The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-02
BATTLE WON FOR
WALKER SITE
House Committee Decides
Against a Change.
WILL RECOMMEND
SPENDING OF 100000
This viii Make Increase OfAp-
preparation 100000.

d
Washington. Feb. 1.-The house COM
mittee on public buildings and grounds
! today decided to let the selection of
the Walker site for the salt Lake fed
eraI building stand 1t was also de-
cided to recommend an increase in the
appropriation from 100000 to $500. OOO,
instead Of 100000 as in the bill pre-
/ viouslE.
This action was taken after a hear
| ing of those favoring and opposing the
Walker site, selected for the building
by the treasury department. Represen-
tative Glynn Of New York and Spencer
Clawson of Salt Lake addressed the
committee against the site. and Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury TAYLOR
and D. G Dunbar OF salt Lake took
issue with their statements.
When the committee met at 10 o'clock
Congressman King appeared before
them and again urged that 100000 be
appropriated for the building. He had
secured a statement from the supervis-
ing architect that unless that amount
was appropriated cheaper building
would have to be erected, or one story
omitted from the contemplated plans,
thus leaving the building inadequate to
house the federal officials in the state.
Immediately after Mr.. King Withdrew
the committee went into executive ses-
sion and unanimously voted in favor Of
the half million dollar limit.
Clawson in Opposition.
Mr.. Clawson spoke at some length
against the present site, claiming that
il was unsuitable and unsatisfactory to
people of salt Lake He urged that
the treasury department had acted UNI
fairly in selecting the site. and init
mated that some powerful influence
must have operated in determining the
matter. He stated that no treasury
representative had visited salt Lake
before the selection, and declared that
the site was so low that water came
Within six feet OF the surface, and the
cost Of putting in the foundation would
be much more than it would have been
if some other site had been chosen.
Representative GIynu then addressed
the committee, prefacing his remarks
by stating that he had no interest in
the matter, and was not attorney for
pTotestants.
Representative Gillette, also of New
York. sharply questioned MIN as TO ajly
he appeared, and why the professionals
had not communicated with some mem
Der of the committee or their own con-
gresham.
The reply was not very clear, but he
stated that he supposed that they did
not wish to put Utah representa- tives
ter. Mr.. GlynE covered some of the
ground traversed by Mr.. ClawsOn and
also cOntended that the site was un-
suitable because there were not. streets
on all sides of it, also that Market
street on the north was not dedicated
to the public, and its title was, there
fore, imperfect
Taylor Makes Explanations.
Assistant Secretary Taylor of the
the committee. explaining the reasons
why the present site was selected. He
denied with considerable wrath the in
situation that improper influence had
determined the selection. He claimed
that he was familiar with Salt Lake,
that it was unnecessary to send an
agent there. for the reason that he had
before him all the Information an agent.
could possibly obtain, He said that
more COnsideTa ton had been given To
the Salt Lake site than to any other.
that patient hearings had been given to
numerous delegations from Salt Lake
City in the interest OF the various sites.
and that the selection was made after
the fullest cons5derat ton
He claimed that the site selected was
the second choice OF the delegations
representing the unsolicited sites, and
that for every protestant against the
site chosen there was on file four or
five demands in its favor.
Attention was also called to the re-
ports of the various engineers 90 the
effect that the present site was perfect
" suitable for a solid foundation
ID. c.. Dunbar followed Mr.. Taylor,
stating that while he preferred one Of
the other sites. still he felt that no valid
objection could be urged TO the one Sc
lected.
Committee Of Inquiry Refused.
Mr.. CIawson then replied to Messrs-
Taylor and Dunbar Both ClaWsOn and
Glynn asked the committee to appoint
a subcommittee to investigate the en-
tire matter WhereupOn Chairman Mer-
Ger inquired:
DO you not know that such a. course
would defeat the appropriation and de-
lay the construction of buildings for
two or three years.
Mr.. CIawsOn replied that ne did not
know, but preferred such a result if
there was a chance to change the Local
ton.
Judge King took no part in the site
con trOversy, but gave all his efforts TO
securing a favorable report of the bin
increasing the appropriation to the full
amount. He has steadrastly insisted
that he would consent 10 do nothing TO
defeat the appropriation or be a party
to diminishing the amount necessary 10
complete the building
The committee VIII take no action
upon the site question, thereby allow
ing the treasury departments selection
to stand. After the hearing Chairman
Mercer made this announcement to The
Herald correspondent.
The committee increased the cost
limit on three other buildings as fol-
lows:
Cheyenne. Wyo.. s32s 600; Helena,
Mont, S350000; Seattle, $550,000, and for