Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-02
House Votes on Provisions
Regarding District Building.
AN ANIMATED DEBATE
LOCAL APPROPRIATION BILL UN-
DER DISCUSSION.
Location of Police Court in the New
Structure Approved-No Horse
for the Coroner

Consideration of the District appropria-
| ton bill was resumed in the House of Rep
resentatives today. Mr.. Cowherd moved to
| strike out the provision in the bill for liv-
cry and horse hire for the coroner's office.
| He said the coroner had no use for a horse
unless he used it in his private business.
Mr.. Burkett suggested that the appropri-
| alton was for removal of bodies.
| Mr.. Cowherd contended that there was
provision in another place in the bill for
| the removal of bodies.
Mr. McCleary said the appropriation
| ought to be made.
| But Mr.. Cowherd's motion was agreed
to- and the appropriation was stricken out.
The New District Building.
Mr.. Samuel w. Smith made point of
order against the provision requiring the
Police Court, register of wills and recorder
of deeds to oe located in the new municipal
| building. A discussion of the relevancy of
| the point of order ensued between Mr..
Mann of Illinois and Mr.. Underwood OF
| Alabama.
Mr.. Mann said that the provision against
changed the existing law, because it altered
| the plans for the building and might in
| crease the cost of the building.
Mr.. Underwood said that the original law
|
| located in the building.
! II was found that the plans of building
| did not include accommodations for these
| offices, and the committee feared that un-
| less this provision were adopted Congress
| would be called upon to build another
| building for those offices.
| The chair overruled the point of order.
| Thereupon Mr. Morrell moved to strike
| the provision out of the bill. He read the
| views of the District Commissioners given
! before the subcom mittee the subject OF
| placing the Police Court in the municipal
building, and said that in the city of Phila-
delphia the experiment of locating the
police court in the municipal building had
proven to be a mistake, although the Phila-
delphia public building was at least three
times the size of the building proposed
here.
He said it would be impracticable to in
| crease the depth of the cellar in this build
| ing on account of the marshy character OF
| the ground. He thought it would be
| great nuisance to have a repair shop locat-
| ed in the municipal building.
Bad Policy
Mr.. Smith of Iowa thought it would be
bad policy to locate the Police Court in the
building but he thought the recorder of
deeds ought to be there. The register OF
wills ought to remain in the court house
Mr. Smith sad the judge of probate ought
not to have two different offices in different
parts of the town. The probate Judge is
| Judge of the district court and people hav-
| ing transactions with the register of wills
| office would be inconvenenced If they had
| to go to another part Of town to find him.
Mr.. Burkett said that the pending propo-
| sition means a difference of a million dol
| lars to the government. When the building
| was authorized no one had an idea that it
| would not include all the offices of the
| District government. He said the location
| of these offices in the building means few
| alterations in the plans, the raising of the
| height by eighteen inches and building in
| the court.
Capacity of the Building.
! Mr. Burkett went into details regarding
| the floor space and capacity of the new
| building. He said that $500 square feet of
| floor space remained unassigned In the
! plans He told of the proposed expansion
of the quarters of various officers, as COM
pared with their present accommodations.
lie claimed that the Police Court can be
accommodated in this building at a cost
of about $4,000. in addition to the cost Of
the building, while it would eventually
cost SJO0,COO to construct a separate build
/ ing for the Police Court. He also con-
tended that the upbuilding of the south
| wing to accommodate the proposed offices
| would not initiate against the ventilation
or lighting of the building.
| Mr. Mahon of Pennsylvania recommended
| transferring the courts to the new building
and using the city hall for the Police Court.
Mr. Benton of Missouri said the Commits
| sioners have insisted year after year that
| the District government ought to be In a
| home of its own. The Commissioners pre-
! pared plans for a building which does not
| utilize all of the ground. The committee
| felt that the ground purchased at an enor-
| nous expense had not been fully utilized.
| In the interest of economy and for the con-
Venence of people having business with
| the officials the committee thought that all
| the offices should be placed together He
said he thought that the Probate Court
ought to go into the new building also
The committee appropriations, he
| said, is trying to fulfill the desire of the
| administration, in this campaign year, to
| keep appropriations down. 1t would be in
| the interest of economy in the future to
| house all the District offices under one
| roof. 1t would add only $133,0OO to the
cost of the building to provide for the ac-
| commodation of these additional Offices
! He believed and it was the opinion of the
| committee also, that the addition could be
made within the original limitation of
| cost. S20O00O0 This will be magnificent
| building, and the committee thought ST.
| 100000 was sufficient for a municipal build
| ing
Mr. Morrell Opposed.
| Mr.. Morren said that the building cer-
| tainly will suffer in light and ventilation IL
| the south wing is built up
| For a paltry $1330OO said Mr. Morrell,
| "you propose to run the chance of spelling
| your magnificent building, and draw to
| 1t the undesirable class of people who hang
| around a police court
| Mr. Mann of Illinois said 1t would be an
| outrage to put the Police Court in the mu-
nicipal building.
| The people of Washington" said Mr..
Mann, who have business at the mu-
nicipal building should not be forced to
| come into contact with the drunks, the
! disorderly people and the loafers around
a police court. We can afford to give
| the capital of the nation a police court
| and separate structure If necessary.
| Il am not In favor of running a cheese
pairing policy with respect to this great
| capital of our country"
| Mr.. Benton of Missouri said the main
| thing was to stop the clamor in this town
for more buildings and he thought this
| could be done most effectually by housing
| all the District offices in one structure
Will Remain in the Building.
The proposition to exclude the offices of
recorder of deeds and register of wills from