Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-06-05
BILL TO BEGIN BUILDING FINAL
LY PASSED.
Committee on Claims Proposes Reduc-
ton of Appropriation by $4,000
and Would Have Commission Start
on Only One Wing-Referendum
Bill Reconsidered and Killed.
Madison. June 2


The capitol question is settled so
far as the senate is concerned. Yes
terday afternoon the upper house
threshed the whole matter out on the
floor and after wrestling with amend
mentS all afternoon passed bill pro-
viding for the immediate building OF
enc or two wings, as the commission
might see fit, and providing for the
adoption of complete plan for an
entire new building to be completed
at some future date, and reconsidered
and killed the capital removal referen-
dunn bill introduced by Senator Stew
ems of Oshkosh.
Briefly stated, the bill which will be
placed on the desk of the clerk of the
assembly this morning provides for an
appropriation of $658,G00 to be used in
the construction of one or two new
wings, probably one; provides for a
new competition and the return of thu
Cass Gilbert plans, leaves the new
competition open to all architects OF
The country and further provides that
any and all plans shall be without a
sub-basement and that the floor level
of the present capitol be maintained In
the new structure.
Money Made Available.
The appropriation carried in the bill
is $658,000, made up of the following
items:
Insurance money ...........$ $4,000
Old appropriation ...... :. 100000
FOf new pans ....... IU,UUU
New appropriation:
Available in 1906 ........ 100000
Available in 1907 ........ 100000
OF this amount $4,000 is allowed for
repairs and changes in the old building.
Amendments Proposed.
Three amendments to the committee
bill were proposed by the committee
on claims. The first related to the
ground area of the proposed building
and was adopted. 1t was opposed by
Senator Whitehead and favored by
Chairman Burns of the senate commit
tee on claims.
About "Cash" Gilbert.
The new statehouse is to cost event
ually $2,40O,000. In the debate, while
urging that the competition be con-
fined to Wisconsin architects, Senator
McGillivray charged that Cass Gilbert,
the architect of the Minnesota build
ing and the successful competitor in
the first Wisconsin contest for plans:
has made much money at st. Paul in
a manner designated by Senator Nc
Gillivray as grating" Senator Nc.
Gillivray said that he had proofs in his
desk to show that Gilbert contracted
to superintend the Minnesota work for
a commission of 21a per cent, that
after starting he threatened to throw
up the job and was given his demand
of per cent commission, that Gilbert
said the Minnesota building would
cost only about third of it's actual
cost. Senator McGillivray said his
only determination was to keep that
man Cash Gilbert from getting his
fingers into the Wisconsin treasury
Gilbert is reputed to be one of the fore
most architects in the country.
Two Wings Authorized.
The second amendment offered by
the committee on claims was defeated
by vote of 13 to Is. The amendment
was in brief the question of whether
the commission could proceed with the
construction of two wings or one.
The capitol committee proposed to-
give the commission authority to go
ahead with the work to the extent OF
the erection of two wings and the com,
mittee on claims would limit the au-
thority of the commission to the erec-
ton of one wing, at half the cost pro
posed by the committee on capitol for
the two wings The vote was as fol.
lows:
For two wings-Beach, Hatten, Hud-