
can all be seen from this lofty balcony. and a
VEIL 10 II Eephl b tue I'LL IL ITOuOle.
What fate is in store for this choicest section
OF the beautiful Capitol is as yet uncertain. but
there are indications that tho removal of the
library will result in a arrangement of certain
official and unofficial rooms OF the big building.
At. present nobody seems to know who will fall
that the Justices ftheS ipreme Court have cast
%covetous eyes upon them az being more airy.
comlnodious and desirable in every way than
the historic and quaint but contracted cham.
Der IN which the court now holds us sessions.
i has long been the desire OF many leading
COnurAaanan and nr0QrOoah1v nf fha I,QfiCaa
also. to have a court building erected either just
east Of the Capitol grounds adjoining the new
the Government opposite the White House.
Time and again bills providing for the construc-
' ,ISn S %, n sY, h All S.f for ai sss t sSu he hs ss@s been s.a. in,
that the attempts to erect the absolutely neces:
sary Government Printing Office and Hail OF
rival real estate owners. But the Supreme
Court it Is thought would like to occupy the
for ConFrsss 10 o'p proSidde a I peEmS "nsr1 sbbid5iins
place OF sufficient dimensions and becoming dig:
nifty for the occupancy OF the highest judicial
tribunal in this and perhaps in any country.
There is a feeling among Senators also that
they have not enough committee rooms to sat
ago there were committee rooms enough and to
spare. and since then the grand terrace sround
has hIs 5eeGn co sDSsp sed adding adj give two OF or s three ea seore
70 the number Of available committee rooms.
During the past ten years also the Government
structure known asthe Maltby building and fur
nished and otherwise fixed 1t for use as sena-
for more. Twenty years ago only Senators
who were Chairmen of committees were entitled
to the control Of rooms to be used as their pri.
Vate Offices. Then ten years or so ago the use Of
q private room was added TO the list OF per-
~qrisites belonging to a Senator on the majority
whether Of the majority or of the balance OF
power side. must have n private office provided
up in a manner that would do credit to some OF
the finest residences n the city. Fastidious
members OF the Senate complain that the Maltby
building is too remote. and the terrace rooms
badly ventilated. and they think that the old
library corridors could be converted into very
attractive committee rooms.
Members of the House. too, have cast longing
eyes upon tho airy. vaul:ed chambers. They
have long been Jealous of the privileges and
House must not only be the Chairman OF a com
mittee before a committee room ID assigned to
MIN. but he Is apt to get q very poor room at
that. ami il he is a member OF the unhappy mi.
nority he gets none ~ all.
Bat the %covetous Justices and the greedy Sen
ators and the jealous Representatives will prob
ably nj I've disappointed. as 1t 10 understood that
~ ~ Is IN contemplntson oy som OF th s iesaels
rooms into n grand central restaurant and din
ing hall. and thus MI a lonG.felt want. Eating.
statesman's duties as speech making. and 1t was
long ago demonstrated that the quality OF a Con-
mental work depend largely upon the quality
and quantity Of his meat and drink. The
GTnTps!f;6oif r sas pso4 sn s0mm II%ifat' and a. the the
DN"A $3.50 HAh~ WIZ
Plan to improve and enlarge them will no
doubt meet with. popular approval when It be.
comes generally known. No part OF the Capitol
building is better adapted to the purposes OF a
restaurant than the rooms now being despoiled
Of their literary treasures. They are commo-
c!ous. airy. and well Lighted. There arc now
two restaurants in tho building, one at the Son.
SsSi rnd ii one At ' l1. moHHse end ni:cd Both dn are r.. small mall
neni floor. and, so oyercrowded at the
luncheon hour1,the only time when they
are patronized-that Senators dislike 70
representatives, and vice versa. Many men,
bers OF the lower house regard 1t as the proper
thing 10 lunch at the Senate restaurant. not
only because the sign over the door of the two
rooms not open to the public says. Exclusively
iior Senators, J" but also because the viands and
me service are better than at the House end.
The largest OF the three rooms at the Senate
end Is devoted to the use OF the public. and this
- as 1t should be. for IL is the strangers, The lob
nSists, the employees, and outsiders generally
VINO support the restaurant, not the Senators.
Inc aver ,ge Senatorial lunch now costs about 25
cents. and The men who arc habilually repre-
Lented in the sensational and the comic news
papers a. feeding daily on terrapin and cham
payne take as a rule nothing mo Q elaborate
than a plate OF pork and beans or a bowl OF
bread and milk. A few Senators have luncheon
served in their rDmmittap rnnrna and "A fau,