The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-04

is his own fault if he does not vote on
every measure which comes up.
$4,000 Incandescent Lnmps,
The visitor to the Capitol under this
new regime may be surprised to note
the total absence of lighting fixtures,
and yet at the first suggestion of dusk
the chambers of the Senate and
House of Representatives are flooded
with light More than $4,000 incan-
descent lamps, each of sixteen candle
power, tucked away in unobtrusive
places, give the illumination. Similar
ly, not a single coil of steam pipe nor
so much as one radiator is visible and
yet no person can ever complain of
cold so long as he is within the walls
OF the huge pile on Capitol Hill Final
ly, $4,000 cubic feet of fresh air is pour
ed into the hall of the House and 26,-
600 cubic feet of clean atmosphere is
forced into the Senate chamber each
minute, and yet the novel task is per-
formed so scientifically that there is
not the suggestion of a draught in any
part of these vast rooms.
Congressional Comforts.
In this betterment of things in gen
eral at the Capitol there has, as may
be imagined, been no special efforts for
economy. The men in charge have
gone on the theory that there can be
nothing too good for billion dollar
Congress" and the men who, as a re-
suit of the recent election, are to come
back to Congress after an absence of
some years will be very likely to open
their eyes in amazement. The twen-
tieth century congressman sits in a
chair that cost $25: has his shoes
shined free of charge at a bootblack
stand that cost $685. and is served with
drinking water from coolers which cost
$26 apiece and each of which will hold
SIT worth of mineral water. The Speak
er of the House of Representatives has
new mahogany desk that cost $120
and may rest on a leather couch for
which Uncle Sam paid out $50. There
are ninety toilet rooms in the Capitol
and fourteen bath tubs have been in
stalled for the use of congressman.
These tubs are all cut from blocks of
solid marble and are equipped with
shower apparatus and other up-to-date
adjuncts.
To Enlarge the Capitol.
This coming session of Congress will
in all probability authorize an extern
sion of the United States Capitol which
will cost several million dollars and
increase the size of the building fully
one-third. Under the old conditions
such an expansion of the already spa
cious structure would probably have
appalled, the men who are frequently
called upon to communicate with
widely separated points in Uncle Sam s
biggest office building. Now they can
regard the growth with serenity, for
the Capitol has, all of its own, as
complete a telephone system as is to
be found in the average city of 10000
inhabitants, the exchange being con-
nected with more than 300 telephones
throughout the building.
Some of the Things 1T VIII Have.
Steps are also to be taken to give
the Capitol more efficient system of
fire protection, for whereas. the mas
sive structure is, in it's construction
well safeguarded against fire, it's rooms
contain vast quantities of records,
books and documents of value which
would be rapidly consumed were not
means at hand for quickly extinguish-
ing the flames. The provision of a
modern fire department is all that is
needed to make the congressional COM
munity a little city in itself, for it al
ready boasts a police department that
numbers more men than are on the
pay roll of the average small city; a
postoffice that does a tremendous BUSH
ness and an institution-the office of
the Sergeant-at- arms-Which performs
all the functions of a bank. When
the new office buildings are completed
the Capitol will also have its own un-
foreground railway system.