The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-06-12

SENATOR e. w. FAIRBANKS.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Public Buildings.)
The house of representatives has also
passed bill making an aggregate APP
preparation of $19,00O,OOO for public
buildings throughout the country.
Favors are shown for all of the
states and for many of the congress
sional districts. The senate is pro-
posing amendments which will run
the bill up to about 100000. Thus,
in these two bills, there is to be APP
propriated almost $100,000,000 from
the treasury. If there were any great
emergency requiring liberality, the
American people would arise and in
dorse large appropriations with prod
igal enthusiasm. But before the war
with Spain, when $5O,OOO,OOO were APP
propriated "for the national Defense"
that was regarded as a large appro-
priation for the national emergency.
Now we are so rich that the con-
gress appropriates almost double
that sum for purposes not altogether
pau iptiN, anu biiC DNOPlC up llob SCOllh
to realize nor care. 1t is very strange
that such public acts should pass
with so little notice.
This public building bill contains
provision which has caused consider
able comment, as to the why and
wherefore. 1t proposes to purchase
an entire block of ground on Penn
!
a municipal building, at a total cost
of 81 100000. So far so good. But it
proposes that one entire street shall
be closed, and the new building pro-
| jected onto and across the space, far
out into a government reservation,
which is one of the beauty spots of
this city. Whether or not there is
jobbery back of this, as has been in
timated, the procedure certainly is
a questionable one; because the true
statesman of to-day will consider the
appearance of the national capital in
the years of the future. Its symme-
try should not be married.
There is another proposition pend
| ing for the building of a hall of rec
ords for the government; and that
| is undoubtedly worthy endeavor.
In the various executive departments
of the federal government there are
hundreds of thousands of valu-
able documents which ought to be
carefully arranged like the books of
library, so that they might easily
be accessible. AS it is, tons of such
| documents are stored away as rub
bish, and when wanted it is almost
impossible to find them. Documents
pertaining to claims against the
government should be shelved as are
the cases in the office of any good
lawyer. To provide that such order
fnay be maintained, it will be neces-
sary for the government to have a
hall of records, in which the valu-
able documents of all of the depart
ments may be placed. For this pur-
pose the building of such hall de-
serves, and will receive, favorable
congressional consideration.
But the big public building bill,
which has been called 1.-THE omnibus
bill" does not deserve universal COM
mendation; particularly as it fo.-
lows the big pork" accumulation of
the S70,000,000 river and harbor bill.
In order to secure the adoption of
this measure each state is to receive
at least one public building. For ex-
ample, it starts out with an appro-
priation of $250,0O0 for a public build
ing at Montgomery, Ala; and then
taking each state in alphabetical or
der, it goes right along, and winds
up with 100000 for Wheeling, w.
Va.
This bill went from the house to
the senate, and was there referred to
the committee on public buildings
and grounds, of which Senator Fair
banks, of Indiana, is chairman.
Whether or not that committee will
actively urge the adoption of the bill
cannot be foreseen orprognosticated.
Some of the members of the commit
tee are economists of note; as Sena-
tors Quarles, of Wisconsin; McCum-
Der, of North Dakota, and Vest. of
Missouri. 1t is possible, if not prob
able, that some of the senators NAV
call halt on the prodigious appro-
priation, even though some of the
cities in their own states are expect
ing their share of the benefaction:
to give it a mild name.
SMITH D. FRY,