Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-29
FOR NEW BUILDINGS
Mr.. sPooNER ASKS FOR BETTER
ACCOMMODATIONS.
The Maltby Condemned in the Senate
Debate Regarding Mere
Office Room.

At o'clock today the bill to provide
site for the building for the Departments of
State. Justice and Commerce and Labor
came up in the Senate as the unfinished
business.
Senator Fairbanks was asked some ques-
tons about the bill, and showed that the
Department of Commerce and Labor alone
is paying out the sum of $780, 59 a year for
rents for its several bureaus.
He said that the proposed building for the
three departments would not accommodate
all Of the Department of Commerce and
Labor. and said that In order to house that
department under one roof 1t would he
necessary to devote the entire building to it,
his is an effort" said Mr.. Fairbanks
made by the committee on public buildings
and grounds to correct a great evil that has
lcng existed. There is no reason why Con-
gress should not make adequate provision
for all the departments of the government.
Inc government now pays out for rent In
the District of Columbia $316,249 per am
num-
Senator Spooner then commented on the
needs of the Senate for more accommoda-
ticn.
IA large number of senator's" said Mr..
Spconer. ARE housed in the Maltby. They
are obliged to walk from that building to
the Capitol to attend every roll call. l do
not wish to say anything about that build
Ing to alarm any Of those who are in it..
ing should not be occupied.
"A report which has been made to the
Senate by the superintendent of the Capt.
tol shows the unsatisfactory condition of
the Maltby building. AS chairman of the
committee on rules which assigns accommo-
dations to senators, I have been disturbed
from day to day by the occupancy of that
building under existing circumstances. 1t
Is not good place for men to cork in.
It may be that there are some rooms there
free from dampness, hut believe it is not
hit place for senators to occupy"
Senator Spooner went on to say that
something should be done at this session
of Congress to give senators better accom-
modations. Either the Capitol should be
enlarged according to the existing plan
which would give thirty-three additional
rooms or a building should be provided in
Dependent of the Capitol. There is no rea-
son, he said, why this matter should be
postponed.
Senator Allison referred to the model of
the Capitol and Senator Hepburn asked
whether it would not be possible to have
that model brought into the Senate cham
Der, in order that it might be seen just
what the plan proposes in the completion
of the Capitol building. Mr.. Allison re-
piled that that would not be possible on ac-
count of its great size, but he hoped that
senators would be interested in examining
it in the room in which it was kept in the
Capitol loft.
Mr. Teller urged the desirability of pro-
ceeding with the work of giving senators
proper accommodations. and said that they
should be somewhere where they would DO
out of the danger of being burned up or in
jured by their building being blown down
by storm. In his opinion both of those
dangers attach to occupancy of the Maltby
building.
Senator Spooner, when Mr. Newlands re-
ferred to the need of building for the
United States Supreme Court, said that he
had believed that it was the duty of Con-
gress not to neglect longer a building for
! the court. and that building should be fit
for such great tribunal to occupy.
Senator Hepburn stated that at the pres
ent time thirty-two senators occupy rooms
in the Maltby building.
Senator Teller said that he had himself oc-
cupied room in the Maltby some years
ago. He was fully aware of the great in
convenience attached to that building, and
was also aware of the great necessity in
order that senator might do his work
properly of proper office accommodations.
Such accommodations he did not regard as
a mere luxury.
Mr. German asked whether it was not true
that when the Office building for the House
of Representatives was provided that an
agreement had been reached by which the
Senate should be equally cared for later.
Senator Allison stated that it was fact
that such arrangement had been made.
He said that the House committee favored
the carrying out of the Walter plan, which
would provide exactly seventy rooms in adj
dftion to those that are now at the disposal
of Congress. The House committee had
agreed to allow the Senate sufficient num-
Der of these rooms to provide every senator
now in the Maltby building in the ter
race of the Capitol with a room.
In reply to a question by Mr.. Newlands,
Senator Allison said he thought that this
additional provision by the extension of
the Capitol would be sufficient to permit the
accommodation of the Senate even after
the admission of one or two new states.
He thought that it would provide for all
expansion in that respect that is to be
Ia in, f1n trV,r1 1tafa eat,