The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-04
The District Government in Need
of a New City Hall.
Congress by Passing the Mercer Bill
Would Relieve an Almost Unbcnr-
Crowded - Conn issiOner Mncfar-
land Voices Public Sentiment.

days, the well-known activity of the Sem
ate Committee on the District of Column
bia could be relied upon to bring the
measure before that body, and the Senate,
as one member of the body expressed
himself Saturday, might be found in the
mood some day to listen for an hour or so
TO Chairman Mcmillan and to act favora
bly, upon the bill. While this is perhaps
not probable, the Senator referred to said
that it was altogether possible.
Such a contamination, If reached. would
probably depend largely upon the activity
of the citizens of the District, as Chair
man Mercer, of the House Committee, put
it the other day. His idea seemed to be
that the District could have the long
needed municipal building, as well as the
proposed court house, if they would take
up the matter and push II properly. The
House, he thought, has plenty of time and
will doubtless pass the bill. The sticking
point, in his view. would be in the SEN
ate, with the pressure of legislation in
! that body, and the plotting and counter
plotting TO sidetrack the Subsidy bill
But it is the opinion of several members
OF Congress who have expressed them
of the District will take hold of the Mer-
Ger bill in earnest, from the Commits
-sloners, through the commercial bodies
and the citizens associa tions down to the
private resident of the city, that the Sem
ate Will be willing to devote enough time
to the question to pass the bill, provided
1t is made clear that the building is want
ed as much as it is said TO be needed
The Board of Commissioners for sew
Vpl ne act hDT uglrn f.,-
an appropriation for a municipal build
ing. Their annual reports for the last
five years have each time urged the step
as a necessary one They have shown that
the present rented quarters of the execu-
| tive offices are alike unfit for the purpose
and unsafe for the storage of the valu-
able records of the several departments
that have accumulated for many years.
| The Commissioners have been unit in
| the matter and their representations to
| Congress in favor of a new building have
/ been unanswerable in logi of the acts
| presented.
! In the first place these reports show
that the present building, large as u is.
I is still not large enough to give suitable
/ quarters for the public business. Some
/ thing over year ago after strong pre-
/ sensations to Congress on the subject
/ room outside was secured for the offices
/ of the Police Department. thus relieving
/ to a considerable extent the pressure upon
the Executive Building. But the reports
I of the Commissioners show that the relief
was only temporary. AS soon as the over
I crowded Tax Department and other
branches Of the municipal service took
possession of the vacated space it was full
again. There is literally no room in the
building on Louisiana Avenue for the de-
( partments to expand with the rapidly in
I creasing business In a few years, unless
/ the new building is forthcoming. 1t will
! be necessary to find room for one or more
/ departments outside.
Another consideration which the Com
missiOners have made clear in their re-
| ports to Congress is the fact that the Cap
| ital City of the biggest. strongest. and
richest nation on the globe has no city
| hall or public building, in which 10 house
| the departments of its local government.
! This thing they have said is not true OF
! any other city of the size and resources of
| Washington. The reports referred to have
| pointed out that this is rot in keeping with
the dignity of the city, or of the nation.
| When strangers come and ask to see the
| city hall. after looking upon the imposing
structures OF the National Government,
| they can hardly understand that it Is a
| fact that Washington has its municipal
offices in building erected as an ordinary
| Office building, which 1t rents for $4,000 a
| year.
But more important than ALL is the fact.
! also set forth in the reports OF the Com
| missioners. that the building is unsafe as
/ a conservatory Of the records of the de-
partments The building. they have point
/ ed out not fire proof and In case OF a
| conflagra ION an irreparable loss would be
! sure to follow. Acting upon this idea the
| Commissioners have for some years stored
! many OF the records of the municipality
| in a rented vault, for which $500 is paid in
rental annually
The Commissioners have stated TO Con-
/ gress that the present arrangement is not
economical. The District pays S11 400 an
nually in rent for its Offices and for the
/ storage of records. This sum at per cent
would represent $685., coo. or one fourth
enough to pay the Districts half of the
| expense of the new building. To put it
/ in another way, the amount paid in rental
would pay for the site and the new build
| ing in less than twenty-five years
In speaking OF the matter yesterday for
/ himself and his colleagues, 10 reporter
/ for The Times, Commissioner mcfarland
| said:
1T is a fine thing that the House Com
! mittee on Public Buildings has done in
reporting the bill providing for & worthy
building for the Government of the Dis
! trict of Columbia. and its members, espe-
tude of the entire District. There is no
other item in the list of improvements
needed by the District which has the more
general and united support of the citizens
| of the District. Nothing that Congress
could do for the District would be more
gratefully received or more cordially ap-
preciated. II has come to be matter of
personal regret, and almost matter of
personal reproach that the District of
Columbia has no building for its govern
ment. Every State, every Territory every
city of any size has a building for its
government.
THE District OF Columbia since the act
Of 1871 first provided a government for
IL, has been obliged to house that govern
ment in temporary quarters rented from
private individuals, always Inadequate
unsuitable, undignfied. and unworthy
From time to time during these thirty
years Congress has been asked TO provide
for such building the government OF
the District ought to have. That govern
ment, IL should be remembered is the sue
cessor of the Governors and governments
of the territory of the District of Co
lumhia, and not of the mayors of Wash
ington. In other words, it is on a plane
with State and Territorial governments.
and should be treated accordingly. Con-
gress has recognized this but it has Put
off the District building from year to year
on one plea and another and with prom
Uses for the future, until the opening year
of the twentieth century, the centennial
year OF the National Capital finds the
District government still doing business in