Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-11
CAPITAL CHAT.
How Maine Was Cared for in
Public Building Bill.
A Hard Fight in House Led by Con-
gresham Burleigh.
Money Secured for Augusta, Bar har-
Dor, Calais and Portland.

w u. ~, MdTcH ~.
fSpeciaD-The supervising Architect
of the Treasury, Mr.. Taylor has re-
| ceived from the State Department
| certified copies of the public building
law, which was signed by the Presi-
dent just before Congress adjourned.
These certified copies furnish him no.
tice also that about $S.00O,O00 now in
the treasury are available for pro-
ceeding with public building opera
tons, purchasing sites and extending
projects already undertaken. The
money can be paid out just as rapidly
as the forms of law can be complied
with in advertising for bids, making
purchases and setting contractors to
work.
Section of the new law is the one
of special interest to Augusta. 1t
reads. as signed by the President, in
the following language
THAT the Secretary of the Treasury
be and he is hereby authorized and
directed to acquire, by purchase, con-
demnation, or otherwise, additional
land for the enlargement of the site of
the United States postoffice building in
the city of Augusta, Maine; and the
provisions of section one of the Act of
Congress entitled An Act TO increase
the limit of cost of certain public
buildings, to authorize the purchase OF
sites for public buildings, to authorize
the erection and completion of public
buildings and for other purposes, ap-
proved June sixth, nineteen hundred
and two, so far as the same relates to
said building, are hereby amended ac-
cordingly."
The opening paragraphs of section 8
of the same law is also of interest to
Maine:
That to enable the Secretary of the
Treasury of the United States to give
effect to and execute the provisions of
existing legislation authorizing the
purchase of sites in the several cities
hereinafter enumerated the limit of
cost heretofore fixed by Congress there
for be. and the same is hereby, in
creased respectively, as follows:
United States postoffice at Bar
Harbor. Maine, from six thousand dol
lars TO twelve thousand dollars.
United States postofffce and custom
house at Calais. Maine, from six thou
sand dollars to twelve thousand dol
lars
Section of the same law is the only
remaining one of special interest in
the Pine Tree State, the language be- |
ing:
THAT the Secretary of the Treasury |
be. and he is hereby, authorized and |
directed to acquire by purchase, con- |
demnation or otherwise a suitable site |
for the United States postoffice and |
other governmental offices in each of |
the cities enumerated in this section |
within its respective limit of cost here |
by fixed:
United States court house at Port |
land, Maine. sixty thousand dollars"
There are several other sites included |
but none of them are in Maine.
These few paragraphs represent Il
deal of hard work in Congress during
the past session and forecast several
splendid structures in the cities named
within the next two or three years.
The work has only begun but has been
begun in such fashion as to assure
that it will be completed and the brunt
of the battle has therefore already been
fought. Behind the work there is con-
siderable interesting history.
The bill containing these paragraphs,
subsequently enacted into law, was
public buildings and grounds, of which
Governor Burleigh is now the second
leading Republican member. He had
previously introduced at the beginning
of the session a bill in behalf of the
of a site for the extension at
Augusta. At the start he suggested
the incorporation of the provisions of
that bill in the omnibus bill, so-called,
which was lone. At the last session of
Congress he had secured an appropria.
ton of $4,000 for a site at Bar Harbor
and $4,000 for site at Calais. At first
the Governor had asked for $1,000 for I
each of those sites but the House lead
ers were insisting that the total of ,
authorizations on the bill must be kept
within certain figure and therefore
the figures We're scaled down in each ,
instance to $4,000. Governor Burleigh
was not satisfied but was content to
make beginning, believing that he
could de- something more later. The
framing of the omnibus bill gave him | =
hat opportunity, the intervening sum- 9
Continued on page 81