The Green Forest tribune., 1900-12-01
ARKANSAS NEW CAPITOL.
Corner Stone Laid With Ceremo-
 nies on Tuesday.

Corner Stone Laid With Ceremo- nies on Tuesday.
 The laying of the corner stone of Arkansas new capitol at Lit tie Rock last Tuesday was large ly attended by the people of the state and the big event was pulled off in manner becoming to the occasion. A Little Rock dispatch, dated the 27th, says:
 "At noon the ceremonies of laying the corner stone were car ried out. The chief address of the day was that delivered by Senator J. D. Kimball of Hot Springs, the author of the state house bill. He spoke for about half an hour, reviewing the his- tory of the movement which has brought the state thus far along toward the realization of it's dreams and especially referred to the fact that the commission had more than fulfilled it's promises by completing in sixteen months what was said would require two years. The laying of the corner stone was an impressive perform ance, the honorary act being done by Gov. Jones, assisted by the members of the Grand Ma sonic Lodge. There were placed in thereceptacle of the stone cop ies of the daily papers, a photo of the capitol commission, com plete set of the silver coinage of the United States, coin of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a copy of the state house bill, roster of the last Legislature, the secreta- ry of states report, a small phial of 18-year-old Arkansas brandy, and a large number of other things, 1including small coins, personal cards and such like. The great crowd assembled at the grounds was astounded to see the amount of work that had been done, and to know that the solid concrete wall comprising the foundation of the structure, wide enough to drive team around it, is as high as two story house, above and below the ground. Less than half of the actual amount of work accomplished can be seen, the rest of it being underground
 On the day of the corner stone laying the Little Rock Gazette contained the following editorial:
 'The century will close with Arkansas in the van of progress. In a few years no southern state, not excepting Texas, will be able to boast of having more beauti- full and substantial official home for it's executive, judicial and leg islative departments than Arkan- sas.
 "Nothing could be more ap- propriate, as illustrative of the progressive spirit of the citizens Of Arkansas, than the laying of the corner stone of a million dol lar capitol for Arkansas during one of the closing months of the nineteenth century.
 "Arkansas has been going ahead for years, but during the past year, it's progress in railroad building and other development has been phenomenal. It's popu- lation has increased wonderfully since the construction of the old state house at the foot of Center street. The laying of the corner stone of the new capitol marks the beginning of a new era in the his- tory of the state.
 'sThe new capitol will be built upon a hill, from the dome of which bird 's-eye view of the most promising city in the south west may be obtained. The leg islature which enacted the law providing for the construction of this magnificent building will be recorded in the states history as one of the most useful and far seeing of any that ever assembled in Little Rock.
 ''In framing the state house bill it took a broad and liberal view of the future without disregard of IL :. ,rs:,+<>,,oo of +I ,,nOv,] n of fh a