St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-03-23
CALL FOR MILLIONS
NEW BUILDINGS NEEDED AT
WASHINGTON.
Many Departments at Present Insult
ficiently Housed.-Magnifieent
Structures in ContempIa-
ton or Course of Erection.

while visitors who have not seen
the nations capital in several years are
universal in their comments upon the
marked improvement and expansion
of the city," said Washington archi-
tect, these evidences Of our growth
are nothing to what may be summar-
ICED and presented as bird's-eye view
In even SO short time as two years
hence.
"Omitting the congressional library
from our conclusions, 1t will be noted
that many years elapsed between the
erection of the war, state and navy
buildings and that occupied by the
post Office department, the most re-
cent acquisition to our department
structures. While this building has
been occupied since 1899, it is now
very much overcrowded, many of it's
divisions being scattered in other
buildings down town.
1.-THE government printing office
building can hardly be classed as an
Office structure, and neither can that
of the bureau of engraving and print.
ing. The building occupied by the lat
ter is so very much overcrowded that
the work is stated to be seriously in
terfered with, and that unless con-
gress speedily grants an appropriation
for further additions the congestion at
present existing will offer difficult
problem to those who have to do with
it's solution.
1.-THE new office building of the SEN
ate and the house of representatives
will in nowise relieve the congestion
in the executive departments, and
which, by the scattering Of the various
divisions and bureaus of the different
departments throughout the city, Is a
source of great annoyance and incon-
venience to all concerned, not to speak
of the heavy expenditures for rentals.
The department of justice is especial
~ inconvenience by reason Of being
inadequately housed in what was for
merly a private library in another
structure over half mile away. The
newly created department OF COM
merce and labor also has no home
which it may truthfully call it's own.
In the vicinity of the war, state and
navy building there are three or four
structures filled with the overflow
from the mammoth granite pile.
Hence, as large as an appropriation
| of $10,000,000 for office buildings in
this city may seem at first blush, 1t
| would, indeed, be found to be made,
| quate to properly accomplish the pur-
| poses, and a total of SIS 100000 allow
ing $5,00O,OOO each for three new
| buildings, would be found to be more
in keeping with a situation which is
perfectly well understood to exist in
this city, and which, as has always
been the case since the inception OF
the government, has been one which
has never been fully met by our chiei
legislative body.
"From the standpoint of simple
commercialism, eliminating all the
other important constituent elements
Of this highly important governmental
and local question, it wc'lld be sup
posed that the proper housing of its
executive and working forces in the
capital would be primary considera
ton with congress.
''But we cannot have too many pub
lie buildings in the city, even though
the outsider may imagine that we al
ready have a suffciency, and we viii
not, therefore, be unnecessarily
alarmed at the fear that we may
have too many of these structures
The yearly volume in the increase o.
the governments business, and the
necessarily enlarged forces required
| to handle it, are so great that 1t viii
not be long that the need for new
structures will be increasingly impera
tive.
with the completion OF the senate
and the house of representatives OF
| fee buildings the rectangle bounding
the east end of the capitol ground!
will, with the exception of single
square, be covered by marble struc
lures of beauty and size which canno
be duplicated in any other capita
in the world, and there will be formed
a plaza which in itself will be worth
continental or an ocean journey tt
feast the eyes upon. In fact, the beau
tiful white union station structure, be
ing but two squares from thes'
grounds, might with propriety be in
eluded within the radius"
History Revised.