Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-15
All About the Salt Lake Public
Building Bill.
MAY PASS THIS SEASON.
A F,rst elias. uuiiding can be Put Up
for s300.0OO, says the super
visinu Architect.


ter passing the Salt Lake public build-
ing bill through the committee OF the
whole. II failed OF passage through the
House OF Representatives BY reason
Of expiration Of tho time allowed bs
special order for the consideration OF
these bills for public buildings. II b.,
no means follows that " viii not pass
ut this session. Indeed. II " safe TO as
sumo that u will be law within two
weeks.
Mr.. Mercer chairman Of the commit.
tcs on public buildings and grounds IL
scvcrcly criticized by other representa-
tiyes for consuming No much time In
the consideration Of bill app7oprIatlns
$4,000 for building at Blair, Nebraska,
his ow statc) 20 the exclusion Of 9th
or pending measures. II was o'clock
when the committee ~ the whole rose.
and under the terms Of the special or
der, the House was TO adjourn at $3.50.
This left only an hour and a half In
which TO pass about rixty-nve bills
through the House proper. tAll those
having previously passed the commit.
tee OF the wholc). Speaker Reed. who
IL known to be strongly opposed To
these expenditures for public buildings.
through his agents ON the floor OF the
House. managed To Illustrate the pas
sage OF any Of them with the exception
OF one advocated by e. y. Huntington.
through his lobby here This was fot
Newport Ncwr. Virginia. All other bills
failed: but the next day two NOR,
pnsscd-Altoona and Blair.
The plan now seems TO be TO form an
omnibus bill and attach II to one OF
the regular appropriation bills. but u
ts likely that "A point or order against
this procedure would be sustained by
the Speaker. II II probable therefore
that nothing Will be done until the next
suspension day. which comes ON Mon
day. February 20. and that ON that day
the rules Will be suspended and all Of
the public building bills passed. II VIII
require a two-thirdH vote 10 do II. but
Mr.. Mcfcur today assured the News
correspondent that he could muster a
sufficient number. so. altogether. the
chances arr that the Salt Lake bill VIII
become law at this session.
Assuming this to be the case, the
News" correspondent interviewed the
supervising architect % the treasury
today. I asked him today what kind
o. building y. could put up at Salt
"a first-clasH one" said he. a hand
some one"
''wiil your Office be encountered with
work. DO you anticipate much delay
IN commencing the Salt Lake s,ruc'
ture7"
AT this time" said he. tive have not
much work ON hand. In fact. only two
Ia ~ ..s
ana one at Cumberland. Maryland. We
are glad that Congress In providing for
a lot OF new ones. or course u VIII
KEEP ua very busy. and there Will nat
uiaily be all kinds of delays. but not
~ our making. We viii draw plans and
let contracts In the order In which the
appropriations were made. SiNty-nvs
bills have passed the committee OF the
whole House and we expect that by the
time Congress gets through seventy
fivc or eighty new buildings viii have
been authorized. THIS viii keep M
hustling. but You may assure the pcopl,
Of Salt Lake city that their building
win be reached In IT. regular order. aud
pushed TO completion.
Notwithstanding the assurance OF th'
supervising architect. which. To be- Just
was evidently made In good faith. IN bS
no means certain that there VIII be n,
delays. This doubt Ia justified by pre-
vlOun experience, 10 oven N the oil
passes. the work Of the Utah delegation
VIII ~ by no means ended II rcpuirci
persistent effort 10 Induce the nrchitcc
% get TO work. and prevent other citici
from securing unwnrrnntcd faN0rH "a
tn hands Of these officials.
II II n rule of the architects Office u
dinN plans ana award contracts In tn
order In which tile bills We're passed b,
i.-refs, as the supervising nrchitcc
says, but those intimately acquainted
with the workings Of this bureau of IN
treasury department know that tn
rule N not followed literally, and tina
the Influence ana pcraiatcncy of sen
atora ana representatives In Congress
counts for good deal. II has bccl
twelve years since Congress first au
thorized "a new portoiilco building "A
San Francisco. hut today not a ston
has been laid. For several years tn
discussions OF San Francisco people an
newspapers concerning the location ,
the building prevented work. Severn
sites were selected and abandoned. Tn
enormous price OF Si,Ot0OOO was mail,
Iaid for site which WIS then. AID !
now. alleged TO be unit FOR the purpose
Scandal WIS limited at, and Il IA know
10 be "A fact that certain officers " III
treasury believe that the selection q
this site by commission appointed ~
the purpose was u deal questionable I
character. 90 say the least. Hut Will
the delay In erecting the san Francisc
building has been disappearing 20 he
people, II has resulted In lncrensin
the original appropriation. The huild
ms when completed VIII have cost 60
&c., 0hb. The original appropriation mad
IN 1851 was only $4,000, In 1853 II wa
Increased 10 $500 600. aud In 1898 TO 81
0.ooO. exclusive OF the site.
There IL no denying the fact that IN
plans recently designed for various ne
public buildings are inferior, both ls I
utility and beauty. There has hec
much criticism Of these plans and una
waiting efforts have Teen mad
to have Congress authorize plans 10 4
awarded amongst the best architect
OF the country by competition, This wa
done In the case Of Chicago A mum ~
OF the best architects In tho couii,r
conTeted for this prize, ana the resg
was most beautiful design
Three different exterior designs hnN
been drawn for the San FrancisC
building, ana all We're severely, nm
justly criticized. The first was Yer
plain nifair, squntty In ita cnscinbi'
the second had an Immense tower rii
ing from the center pavilion that locke
like a huge Hmokc stack OF a factor
while the third. which Is alleged 10 |
after the spanish Renaissance" ~
gloomy looking structure. Il hos 1
central paViliona, entrance ana exit bl
ing affored only at the four corn1ra Z
the huiiling.
But the supervising architect h,
grown tired OF the constant complaln
and has announced that no Ia. AZ
chnnges VIII be made In these plnrs.
These suggestions are made here