The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-17
Bill ApprOpriating $1,5OO,OOO May BE
Reported FavOrabIy, but It's Pass
age Is Not Certain.
NO INTERNATIONAL BANK
MEASURE DEFEATED IN THE HOUSE
BY A VOTE OF 14S TO 1O3.
Bill Introduced to Admit Ex-Confed-
crates to Soldiers HOmes-Bryan
Giving Democrats Advice.


Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.-The mdianapo-
lis building bill will receive the favorable
consideration of Congress as soon as a de-
clslon IS reached to resume the spending of
money for construction of new federal
buildings. Indianapolis and Cleveland are
the two large cities most in need of new
buildings, and the committees of Congress
which have these matters in hand are al
ready fully satisfied on that point The
House committee public buildings and
grounds held its first meeting for a year
and half to-day. When the doors opened
MI OVerstreet was at the head of the wait
ing line and made q strong presentation in
favor of his bill to appropriate 81 100000 for
an Indianapolis building. He told the COM
mttee that the structure occupied at pres
ent by the postof1ice was built in 1860 when
the city had a population of only eighteen
thousand and when there were only fifteen
clerks employed. He presented statement
from the compilers of the directory soon to
be issued, which shows that Indianapolis,
at the present time, contains a population of
100000 In the postoffice alone there are $50
clerks and carriers, and in all the federal
offices more than six hundred employees.
Practically everything but the postoffice
has been crowded out of the main building.
Mr.. Overstreet produced official statements
showing that during the year 1888 the mon
ey-order business for the year will aggre-
gate $O0O,OO0. The number of pieces handled
during the year viii approximate 1120O0,0 900
and the receipts of the office for the twelve
months will reach $500 He produced fig
ures to prove that the profits of the Indian
apols off1ce We're nearly a quarter of a mill
hon dollars year, and said that if Con-
gress could give the necessary authority he
would organize a company with private cap
ital to construct the building and take in
repayment for the money expended, the
profits of the establishment for five years
MIR. OVerstreet called attention to the fact
that Congress had not spent a dollar for
new government buildings since the Fifty
third Congress, or during the last six years.
lie gave voice to the opinion that it was
or quite as great Importance that the gov
ernment provide suitable and adequate
buildings for the handling of its business as
it was to improve rivers and harbors He
mentioned that during the current year
about 30,OOO,000 was spent on rivers and
harbors and that Congress was pledged to
appropriate about $75,000,000 on continuing
contracts for that class of work now under
way. He thought the time had arrived for
the expenditure of money on new buildings.
The Indianapolis building bill will un-
doubtedly be reported upon favorably by
the committee. Whether any of the meas
ures before the committee will be allowed
to escape and find place on the House
calendar remains to be seen. The commit
tee has been bottled up for nearly three
Congresses. The bills that are before the
committee call for appropriations amount
ing to nearly $5O,O00,000 Mr.. Overstreet was
congratulated on his speech by members of
the committee. He certainly made a mas
terly presentation of the facts