The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-03
THE NEW HALL
OF

= WI cos- about s-5aoa 70 make the
contemplated alterations II the haL.
Of the hoU>r Of representatives. re-
! dGcarg Is isEgta FROM 10 10 - te~i.
hut facilities for legislation vii oe greatly
i-scvea-se<z- No longer viii the weak-so.cs3
.aez5s- 1pz4S. rs feeble pipe uzhear9 by
reason q the great size % the chamber.
ard the hznashnsnt @ al siesAs VIII rem
Ger = irsg-ac<Icabae fer congressman 30
devote their tine TO letter writing and
osAs- private business. Instead OF paying
attention 70 what - going en- and listen
isg 20 what other men have got 70 say.
In short. the house will De organized 20
transact business and Democrats and Re-
puoEcans wla be opposed 10 eacA other
literally. seated on long iea.her-covere9
benches. the former facing west and the
latter east Ts1s arrangement VIII Be
modified only BY some benches n tire
northwest ard northeast; corners, which
VIII face the speaker.
Tie new plan VIII give comfortable sea-
irs space Ter ~ members. allowing for
suitable asses and for an open place axis
feet II front Of tss speaker, whose desk
as well as those occupied hr the clark
ard Of reporters MI remain SIS now.
Il Is bTiieved that incidentally, .fle arosaS-
tic properties u th@ kA-l wl ~ greatly
improved notwithstanding the fact that
=
closely wEI cause then II accordance
with q weilknoxn law. u ahso-b more
sound ard. therefore. diminish oy tnat
much the audihiIify Of uttered words
Many exS@--nsHss F-i,. ts Ta&e Win \
view 20 this end. and notable results may
b. expected. ina znl3ca : Vastly more
about 7hs science a. sound Is known today
than vas understood when The present
chamber vas constructed Wires may o.
Nexs 10 Oh
echoes; and IN this come ~tlon Il u worth
mentioning that voices are hear better
81 :hs kali when the ar is moist than
whea IL Is dry
The aoor OF the house. as arranged un-
der re rex PLAZA. XII &ocouufoia.e 4ss;
meers-taat x 70 gay. forry--ix mere
than az snt-althcugh lis length VIII
l.. diminished from IL to ~ feet On the
Other hard, rhe galleries which now hold
ia people seated. viii BE- rsduced some
what in capacity. The width Of the floor
and the height Of the hall will remain
Unaltsred.
II is believed that the house Of represent
tatives will be a much less noi~r body
under the new arrangement As things
ara now, no man Of Average lung power
can make himself vel heard N the cham
Der ard conversations among members
are carried on 70 such an extsn. as 70 dis
turb parliamentary procedure From the
present. hall viii be Gu. Of Two large
slices enc at each end, and each slice
thus removed measuring soxsa feet, viii
be converted into q retiring room pro-
visie5 v'tS ali sorts cs cOrvensence< for
members, s1ich as tables, chairs lockers.
etc One of these rooms viii Re for the
Republicans and the other enc for the
TReraoCrsts Fro-. the IVES: es,a OF the
lobby viii be CUT of a room l5i1x2: feet
for members and reporters, and from the
cas-. end VIII ha sub.rac:st d room .. the
same size sor the 1ss Of the speaker, thus
providing tha, sEnctionzTy with two CON
Meeting rooms The middle part % the
hobby wil be utilized as a Sticking room.
II IS not Ekely that The membership -
the lower house of congress VIII ever be
permitted 20 grow beyond -. Although
the population OF the country IS flcreas-
Ing rapidly q reaTr2nger,en: is made
every ten years as 10 the number Of votes
represented by each n1ber In $40
there vas one representative tor every
- sa voters: y 1850 there was ore. for
every AZ 700 voters II 1850 the numbers
- voters sc~ each repTese nta;ivs had gore
~ 70 -. 49a. n $50 i was III az and to-
day II = is9soa Accordingly the con-
tTac;ea chamber NIL provide room enough
for all the members there VIII ever he.
IN al probability. 7, = interesting In this
connection - recall ths fact that the PRO-
5ect - building ire :wc wings % the
eapital one ~ which holds tha house and
the other the senate. was frSs- preached
about hall a century, ago by Jefferson Da.
Wis who was al that time a senator O,
tbs United States. Tie estimate 81 their
cost wac s2s7zfs.a. but the expense 81 their
construction actually came to about So.
seuy