Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-19
At THE White HOUSE
Probable Head of the New
Commerce Department.
GEORGE B. CORTELYOU
Y. M. c. A. INTERNATIONAL COM
MITTEE PRESENTED.
Trouble Over Nebraska Offices - The
Two Senators Cannot Agree
on Candidates.
GEORGE B. CORTELYOU

The passage by the House of the bill
creating department Of commerce, and us
probable passage by the Senate after con-
ference, means the nomination OF Geor%e
Bruce Cortelyou, President Rooseven's Sec
rotary, as the first head Of the new depart
ment. The Senate passed the bill at the
last session, but the House has added
number of new bureaus, making the de-
partment much larger in scope than orig
inally intended. The belief is that the Sem
ate will act within short time in taking
up the bill and in probably agreeing to II.
The democrats are almost sure to oppose
it in the Senate, as in the House, on the
ground that it is an unfair treatment OF
labor to place the department OF labor In
the new department.
The understanding is that the new depart
ment will become an immediate reality upon
the President signing the bill. Bureaus
that must be transferred from other de-
partments to the new one will probably re-
main where they are until the end OF the
fiscal year, but bureaus Of an Independent
character that have been turned over to
the department of commerce can take up
their operations Immediately.
The passage Of the bill and its approval
by Congress makes certain a new govern
ment building sooner or later, and the be-
lief prevails that Congress will at this SeS-
sion provide an appropriation for the cree
ton of a suitable building. The bill is
being passed with the knowledge that the
new department will have to be housed
somewhere and IN some manner. ProvtS-
ion will either have to be made for the
rental of quarters from year to year or for
the erection of a building which Is really
needed to relieve the congestion that ex-
lists in the various departments. Temporary
quarters will have to be rented for a year
or so anyhow, but the opinion is that fine
building could be put up In two years The
payment of rent would not, therefore, con-
tinue for an indefinite period, as has been
the case with the department of justice,
which was turned out of its own quarters
a. number of years ago on the supposition
that it would be provided with home OF
it's own. 1t is still occupying rented quar-
tiers and is fast using up in rental charges
the original appropriation of $l,OOO,OOO FOR
a new building.
There is no lack of money in the treasury
to make sufficient appropriations for fine
new building. If the receipts continue to
exceed expenditures as in the last few
months the surplus for the year will be not
less than $4,000 600. This will continue for
some years, or so long as prosperous con-
ditions induce large fmportations by this
country. The importations are growing,
with the consequence that the customs re-
ceipts are increasing each month. Ihere-
fore 1t will not be a scarcity OF revenues
that will prevent new Dulld1ng Delng pro-
vided.
The likely course in the matter is that af-
ter the President has signed the bill for the
department and has nominated Mr.. Cor
telyou as the first head of the concern, Mr..
Cortelyou will promptly recommend an ap.
preparation for new building. This Will
not be necessary. as the appropriation COM
mittee of the House or Of the Senate can
nroyide what either regards as suitable
sum for a new building. The matter is
being discussed in embyro by members OF
Congress who anticipate that the new de-
partment will become real AFFAIR oe1ore
the ciosa of this session.