Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-21

Senate annex will occupy the corresponding
block north of the park These buildings
will be of white marble and their en-
frances will carry out the style OF those OF
the CAPITOL. on reduced scale That for.
the senator's will cost s2,2J00 0e and Will
be finished in three years. That Tor the
representatives win cost s., 100000 ana Will
be ready for occupancy in two and half
years
Members Without Offices.
Tunnels will connect these annexes with
the basement of the Capitol building.
Through these subways members will walk
to and from their deliberative chambers
The annexes will contain offices for all
members, folding rooms and many of the
offices now crowded into the dark base
ment subba sement and terrace of the Cap1-
toll. Every available room in the House
portion of the big building is now utilized
by a committee. Committee chairmen
may use their committee rooms as ofnces,
but other members have the choice OF
either renting offices outside, at their own
expense, or of using a little table space III
their committee rooms. amid the confusion
of committee work Only fifty-two mem
bers out of the 3S6 are chairmen, and these
must share their rooms with colleagues.
Senators have provided better for their
comfort. Some years ago their body leased
a hotel building north of Capitol Park ana
there furnished a sanctum for each of Its
members. Shortly before Congress ad-
journed senator complained on the floor
of his chamber that the elevator of this
temporary annex ceased running after each
afternoons adjournment necessitatfng that
he and his colleagues climb to their rooms,
often five or six stories UP.
A large power plant, which VIII supply
the Capitol, the two new annexes and the
Library of Congress with heat and electrici-
ty. is to be erected south of Capitol Park
and behind the House annex. This Will
cost three-quarters of a million dollars and
will be one Of the most complete plants of
its kind in the country.
Began With Quarrel.
OF course the early fathers of the repub-
lie did not foresee the vast expansion of our
country. That a vision of its rapid ascen-
dancy as world power would have stun
ned them is borne out by their meager
provision for Capitol. In March, 1892,
there appeared in the public press an ad-
vertisement stating that "A premium of a
lot In this city to be designated by impair
tial judges. and 500; or a medal of that
value. at the option of the party. will be
given by the commissioners of public build
ings to the person who before the 18th day
of July, 1892, shall produce to them the
most approved plan. if adopted by them.
for Capitol to be erected In this city" etc.
Fourteen designs. mostly by artisans ard
many of them ridiculous monstrosities, were
submitted. Jefferson. then Secretary of
State. rejected all but two, offered by Dr.
draughtsman. and Stephen Hallette,
French architect. Hallettes design was
about to be accepted when a decision was
suddenly rendered in favor of Thornton.
AS a balm to Hallette's hurt feelings he
was given the position of architect of the
Capitol. with 5000 a year and with in
structions to carry out Thorntons designs.
Thornton and Hallette could not bury the
Ratchet, however. and the latter had to be
dismissed He was succeeded by Geo. Had
field, an Englishman, who in his turn had
a row with the commissioners. James Ho-
ban. architect of the White House. pro-
ceeded to make the first Capitol ready for
Congress. whose members were booked to
arrive in 1900.
First Occupants Protest.
But when the capital was moved from
Philadelphia the thirty-two senators and
1O5 representatives constituting the Con-
gress found only the Senate wing of the
much heraided Capitol The central por
ton of the original building and the House
wing had not risen above their foundations.
The first Senate session called together in
the old Capitol met in the chamber design
ed for It, and which occupied about the
same space as that now allotted to the
Supreme Court of the United States. save
that the floor was one story lower, or on
the present basement level. The repre-
sentatlves crowded themselves into the old
Senate wing, and were given long room
IN the west SIDE on the main moor. winch
space Is now subdivided into Office rooms
for the Supreme Court. That tribunal held
Its first sessions in one of the old Senate
committee rooms. Thus were three bodies
all crowded into the little Senate wing, In
the year 1900.
House members commenced to grumble
from the very start. and SO loud were their
complaints that 1T was decided to build On
the site Of the first House wing tenn
porary brick structure in the shape Of an
elliptical bandbox. and to let the walls of