The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-10
The New Capitol Fight.

The New Capitol Fight.
To the recent criticisms by the gov
ernor upon the course of the new cap
itol commission Auditor General Mylin,
himself a candidate for the office of
governor, has through the Pittsburg
Dispatch made a spirited but in some
respects an inconclusive reply. After
expressing the hope that the new cap
itol building will be in readiness for
the next meeting of the legislature, ir
January, 1899, General Mylin says:
Had the commission not been inter
fered with by useless and senseiess legal
proceedings, stimulated by those high
in authority out of wounded vanity, the
contract for the building of the capitol
would have been let long ago, and work.
men would be now busy in laying the
stone. Better still, had busness-like
methou of selecting an architect been
adopted in the first instance Immediate
ly after the passage of the law authoriz-
ing the building of capitol, instead of
following the vagares of u played-out
architect who now makes "a precarious
living as professor in one of our col
leges, the people of the state would nave
been spared the shameless ado about the
building of capitol and 1t would be now
half finished.
The auditor general adds that while
for the money ($55O,OO appropriated by
the last Legislature at the governors
instance some sort of a building can be
built he doesn't think it will make
creditable building, because it's too
cheap. Still, it may fire the heart of
the terra Gotta statesman" whoever
that may be. Mr. Mylir further says:
There is one point that seems to be
entirely forgotten by the distinguished
critic of the commission in his last pro-
nunciamento, which he published first to
the world before it could he presented
to the board of commissioners, little
want of courtesy that needs only to be
mentioned to be disposed of. When, on
a certain occasion. soon after the organi-
cation of the board. when everything was
running along according to the wishes of
the governor the smallness of the APP
preparation was discussed it was gem
orally admitted to be too small but the
executive, as he always Is was equal to
! the emergency. He suggested that cleo
| triC lighting, heating, plumbing, mural
| decorations and other furnishings could
be put in by contract through the me-
! dium of the board of public buildings and
/ =
| state treasurer and auditor general. thus
! adding 100000 or 100000 toward the
| building of a capitol above the $5I0,OOJ
| appropriated by the legislature. This,
| no doubt. was another sleek way of hood
| winking the public.
/ Attention is directed by the auditor
| general to the fact that the governors
plan called originally for nest of
buildings, the cost Of which has been
estimated at from S3,0OO,000 to $G,0OO,000
and this is General Myln's torrid con-
Clusion:
| 1t was the judgment of the commits
sion that "a Legislative building, erected
on the plan of the old building, bat larger
to suit not only the present but the fu-
ture demands, with ICom for the addition
some day in the future of the two depart
mental buildings, would be more accept
able to the people. 1t would cost less tC
build. less TO take care of when built
and would be more convenient for the
public. They acted simply in the inter
est of the public in the same manner a:
if it had been their own private business
/ spurn the idea and the intimation tina
there were jobs in it. 1t is only those
who have had experience in jobbery tina
are so ready to cast a stigma upon thei
peers and try to blacken their charac
ter. For my part, and l speak for my
colleagues as well as myself, 1--WE stanC
ready to have all kinds of jobbery inves
tigated Lay on, Macduff, and damned
be he who first cries, Hold, enough!
These final words having doubtless
been penned in haste-for the docu
ment from which we quote was fur
nished to our Pttsburg contemporar!
on Monday evening by telegraph
stard in manifest need of revision
General Mylin evidently does not meal
to say that he is no more than tn
peer, that is to say the equal, of thos
VINO have had experience in jobbery
We are confident that he has neve
had experience OF that kind and tina
he is too honest and conscientious al
official to have knowledge of jobber,
on the part of others without promptl
taking steps to have the whole mat
ter fully exposed.
What is most noticeable in this dis
cussion, it strikes US. is the larg
amount of intense personal feelin
shown. What is the cause Of this hig
tension? What does it signify? Th
whole truth evidently has not yet com
before the public 1t should be brough
out without delay, else the public wi
rot unnaturally suspect the eXistenc
of something decidedly rotten in Den
mark, that is to say, Harrisburg