Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-01-05
IOWA STATE CAPITOL
Commission Appointed by Leg
islature Making Inspection
Of State House.
Will Cost . Large Some TO
Finish II In Right
Style.
Something About the Big Build.
ins's History---Capital
Comment.
Special q Times-iRepubIlcan.

Special to Times Republican
Des Moines, Jan. " impression
is that when the Iowa capitol IS fin
ished 1t ought to be done just as we'll
as possible and there should be moth
ing that could have been done better.'
So said Col. Peter A. Dey, of Iowa
City, as he spoke to the Times -Repub-
lIcan correspondent standing in the
senate d.oor. Col. Deyi had been looking
over the capitol in company with Hen
try J. Josselyn, of Cedar Rapids, and
Charles A. Cumming, OF Des Moines.
The tllree We're appointed a commits
sion to inspect the xate house and
make report 10 the nckt legislature on
what is needed to finish the same and
the probable cost thereof. Altho the
commission was appointed long ago, no
meeting had before been held. The ]
Legislature forgot the little item of
paying the commission for time and
experience, 50 the members cannot bel
blamed for taking their time 10 make
the rvs sstigation. The commission is
in the City now to make a preliminary
investigation and later will go over the
matter in detail in connection With the
Ioriginal plans OF the capitol. Ii Will
take a great deal of figuring to deter
mine how much the legislature ought
to appropriate TO finish the capitol and
the commission will not have the re-
port ready before next winter some
latime. But inastnuch as the state treas
Jury is full TO overfiowing already 1t
I5will not be difficult to convince the
! next general assembly that Col Deyis
ifa.a Of tl,,. general policy TO be. pur sued
\ is the right one.
! Robert S. Finkbine. who superintend-
| cd 4 he con strlf.tion of stf,e capitol ueed
\ 10 fell about ths. economlcal streak
| which took possession of one of the.
I s0nger legislatures back In the 7o's.
anl all sorts of proposals We're made:
4 TO reduce the cost of the capitol. Final
Isly some one introduced and had passed
a resolution directing the capitol COM
i 1Iissioners to put thateh roof of nay
and straw on the capito! b,ltffftfg. inat 7
brcke up the movement for economy al
4 that time The commission Went on
i With the construction OF q line ouildir g,
but the legislature OF 1884 was not dls-
\ ting gHished for rs lrberality ine ca pi-
4 tol was approaching coi1ypietion; the
4 1itsislatiye hails had Deem hnlStlsri' Inc
Offices on the main floor mad been occu-
.Ipied. ants 10 outward appearances
there was little more to do. Without
4 d worG of warning at the close OF the
i lesssion the legislature aponShed tnt-
\ commission anG placed at the disposai
4 of the executive councfl a email sum OF
4 money TO dc what ever seemed 10 De
necessary to make the building iooK all
fright The. council finished up the lower
4 offices in cheap way and called the
job finished. Now the building VIII be
| finished in accordance With the oTlginal
i plans, or nearly SO. Inere IS mucn
work to be done. For Instance, the
/ main corrIG0rs and those IN the pass-
4 inent storys have never been frescced as
Ithey should be. The wainscotins IN the
basement is of oak. 1t shoulss be OF
marble. More important than this,
however, is the fact that the window
A and door openings on the legislative
4 floor are of Wood, when they should be
4 of stone. When the commission was
4 doing that part of the work fears We're
4 entertained that the people of Iowa
4 lwouldnt stand the expense OF marble
i door and window castings. The cheaper
A ones were placed But later when the
main floor was done the commi ission
ventured to put in the stone doors and
4 slwindows. 1is the main halls there are
i places where stone slabs should have
been placed. but these places Were left
in the rough Critical inspection of the
building will disclose that there is &
vast amount of work to be done to
make the capitol what II was intended
to be-a perfect building.
A The one man who knows more about
1.-The capitol than any other, unless it Is
a l.Bob'' Finkbine. is Col. Dsy, who was
Ia memberof the commission during the
for every stone and every piece ,oi
trass. There was but one change III
|the board, and that was made necessary
; (bv death. When the final accounting
vas made there was $3.50 not accounted
for out of an expenditure of a few hun.
i cred less than $4,000. 900. And the com.
r-issfon that had done this work. which
had looked after every cent. had de.
s r,anded that every piece of work should
he perfect which had built a house ii