Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-12-16
CARNEGIE LIBRARY
CITY COUNCIL WILL Be ASKED TO
RESCIND FORMER ACTION.
COunClImen rind They Acted Under .
r1iSapprehenSiOu Of Facts Last
January. Present Quarters of u
brary Too Small. Building Nay be
Had without Adding to Expenses.

Nearly all Of the members OF the city
council have discovered that they mis-.
understood the library situation. and
the Carnegie proposition, when they re.
versed the action of the previous council
soon after taking their seats last January.
The opposition-numerically very small
-assiduously gave out the impression
that il $4,000 was secured from Mr..
Carnegie for the building, he would in
sist on an annual expenditure Of 81 500
for books and pharaphernalia besides the
cost Of maintenance, which would mean
q cost Of not less than 5000 a year.
This line OF talk caused the action Of the
council before they were acquainted with
the cost Of the personal---very..
OF late the library board has found the
rooms occupied entirely inadequate to
the use OF the library, and have renewed
tho agitation for the acceptance OF the
Carnegie offer, and have interviewed the
councilmen ton the subject. Some oil
the councilmen we're surprised to learn
that their action-which deprived the
city Of q handsome $l5. 900 building, the
cost Of which would be disbursed in
the city-did not save cent Of expense.
That the city wac now allowing the II.
brary $l25 q month. besi,les rooms. light.
janitor and heat; that the rooms are too
small and are required for other city pur-
poses, or, in other words, they were pay
ing as much or more than Carnegie
library would cost without the handsome
building, the erection Of which would not
only afford much employment to idle
men, but would mean real library for
Aberdeen and be an ornament to the
city. .4-~ =
When the resolution for the building
was rescinded last January, Mayor
France, Sherwood and Hood we're ap-
pointed q committee to solicit subscrip.
tions for building to be erected on the
lot already secured by the library trus.
tees, and at this writing, eleven months
later, not a dollar is yet in sight. At
this rate it is as easy to fix the date for
the completion of that structure as it is
to predict the date of the next earth.
quake; in fact. the scheme has long been
abandoned, if it was really ever attempt-
cd. Some demagogic opposition was
placated, and that's about all there was
to It.
So much misleading dope has been
ladled out by the opposition to this plan,
that it is thought we'll to give space to
the offer of Mr.. Carnegie in the premises,
60 that all may know exactly what it
consists of. The following correspond.
ence between Mr.. Irvine, former secre.
tary of the board, and Carnegie's agents
will make the subject perfectly clear:
New York, Jan. 18, 1907.
WIN. IRVINE, Esq,
Aberdeen, WASH:
DEAR SIR:-Responding to your com.
munications on behalf of Aberdeen. II
the city agree by resolution of council to
maintain Free Public Library, at a cost
OF moi less than Fifteen Hundred Dollars
year, and provides suitable site for
the building, Mr.. Carnegie will be glad
to give Fifteen Thousand Dollars to erect
q Free Public Library Building for Aber-
deem. Respectfully yours,
JAS. BERTRAM,
Private Secretary.