The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-27
VAN SAINT BUTT INTO
THE new CAPITOL
Painters and Decorators Make
Room for the Gov
ernor

Gov Van SAINT will greet his callers
today from the executive chambers in
the new state capitol. The removal of
his office equipment was accomplished
Yesterday from the old quarters in the
old state house to the handsome suite
of rooms on the southeast corner OF
the new marble pile. Gov Van SAINT
was not present to superintend tho
removal Charles ]. Moos, executive
clerk, was in charge of the work. 1t
was announced, however, that the gov
ernor would be at his offices in the new
capitol today and he will continue to
occupy the rooms until Wednesday,
Jan. 8, when he will formally turn over
the state administration to Gov. John
A. johnson in the hall Of representa-
tives of the new capitol.
The rooms for the governor and staff
in the new capitol are the handsomest
in the building, but the most preten-
tious room, the governors reception
room. will not be fully finished for two
or three weeks. The painters and dec
orators are at work in the room, and
the stagings fill the room to the eX-
clusion of everything else.
Secret Stairway Discovered
Visitors at the new state capitol yes
terday discovered the basis of future
melodramatic plots in a secret stair
way leading from the governors pr1-
Vate office to the basement floor.
Iron stairs wind their way from
small door at the rear of the govern
or's private chamber to corridor OF
the basement below. The secret stair
way was installed to permit the escape
1f% ~ oJof Of Of he Sfa a from
his private rooms in the capitol when
hard pressed by the politicians waiting
in the reception room, and he is able,
after reaching the corridor in the
basement, to still further accelerate
his fight and throw his pursuers off
the track by going through long
tunnel to the lighting plant in the
rear and thence gain the street.
The stairs were put in for this very
purpose, it is said, for successive gov
ernors have complained that the usual
means of egress from their offices in
the old state capitol provided no way
of lodging men waiting in lines to see
them on comparatively unimportant
affairs.
The office of the state auditor, in the
old capitol, yesterday presented an
animated scene. State auditor S. G.
Iverson and his Office staff, with re-
Inducements of a half dozen sturdy
draymen, were engaged in packing the
books and records of the Office into
huge boxes, preparatory to removal to
the new state capitol this afternoon.
II believe that we will be safely in
our new quarters by 4 o'clock Tues
day afternoon" said Mr.. Iverson. "It
is quite a task, but we are confident
that we will be in the new building
tomorrow afternoon"
Others Prenare to Move
Other state officials were busy pre-
pairing to. remove. The office force in
the office of Secretary of State Hanson
worked all day in arranging supplies,
in anticipation of removal, and in the
Office Of the state treasurer, the adju-
tant general and several other state
departments similar work was in prog
ress yesterday.
E. T. Young, who at the beginning
of the new year will succeed w. J..
Donahower as attorney general, was a
caller at the old capitol yesterday. The
present attorney general has not yet
received a definite notice from the
state capitol commission upon which
he viii move to the new capitol, but it
is expected within a day or two.
"The quarters prepared for the at
torney general in the new state house
are all that could be desired" said Mr..
Young. Mr.. Young has announced as
his two assistants George F. Simpson,
of Winona, and P. J. Kerwin, of LIE
Sueur., Mr.. Simpson, who will be first
assistant attorney general, is now
county attorney of Winona county,
and Mr. Kerwin held a similar office
intLe Sueur county for four years. Mr..
Young will permanently reside in st.
Paul, having taken the house at 756
DaVtOO avenue