Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-16
URGES ALL TO ASSIST
Local Resident Pleads for
Supreme Court Building.
MENTIONS PENDING BILL
Wants Structure to Have Hall for
Inaugural Balls.
WRITES TO COMMISSIONERS
W. c. Dodge Suggests Appeal to
Commercial Organizations
and individuals.

! Commissioner West has received a COM
munication from Attorney w. c. Dodge.
who urges that the Board of Trade, Cham
Der of Commerce and influential residents
of the District of Columbia aid in the
effort to induce Congress to pass a pending
bill providing for building for the Su-
preme Court of the United States. The
building could be so arranged. Mr.. Dodge
remarks, that inaugural balls could be
held therein and the vexed question of
securing hall for those great social al
fairs forever settled.
| Now that the Inauguration is approach
ing" MI Dodge says, 1.-The vexed ques-
ton of hall for the ball is again before
| the public, as it always Will be until a
| suitable place is provided. L want TO
| make suggestion for your consideration
| 1t is simply that you get the Board OF
| Trade, the Chamber of Commerce and all
others to combine, and, If possible, induce
Congress to pass Senate bill $685. which Is
| pending in both houses.
Would Correspond to Library.
Mr. Dodge points to the fact that as
| shown on the last page of the bill the
proposed building would correspond with
| the Library building and that rooms
| would be provided for international con-
| ferences and tribunals.
I'm a building of the size of the Lii
| brary,' he says. there would be abund-
ant room for large and magnificent
hall, suitable for inauguration purposes.
The Supreme Court cannot possibly &C.
! cupy the whole of the first floor and the
entire second floor could be arranged for
| the purpose. A large convention or as
sembly room could be constructed. with
or without sliding partitions. which can
| be reduced or increased in area. as &C.
n sion rpn1Iira 10 done elsewhere
| That, of course. would be for the archi-
| tectS to arrange.
IF this could be done 1t would be kill
| ing two birds with one stone and would
settle the matter for all time. There is
no other way in which Congress can be
| induced to appropriate money for the
purpose.
Desired by Whole Country.
1.-The ball is thing desired by the
whole country Mr.. Dodge says in con-
clusion, land it is the only means for
| raising the necessary fund for making
the Inauguration what all desire it to be-
The Senate has repeatedly passed the bill
| for taking the ground and erecting the
Supreme Court building. 1t is bound to
| be done sooner or later, and why not
now?
| Il believe that you can set a movement
on foot that will result successfully, and
| there is nothing that you can do that
will be of more benefit to the nations
| capital Think 1t over, see what you
can do and do 1t now. while the subject
| is on everybody's mind. for surely every
citizen will do all in his power to help
you.
| Commissioner West said today that he
| is in favor of the bill which authorizes the
| Secretary of the Interior to purchase the
| following parcels of land: Square desig-
| mated upon the plan Of the city as 728
| and the triangular parcels designated as
| 726 and 727, tina whole being bounded
on the north by street. north; on the
east by I'd street. east: on the south by
East Capitol street and on the west by
| LIST street. east. The whole is supposed
to contain 226.157 superficial feet. exclu-
sive of avenues, streets and alleys.
Commission of Three.
The bill authorizes the President to APP
point commission of three, one Of whom
shall be a member of the Supreme Court
| of the United States, one a member of the
| judiciary committee of the Senate and
| the other a member of the judiciary COM
mttee of the House of Representatives
to proceed with the construction. decora-
ton and furnishing of a suitable granite
building of style of exterior In harmony
with that of the Library of Congress"
| The bill also provides for offices for all
officers of the court. an adequate law IL
brary and a suite Of rooms. If they can be
reasonably provided. for. the use Of inter-
national conferences and tribunals.
| The committee is given entire control
| of all of the work of construction. with
| full power to determine style plan and
materials and to make all necessary con-
| tracts.
The bill recites in conclusion. that while
| the commission is authorized to make
extracts covering the whole of the work,
1.-The actual work of construction shall
| be done only so fast sums shall from
| time to time be appropriated therefor"
| 1t is set forth that the amount to be
expended under the provisions Of the act
shall not exceed $SOOO,OOO.