The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-08
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 1904.
A COMPLETED NATIONAL
 CAPITOL.

The sundry civil bill as it passed the Senate carried an appropriation of two and one-half millions for the completion of the Capitol at Washington, $5OO,0OO of the amount to be immediately available. I. will be news to many that the build ing is as yet unfinished. As it is, it has long been reckoned one of the hand soonest public structures in the world and tho dome in particular has attracted the admiration of architectural critics. The dome. however, Is plainly a misflt, and the plans as originally drawn by Walter, called for large extension of the front and this is what is now to be added. The extension will establish a natural propor- ton between the dome and the rest of the building and will, we hope, result fin all the improvement designed. There are two features of work in the Capitol that must have struck every visitor and especially visitors from the South in re- cent years, who have had business there. There are dozens of Supreme Courts in the United States better housed and cared for in the way of space and con veniences than our highest legal tribunal, The Court room in Washington has no accommodating for the press except of the most meagre sort and the general public on great occasions must huddle together, packed alongside the walls of the room The Conference Room of the Judges is cheek by jowl with the barber shop of the Senators. The distractions
 ,nA by the splash of obese Senators at their bath or the whirring noises of the cleo trical appliances used to rejuvenate those aged or aging statesmen. The Library used by the Supreme Court would in its confined quarters shame Tfmbuctoo. For the Senators of the minority, as South erners have occasion continually to note, there is no place for the transaction of their private work except a decayed rat tle-trap of hotel purchased many years since and converted into the Senate An nex This has recently been pronounced dangerous and every Southern State can rest with the uneasy consciousness that il is possibly devoting at least one and perhaps two of. its Senators lives to the service of the country, as these Senator's toll at their desks in the Maltby Build- ing.
 Under the new order after the enlarge ment of the Capitol, the Court and both Houses will have greater if still insufl- clent room The House with it's new five million dollar ''office building" will In a few years have ample accommodations, no matter how imperial our destiny be- cor cs. The Senate Is looking forward to the erection of a corresponding building for its own use. With these new and i'm posing structures. every visitor to Wash ington can feel the satisfaction that the Representatives of the people at least have adequate quarters for their business dealings with the public.
 In truth the people generally will little begrudge any expenditure in this line. They are perfectly willing to see their money spent when they are assured the expenditure is needd and that 1t will beau tify> the Capitol There will remain a question as to whether these enormous sums can be handled properly by the Su- perintendent of the Capitol, a gentleman, we believe who is not even an amateur architect. It must be taken for granted that Congress will see to it that he will have the advice and assistance of a competent man. or of competent men, such as made the Chicago Worlds Fair one of the modern wonders in architec- ture, or such as have achieved the mar vels We are promised a sight of at St. Louis