The evening times., 1897-05-06
TALK OF new WHITE HOUSE
Plans to Build Another Home fol-
the President.
Senator's Said to Have Agreed Upon
Ancient Proposition Revived.

A Washington dispatch. published in the
| Boston Transcript, says: The time-worn
| project Of building new house for the
| President is revived. Although In IT'S
general features as old as the hills, tnis
! design takes on new phase of some sort
each time it is peyamped. Its latest appari.
| tion is notable for carrying it to a further
| stage than any former one We are now
told that someof the leading Senators have
exchanged pledges to push an appropria-
tion of half million dollars through Con
gress, $50 900 of the sum to- be expended in
the purchase of n suitable lot, and the re-
naming $3.50 COO to go into the build
ing and other Improvements. Even the
architect has been chosen by these gentle
men, as the story goes, and has prepared
sketch plans under their instructions.
Undoubtedly the White House is over
crowded. There is abundant space, how
ever, OIL, the grounds occupied by IL for an
artistic extension, harmonious with the
present building, which has a character Of
its own, enjoys sonnet hing OF the sanctity Of
Ieic, and for simple dignity Of lines could
not be much improved upon. President
Arthur, when, in the warm weather, he
found his domestic quarters rather cramp-
ed, used to remove his personal effects 10
d cottage at the Soldiers Home. Presi-
dent Cleveland, during his first term,
bought pleasant place in the suburbs AMI
altered IL to suit the convenience of his
family. paying the bills from his own
purse In his second term, having in
the meantime sold these premises, he
rented another suburban villa.
1t does not follow from these examples
that if any President wishes to put little
distance between his dwelling and his
Official workshop he should be obliged
to take q Soldiers Home cottage or buy
or rent country seat at his private eX-
pense, but from the fact that former Pres
ideGts have found simple means Of salts
fying their domestic needs, 1T is plain
tina. there is no call for such haste in pro-
viding for President Mckinley and his
sucCcssurs as to make blunders whose
effects are bound to be so permanent.
The choice OF an architect, for example
by the self-constitu Senatorial COM
mission suggests the probability that the
same gentlemen have also picked out
building lot. This is the point at which
owing to the suspicion Of jobbery attach
ing so commonly to real estate operations
in which the Government Is a party in in
terest If the stories IN circulation In
Washington are true, the question will at
once arise, who has "cornered' the SEN
ators for the purpose of selling his choicest
building lot, and how many spectators
have been buying in the surrounding prop
erty?
Again. with regard to the architect, it
would be painful shock to well -wishersOf
the Government and OF this beautifulcity TO
learn that the man had been arbitrarily
chosen by the Senatorial group and set To
work even informally at making sketch
plans. If the money to be spent on the new
home Of Presidents is to be public and not
private money, the selection of the archi-
tee, should be public undertaking, delib-
erately considered and carefully conducted,
and not what the politicians call a private
snap"
The building will be q monument to the
fame of the man who designs it, and the
work ought to command the services of the
most eminent architects in the country. If
itisnecessary at a Il to havea separate home
for the President, there should be COM
petition in designs, with a jury of award,
who would enjoy the respect of every Que;
or else, if it decided that a competition is
unnecessary, the task should be committed
to one of the half-doZen famous architects
who stand at the Very head of their profess
sion Bot itmay well eQuestioned ed whether
separate Presidents house is necessary,
il the desire is really to relieve the PTeSi-
dent and not merely to create a real estate
boom Congress viii be likely to go very
slow In this matter.