The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-11-19
MARBLE ANNEX
ROOMS WILL
CAUSE TROUBLE

Washington, Nov. i9--Speaker Can
non or some other official OF officials
of the house OF representatives. VIII
have a very pretty little job on their
hands when congress meets two weeks
hence. Ii may be found easy enough
20 map out a program OF legislation for
the session and the speaker may not
lind II a task beyond his powers or dip
lomacy. patience and perseverance 10
make up the list OF committees, nut
when IL comes 10 the matter OF assign
ing TO each OF the 3S7 members of the
house Of representatives room IN the
new marble annex now approaching
completion, there viii be trouble.
Nothing like these two government
palaces" as thew have been recently
called. now rising one on the north and
The other on the south side OF the
beautiful grounds surrounding the capt
toI on the east. have ever before been
put up in Washington. In these days
of tight money and lack OF treasury
surplus so freely criticised by many
public speakers, u is strange 10 note
the complacency with which the country
has consented 10 the erection OF these
entirely unnecessary and altogether
supernumerary and ornamental struct-
ures Neither the senate or the house
OF representatives has any more use for
them than a dog has for two tails.
II is one Of Speaker Cannon's peculi-
srIties- -Ihat=aYhile- he =deheHhees eX-
travagance I'm one direction he runs riot
with expenditure In another. While
chairman OF the committee on APP
propriations he was what rs now
termed I'm the language OF the street
"a tight wad" He was a cheese parcr
In doling out money, and very narrow
minded IN his views OF all plans for the
enlargement and Identification of
Washington
Yet one day without a moments
warning and TO the utter surprise of
everybody except few OF his friends
in tho house who were i'm the secret.
lie brought in a little item for a $4,000
600 building, exclusive OF site, as
south annex TO the house of represen
tatives wing OF the capitol and put IL
through in a iffy This action nearly
took the breath out OF everybody In the
house and even over i'm the senate,
where they are now so apt TO balk at
big appropriations for strictly orna-
mental purposes, the senatorial eye
hrows were raised a little at Uncle
Joe's reckless extravaganza.
The senate promptly saw tho point.
however, and yielded as gracefully as
possible. hut not without first providing
for building at the north end as an
annex TO the senate wing of the capt
tol to be just as big. just as fine and TO
cost just about the same.
The house building was begun more
than year before that designed for
thc senate ana rs now approaching
completion" N is not finished by any
means and will not for "A long time
TO come. IL is i'm about the same state
of completion as the beautiful and i'm
posing white granite union station just
few blocks TO the north, into which
all the railroads that are to use il
have now moved.
The station is incomplete, the
plaza that surrounds II Is -tAefe-onIv
on the map and congress having failed
10 pass legislation providing for tho
approaches OF the trolley lines, all pas
sengers in and out OF the station for
the next year or so have TO walk or
hire cabs for large part of the dis
tance
In . careless moment. possibly. the
architect OF the capitol let IL be known
10 the 3s7 members of the house that
whiIe II Is true that the building is still
incomplete he is making Herculean ef-
forts 10 get about 800 of the private
rooms ready, so that they can turn
them over to those who are to occupy
them when congress meets.
The result has been deluge OF an |
from the statesmen, old and
new big and little. all hoping TO belong (,
TO the 300 and TO draw front rooms. !
Ihe architect OF the capitol has nothing I
10 do with the assigning of rooms. and |
the question naturally arises, who |