The Topeka state journal., 1905-07-15
State House Is Undergoing
Great Many Changes.
Gov. HOch Has Refitted the Ex'
ecHtive Rooms.
ROYCE ALSO FIXES UP.
Visitor Would Hardly Know the
Place.
Other Rooms Are Being Thor.
Oughly OVerhauled.

When the present changes, improve
ments and repairs are completed at the
state house, the old timers will hardly
know the place.
A good many hundreds of dollars
are being spent this summer in put
ting old rooms into good shape, and
new ones into readiness for use. There
have been some decidedly tacly look
ing rooms placed at the disposal of
some of the state officers. but things
are beginning to look up.
Governor Hoch set the example by
taking several good sized slices out of
his contingent fund for the purchase
of new carpets, rugs and chairs for
his quarters. The new carpets made
the walls look so badly that he decid-
ed to dig again and have the walls and
ceilings cleaned and freshly tinted. He
is now having a new curtain ordered
to replace the old tapestry in his pr1-
Vate Office.
Bank Commissioner John Q. Royce
seems to have caught the disease from
Governor Hoch. He has completely
refurnished his Office since he moved
in. New chairs of elaborate old mis-
sion design, new desks which are just
as fine and costly as the one used by
the governor himself, and new filing
cases have all been added to the equip
ment of the Office. a lot OF soft ana
luxurious rugs deaden the inceSsant
pitter patter of the busy feet of Capt
Albright and the rest of the ott1ce
force. It is all very lovely.
The state board of railroad commits
sioners are going to have their front
Office entirely overhauled. The ancient
fortress at the west side of the room
where the judges of the supreme court
used to sit in bygone days, will all be
removed, and the floor space thereby
increased by about one third. The
ragged old carpet will be replaced by
a new one, and the bills will be paid
from the contingent fund of the rail-
road board.
Another room to receive course
of treatment will be the G. A. r. head
quarters, the first room which visitors
pass as they enter the main floor of
the building. This room contains too
much old junk, and Captain Coney
the new department commander, IS
planning to have house cleaning. He
will have a new bookcase for the vol
umes which are now piled up on the
floor and dumped into the dark cor
ners. The worn out carpet will be re-
placed with a new one betting the
dignity of the office.
Over in the auditors Office, a force
of carQenters has been at work re-
constructing the cubby hole at the
east end of the suite which has here
tofore been of little use. BY rebuild
ing a pdTuuOns Lle space mas DSSn
opened up, and room secured for a
handsome desk, fenced around with a
grating, behind which the bookkeeper
of the auditors office will hold court
in the future.
On the third floor, the carpenters
and plasterers have just finished their
work on the construction Of a suite
of rooms to be used by Judge Silas
Porter, the new supreme court JUS
tice. There has been one suite lack
49,.
will be turned over to the youngest
appointee in time OF service.
Of course the equipment of the new
suite for the state board of control is
an important piece of work which is
now in progress. Three large rooms
on the main corridor of the east wing
are to be turned over TO the board OF
control. These rooms have been
stripped of all furnishings, and will be
painted, tinted and fitted out with new
carpets and Office equipment. There
are a lot of desks in the vacant com
mittee rooms on the fourth floor. which
will probably be used for the board
of control At least that is the talk
just now.
Crowded out by the board of contro
move. the Goss collection of birds ii
now being put in place on the fourth
floor corridor, utilizing all the space
south of the rotunda. The big glass
cases have all been moved up and pu
HI PloOS, anu EIOl. D. .. Ou1ylne !;
now at work cleaning the birds and
putting them in their glass houses.
In the various changes of state ac-
countant, labor commissioner ad
jutant general; live stock sanitar.
commissioner, free employment agen
and custodian, there has been brough
about a completely different arrange
ment of the building directory. Som
Of the offices which were in the base
ment are now on the top floor, an,
vice versa.
Custodian J. c. Collins is plannin
to have some signs posted about the
building for the guidance of visitors
Very few people know how to get u,
into the dome. The dome door is ken
locked to keep small boys from max