The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-20
BUT SITE is FIXED
BY THE PRESENT LAW
Any Change OF Location Would
Involve Repeal Of 100000 Ap-
preparation, to Which Lamb
and Martin Would Object
Unless Something Bet
ter Was Assured.
1imcs-Dispatch bureau,
wo,hineton %. g. Maven


- REPRESENTATIVES. BARTHoLDT,
Of Missouri. chairman of thel
Committee on Public Buildings
and Grounds, confirmed to-day
the statement to the effect that
his committee is considering the ad-
visibility Of using the present Federal
building for all other Federal purposes.
erecting a post-office building in the
vicinity of the Main Street Station
and the sale OF the Shafer property. He
| further stated that IL such steps were
taken there would be no consideration
given to the proposition to carry the
post office uptown, since such course
would be entirely out of harmony with
the present policy of the government in
constructing post-office buildings.
| DR.. Bartholdt further stated that
while he and his committee would pay
due regard to the views of Senator
Martin and Representative Lamb, they
would go ahead and do what they
thought best. irrespective of what these
| gentlemen may wish. His words were
perhaps not SO direct as that, but this
was their clear meaning.
Site Is Fixed by Prescnt Law.
This places the whole matter in a
| most peculiar position. The law for
| the construction of a new building is
| on the statute books to-day The
| $500, 900 has been appropriated, is avail
] able. and the Treasury Department is
i now beginning to use 1t in the prelim-
! mary work. There can be no tying
/ up of the proceedings unless that law
| Is repealed Senator Martin and Cap
/ tain Lamb do not want 1t repealed and
4 will not risk the 100000 they have
already secured in the hope of getting
other money beyond that. Mr.. Bart
/ holdt and his committee might succeed
in having the House vote TO repeal the
4 law over the head of Captain Lamb. in
the House. since that body does not
Il often turn down its committees. But
i when tile matter goes to the Senate it
4 Will be different. There senatorial
7 courtesy obtains. and the Senate would
i never think of voting to repeal an ap-
I preparation for. q public building over
the protest of the Senators representing
the State in which the office is located
4 Therefore, whatever action the Com
mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds
may take, and whatever action the
House may take, there will be no re-
peal without the full assent of Senator
: Martin, since Senator Daniel is leaving
: the whole matter to his colleague. And
Senator Martin will assuredly give no
: support to a proposition to repeal the
law unless he can see something bet
ter in sight.
, Opposite View of Former Chairman.
The sum total Of the whole situation
resolves itself into this: Whether Sem
i ator Martin can be offered a substitute
that he can conscientiously support. At
the present time he takes the ground
that the matter has been fixed by law.
Another chairman OF the House Com
mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds
: had gone over the situation and decid-
ed that the Main Street site was the
proper one. the chairman at that time
, going so far as to say that his COM
mittee would not make an appropria-
. ton for any other than Main Street
site.
! Senator Martin says he does not feel
that he would be justified in lending
4 himself to any undoing of what has
been done, knowing that such a course
might put in jeopardy what has al
ready been accomplished.
, AS for the Office of the supervising
, architect. they are going along serene
ly. as though there was no agitation
on. They had their preferences before
). the legislatlon went through. and ex-
pressed them. But theirs is not to
: criticize or amend what Congress has
: done, since the sole excuse for their
existence is to carry out the laws that
body has put into effect If they were
to assume authority they do not pos
: sess. they know that Congress would
say something that would not sound
good to them
3 Therefore, since the law went into
effect they have never considered q
!, change of site, and have their plans
: already prepared for beginning work
They do not want to be drawn into
the matter. They say that is Congress
: has fixed the site, it will certainly stay
f1xed unless Congress changes it.
The Humor OF 1t.
There is an amusing side to the
Whole question. While some Richmond
q people are wrangling over the question
the Treasury Department Is going
ahead, and II the anti-present-site peo
a pie do not hurry UP ground will be
i broken and the work commenced be
= fore they get into Congress with theil
), repeal proposition. That would ado
n another perpleNity to an already, com
!. !, plex situation. Furthermore. the peo
= pie who have been fighting for Broac
: Street site Will, even II the Barthold
8 proposition obtains. get a worse loca
!. ton from their standpoint than tina
:. which they have been so perslstentls
I hghting against-the well-nigh hopeles:
:. odds OF repealing law In opposttio,
. to the wishes of those who secured tt
passage.
On the whole. to an unbiased OBJ
server 1t looks as If the present Law
Il is about as certain to remain in fore
/. as the sun is sure to rise tomorrow
Certainly, there will be no change o
, site without the full assent OF th
- Virginia members Of the Senate an
a House, who are interested. If Chair
= man Bartholdt has something bette
q to offer the city OF Richmond than TIL
IS present law provides, they will accep
I. 1t. But Mr., Bartholdt and his com
"a nittsct VIII una lhat .Whlle appropri
m atlons cannot set through Hwitholl
n jthem, they cannot undo what has bee
a done without the assent Of some othe
s. people