The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-05-23
THE PUBLIC BUILDING BILL.
Letter from Chairman Mercer Praisins
Congressman Fordney's Work.

Letter from Chairman Mercer Praisine
Congressman = Fordney's Work.
The omnibus bill for the government
buildings passed the senate Wednesday,
the appropriation of $35, 600 for public
building at Owosso remaining in the bill,
in accordance with the predictions Of
Congressman Fordney and Senators Nc
MILAN and Burrows heretofore given
On Tuesday evening Postmaster Dewey
received dispatch from Congressman
Fordney saying that the bill had been
reported favorably by the senate COM
mittee, the amount Of the Owosso item
remaining without change at $780, ,000-
Dispatches announcing its actual pas
sage by the senate appeared in yester-
day mornings papers. The bill will go
back to the house as some changes
were made in it by the senate.
A bill increasing the appropriation for
Owosso had in fact been presented to
the senate committee by Senator Bur-
rows raising the amount to $50, 900,
but the committee rejected the senator's
amendment, leaving the amount at $780,
000 Both houses have now passed the
bill with the Owosso appropriation for
$50, 600 embodied in it. Whatever else
may be done with the bill, therefore, it.
can easily be seen that Owosso's inter
ests are safe and as has been repeatedly
assured by Congressman Fordney and
the Senators, the city will get the pub
lie building.
In connection with the work of Con-
gresham Fordney and the friendly in
terest which Chairman Mercer, of the
committee on public buildings and
grounds has taken in helping Mr.. Ford
ney in securing the appropriation, the
following letter received by Postmaster
Dewey will be Of interest:
Washington, D. c., May 16, 1909.
Mr.. E. o. DEWEY, Owosso, Mich.
Dear Sir:-I have your letter thank
ing me in behalf of the people of your
city for the action of the committee on
public buildings and grounds of the
house, of which have the honor to be
chairman, in including Owosso among
the cities mentioned in omnibus public
building bill. The committee gave
careful attention to all the data fur
nished by your citizens and it also took
delight in gratifying the wishes of your
able representative Mr.. Fordney. The
success of Mr.. Fordney in this instance
should not fail to be gratifying to him
and his constituents, and they will learn
that it is advisable to retain in congress
term after term man who proves his
worth and consents to represent his dis
trict in congress.
Thanking you again for your kind
words personal to myself, / remain,
Yours truly,
DAVID H. MERCER.
The following letter from Senator
Burrows received this morning, is also
Of interest:
Washington, D. c., May 81, 1902.
E. O. DEWEY, p. NJ, Owossso, Mich.
My dear Mr.. Dewey; / send you with
this-but in another enclosure-a copy
of the bill for public buildings as report
ed by the Senate Committee, also copy
of the report. l did my very best to
have the appropriation for Owosso in
creased to $4,000 but did not succeed.
The difficulty in the way was that
while Owosso is a thriving and growing
city, it has but s, 696 inhabitants and has
nothing for which a public building
could be used except for post Office; no
custom house, and no Federal offices of
any kind. Grand Haven with fewer in
habitants gets $50, 900 but it has an inn
portant custom house and great part
of the space provided for will be used
for the custom house. / am sorry /
could not get more, but after all Owosso
fares not badly in getting an appropria-
ton when so many places that were
anxious for public building get moth
| ing.
Yours very truly,
7 C. RIIRROwS