New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-18
ORR CROWDED CAPITOL.

The taxpayers of New-York will instnctiyely
look with dread upon any movement Tor new
buildings at Albany. Experience with the So
000 900 State Capitol has made them sensitive
on the subject. Nevertheless, some of the gov
eminent departments are SO crowded that ad-
ditional quarters must inevitably be provided
before long, and the Senate has done wisely in
instructing its Finance Committee to investi-
gate the question: so that n well digested meas
ure may be brought forward. Even if no i'm
mediate appropriation is made. discussion or
the problem will serve a useful purpose.
The greatest pressure is put upon the Capitol
by the growth of the work of the Educational
Department, especially the State Library. When
the Capitol plans were made in 1867 it was
supposed that they were on a scale adequate
to all future needs. The states population,
however, has more than doubled since 1865, and
its wealth and business have increased many
fold. The activities of government have like
wise increased New departments and commits
sons have been created, some of which were
doubtless unnecessary. but, quite aside from
these, the actual amount of business of the
sort which the general public desires TO have
performed has grown. The people demand
more from their government than of old In
city, state and nation. New commercial devel-
opment calls for new safeguards of popular
rights; new sanitary knowledge calls for new
activity to make it effective for the protec-
ton of the people; new millions of inha bitants
call for stricter regulation of them all for the
common safety. So the work of administration
inevitably increases.
1t is somewhat disappointing TO find an enOr-
nous building like the Capitol already overflow
ing, but for practical Office purposes the Capt.
tOl is less enormous than it looks. 1t contains
vast amount Of waste space both horizontally
and perpendicularly. modern we'll planned
office building would have double the available
working room in the same cubic space and
still have ample dignity. Many of the offices
arranged for heads Of departments are excess
sively large, while the rooms which can be
conveniently used by clerks are too small and
too few. The rooms, even in the upper stories,
are too high. This sky space has been utilized
in some departments for balconies, where papers
are stored, but, the ventilation and light being
bad in them, they of no other use. a thirty
foot cube with no window opening extending
to the upper half is not an economical form for
an office
After all, however, the library is the chief
of trouble. 1t occupies about one-thrd
of the principal floor, and the other offices of
the Educational Department occupy quarter
of the next floor and the greater part of
the attic. The library is growing and needs
more room for its books. The scientific col
lections of the state are housed outside the
Capitol, in constant danger of destruction by
fire. A State Library and Museum Building,
with office space for the Educational Depart
ment would solve the problem. Such build
ing is needed for the lIbrary's own sake and
It's removal from the Capitol would leave
great deal Of room for the other departments
and for legislative committees. 1t is suggested
that the Court OF Appeals might also be re-
moved, but 1t has deliberately equipped and i'm
pressive quarters already, and, if additional
room is needed, the removal of the library
should make possible the vacating by other de-
partments of adjoining rooms to secure this.
1t would be a pity, after the Capitol has been
so built as to house the Executive. Legislative
and Judicial departments in becoming dignity,
and even in what was formerly thought to be
monumental grandeur, TO send the Court of
Appeals off to an annex. The library does not
really belong in the Capitol, but the Court of
Appeals does.