The Washington times., 1906-06-09
PUBLIC BUILDING
MEASURE READY
viii Carry Appropriation
Of 81, 100000.
THE ITEMS KEPT SECRET
Believed TO Be Last Bill of It's Kind.
Economy in Government Struc-
lures Hereafter.
THE ITEMS KEPT SECRET

The public building bill has been COM
pleted by the House Committee on Pub
lie Buildings and Grounds. and ordered
10 be intrody ced by the chairman. and
Immediately thereafter 10 be reported
favorably. This bill will carry about
S21,O00.O0 which illustrates that some
times a rolling stone gathers a good deal
of moss. At the opening of the session
Speaker Cannon wasn't going to allow
any public building measure on the
ground that the Treasury's condition
would not permit Then he yielded to
the extent of agreeing 10 a small ag-
gregate-$1O.OCo.OO to S12,0o0.0 900. The
committee was SET at work. and the
usual thing happened The amount has
grown until II has reached So. GOO. 900
AT the final meeting Of the committee
at which the last details Of the bill were
agreed on. there was a funny perform
ance. Chairman Bartholdt insisted that
absolutely nothing should be made pub
lie as 10 the contents of the measure
He pointed out that IL the measure
tremendous pressure to bear on men,
bers, and very likely would start such a
storm of protests as TO defeat the BILL
Pledge of Secrecy.
1t was therefore decided first to pledge
every member not 10 give out any of the
items. and next to suppress all copies
that have been prepared. Just three were
known to be in existence. and the COM
mittee members who had these were
required to turn them over TO the seCre-
tary to be locked up. The inqusition
amounted almost to a search Of the per-
sons of committee members.
The bill win not be introduced until
matters of Controverted legislation are
Az. I
Then il will be brought out. referred
to the committee that has prepared il,
and probably on the succeeding day will
be reported favOrably. At the same time
rule will be brought in by the Com
mittee on Rules. providing for the con-
SlderatlOn OF the measure, shutting out
all amendments. and giving an early
vote After that It will go 10 the Sen
ate and under the easy rules OF that
body will probably be considerably
amended: but the amendments adopted
by the Senate will all be In the direc-
ton Of Increasing rather than decreasing
amounts
Change in Type of Buildings.
No future public building bill will be
made quite IN the fashion this one has
been. because there is a determination
TO enforce a policy OF progressive econ
omy in build ngs. For years extrava-
gance has run riot with this measure.
Buildings costing several millions OF dol
lars have been provided in - great
cities. In the smaller towns. the pubic
buildings are almost invariably the f1n-
est structures pointed out to the visit
ors and engraved on postcards as the
objects OF especial local pride
This IS TO be changed. In the large
cities the department wants to have
postoffice structures erected for postof-
fee purposes alone-nOt over two stories
high. plain business-like and located,
10 in the business center. but where
they will be most convenient to the
railroad stations
In future then. the appropriations foI
these buildings, in both small and large
places, are altogether likely to be cut
down very much