Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-12
THE INAUGURAL BALL
Secretary Hitchcock's Re-
marks on Pension Office.
so ME SUGGES TIONS
MADE BY THE DISTRICT coMMIs-
SIoNERS.
Inauguration Committees Now at Work
Many Civic Organizations
to Participate
NE SUGGES TIONS

| In report sent TO the District committees
OF the House and Senate today Secretary
intchcock expresses an unwilingaess to
| assume the responsibility of granting per
mission TO the inaugural committee for the
use of the pension office for the inaugural
| ball The Secretary suggests however,
| that the resolution he amended so that in
stead of reading that the Secretary OF the
| Interior is hereby authorized to grant a
| permit, etc." 1t Will read That the Secrc-
tary of the Interior is hereby authorized
| and directed TO grant permit etc THIS
throws the responsibility for any damage
| that may occur on Congress and not on
| the head Of the department. The Secretary
| was informed this morning by Senator Gal
| linger chairman of the Senate committee,
| that the resolution. with the amendment
suggested by him, Will be reported from the
| committee to the Senate today
The report of Secretary Hitchcock on the
question of the of the pension office for
the inaugural ball Is in two parts. The
first section is the formal report of the
Secretary to the committees returning to
them the joint resolution of Congress. wh.ch
had been submitted 10 him for his nerusal
and report. The second part of the report
| is a personal Letter to Senator Gallineer,
| chairman of the Senate District committee.
/ The second is supplemental to the first IL
| is understood. and will be made a part OF
| the records Of the matter before Congress.
| In his formal report the Secretary states
| that but two sections of the Joint resolu-
| ton submitted to him relate to matters
coming under the supervision of the Depart
ment Of the Interior. These two sections
are numbered one and six in the resolution
and refer. the first 10 the use of The pen
sion Office for the BAN. and the second to
the stringing of telegraph wires iato NE
pension building. Secretary Hitchcock calls
attention to the act of Congress of April
IS. 1902. which prohibits the use Of any
public buildings in any manner whatsoever.
except the Capitol and White House, In
connection with the ceremonies attending
| the inauguration of u President. except
as may hereafter be authorized by law.
| Continuing the Secretary states:
Slight Fires in 1901.
| "Rapardiug the merits of go much Of the
| resolution as pertains to- this department,
| IT may be stated that Che pension Office
building has in prior years been used for
\ inaugural balls. and is. am advised. peeu-
| liariy adapted for such ceremonies.
| ..Whetler or not its use should be per-
mitted as contemplated in this resolution is
probematicsl. The according of the use OF
| the building will necessitate the suspension
| of business in the pension Office for a con-
siderable period the safe removal and sat
| isfactory storage in practically hreproof
| quarters of all pending file cases from The
| court of the building: the removal to PAGES
| of safety of furniture from as many OF tiie
| floors of the building viii be utilized; the
absolute surrender of number oi rooms
| on such floors. and the fixing in place IN
| the great court of the building and alolg
| the balconies of bunting and other decora-
tons of an infanlmable character. 10 say
| nothing of the installation of adcitlonai
| electric lights, which will in all proba biiity
| be required on that occasion. The handling
of furniture in removal from the rooms for
! storage racks and Injuries ii considerably,
| and the danger of damage in the removal
| and handling of papers ana RECORDS y nee
| essarily great The element of danger from
! fire and loss of papers attendant upon sucn
occupancy of the building is one which
| cannot be lightly passed over. when III -
| considered that the loss ot papers and evil
| 6ence in pending claims. which cannot be
| duplica ted would be irreparable and work
| great injury upon many deserving claim
| ants doubtless preventing favorable action
| by the bureau on their claims ana necessl-
| tating the petitioning of Congress for re-
| lief. Aside from the large mass of recorus
| and papers in the various divisions of the
office in every day use in the work OF this
| great bureau 1t should he borne in mind
| that there stored in the upper portion
| of the building the papers in 1.6'o. 900 ad-
| Indicated pension claims, and on the floor
| of the court there are 3fa9 file cases. in four
| sections containing 10000 pending applca-
| tions and abandoned files. All this ma
| terial is of an infiammatory character
| .As matter of information il may be
| stated that as a result of the occupancy OF
l this building at the last inauguration in
! 1901, to say nothing of the incidental dam
| age to the building and the furniture by
reason of such use. the loss OF time OF the
| employees of that bureau. am creditably in
| formed, aggregated I'm value $30.60o.
1T may also be stated that during that
| period three fires occurred in the building,
1 as follows:
March 9. 1901. at 9:30 am. on the first
| landing of the northern stairway, caused
| by leakage from gasoline torch
| March 8, 1901. at Lao pm, caused by
| the ignition of a lot of straw at the back
of the musicians stand.
| March 3, 1901, at T:12 Dm.. in the second
! balcony. caused by the breaking of an cleo
| trio light globe. the hot glass falling on the
| decorations and igniting them
"These fires were extinguished without
! doing any great amount of damage; but
| they show the possibility of similar fires
| occurring in the future IL the building Is
used for the same purpose.
| 1.-The commissioner of pensions, in SUBJ
| mitting a report on March 81, 1901 as TO the
result of the use of the pension Office build
| ing for the inaugural ball, stated among
other things that:
| a. AS little loss of time as practicable took
place. and l under many obligations to
the employees of the bureau for their general
supervision and care of the property and
papers; but desire to say to you now that
| this building should never again be used for
| the purpose of the inaugural ball.
| "In view of the circumstances recited
/ above / do not deem it expedient to express
4
age of the resolution above mentioned be-
| lieving that the question presented is one
| which should be settled in such manner as
| Congress in its wisdom deems best"
Personal Letter to Senator Gallinger.
| In the supplemental report contained in
! the personal letter to Senator GalIinger
| Secretary Hitchcock calls attention TO his
| formal report on the resolution, and then
| states:
| "You will note my objections to assuming
| the responsibility of putting the joint reso-
luton i'm force. IL adopted by both Houses
| of Congress, it being degree OF RESPONSE
biIity which, i'm my judgment, should not
/ be imposed upon any one individual.
1 mo one could be more eager or anxious
| to do honor in every possible way. to our
/ distinguished President-elect than myself
| but il seems to me that the action proposed
| in the joint resolution should be assumed by
Congress as the representative of the peo-
| pIe and I would accordingly state that TX