Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-17

dhd tilS DlH pdoSSd.
1t now goes to conference.
After discussing for three days the amend
ments to the District of Columbia appro-
priation bill increasing the limit of cost of
the municipal building from 81, 100000 to
So. 100000 and the appropriation of $4,000
for q bridge across Piney branch the Sen
ate today voted to retain each OF these
| amendments in the bin and passed the bill,
| which will go to conference at once
The District bill was taken up shortly be-
| fore l o'clock. when Senator Hopkins pro-
ceeded to say that If the limit of cost of~he
municipal building is increased the archi-
| tects will receive s25,0o0 more than they
would have received under the old limit Of
cost. without doing any work for that
money. He thought that ought TO be mat
| ter to influence the senator's
He also said that he understood that
the contracts Tor the municipal building
| had been let in such "A way as to add
vastly to it's cost. He had ben told for
| instance that the granite contract had
| been let in two parts. one for the cutting
and delivery of the granite and the other
for the setting of the granite He said
that the contractor who cuts and delivers
the granite could set it almost as cheapiy
| the cost is added to-
| Later in the debate Senator GaIiinger
stated that he had been reIia blv Informed
that 10 contract had been let
Senator Frye upon the conclusion of Mr.
Hopkins speech, put the question of the
| adoption of the amendment to the Senate
| and it was adopted.
| Only Two for Aye and No Vote.
| Senator Elkins came in just about that
| time and said that he wanted to have a yea
| and nay vote. Upon the question of taking
yea and nay vote being taken by the Sen
ate the only hands raised We're those of
| Mr. Elkins and Mr.. Hopkins, and Senator
| Frye announced that not a sufficient num-
| ber We're up, it requiring fifteen senators
| to secure a yea and nay vote.
Senator Elkins then demanded a call of
| the Senate, and when the senator's had
been gathered from committee rooms and
cloak rooms he announced that he wanted
| them to hear what he had to say about
| that amendment.
He proceeded to read ii, when Senator
| Clay interrupted to state that the add
| tional S501,000 was to pay for "a granite or
a marble building; that the old appropria-
| ton was only sufficient for a brick build
ing, and in his judgment there should be
no brick building erected by the government
| on Pennsylvania avenue.
! Senator Gallinger remarked that the Sen
ator from West Virginia. lis enamored of
| the House. and wanted to have the Sen
ate accept the House bill without change
He remarked that the senator from West
Virginia does not argue that upon other
| bills. Mr.. Gallinger also suggested that If
Mr. Elxns wanted to practice economy by
putting up brick building on Pennsylva
| MIA avenue he might Also practice economy
4 by having the buildings for the Senate and
| House OF Representatives, which to be
constructed to give senators and represen-
| tatives offices, also built of brick. Mr..
| Gallinger also said that the joint commit
| tee having those buildings in charge is
| employing outside architects, and is not
| utilizing the architects of the Treasury De-
| partment.
Another Plea for Economy.
| 1t was doing so in view to the custom
| that was looked upon with favor.
| Senator EIkins then resumed, saying:
| Possibly If we had the money for 1t in the
| treasury l might withhold my objection to
| this item. But her we facing a deficit
| of s25 900, 600 and we proceed to add half a
| million to this appropriation purely for
| ornamental purposes. We are going to pay
| it out of the peoples money
| Mr. Gallinger again asked the senator If
| he wanted TO build the Senate office build
| ing of brick, to which Mr.. Elklns replied
| that the three governors OF the District or
| Columbia and their clerks should not have
as good Offices as the Senate of the United
| States
| Mr Spooner here came into the discussion
| for the first time.
| Il always sympathize with the senator
| from West Virginia" said Senator Spooner.
| economy. l would like to ask him whether
the courts are to be accommodated i'll this
| building as we'll as the Commissioners"
| Senator EZins could not reply to this In
| curry but he remarked that the courts and
the Commissioners put together were not
entitled to as good building as the Senate
of the United States. Then he went on to
| say that if the proposition should come up
| now for the building of IA Senate office
building he would vote to build it of brick.
| Senator Frye then put the question OF
| agreeing to the amendment increasing the
| limit of cost of the municipal building 10
| the Senate and it was adopted.
| No one called for an aye and no vote
| He also put the amendment appropriating
| for Piney Branch bridge before the Senate.
| and that, too, was adopted.
The Fight Over.
| 1t only required a vote on the bill 10
| pass it as a whole in the Senate, and the
| three-days' fight over the two committee
| amendments was concluded.
Each day that this fight on the bill has
been in progress it has been accompanied
| with q great deal of amusement the
| part of many senators. The opposition to
| these two Senate amendments appeared
from the debate to be wholly limited TO
| Senators Elkins and Hopkins. 1t did not
| appear that their three-days' discussion or
| the amendment resulted in enlisting on
| their side in opposition to the amendment
| a single additional senator.
| -