The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-26
URGES SPEEDY
STEPS TOWARD
STATE CAPITOL
Gov. Spry Presents Program of
Legislation at Specially
Called Joint Session.
PROJECT C0MPREHENDED
IN FOUR NEW BILLS
EXECUTIVE DECLARES THERE is
A CRYING NEED FOR
BUILDING.

At a joint session of the senate and
the house of representatives held yes
terday afternoon at 1870 o'clock. Gov
ernor William Spry read a special mes
sage to the legislature. urging the ad-
visibility Of passing legislation which
would have for its object the immediate
! commencement of work on the new
state capitol building. The governor
went into detail on the bills to be in
PRODUCED on this subject and imme-
diately after the dissolving OF the joint
/ session four bills were introduced in
each house, in which the points taken
up in the message Of the governor were
| included.
The governor, in his message, said
that there was a crying need for more
adequate quarters for the executive,
| legislative and judicial offices of the
state government He declared that the
time was OppOTtune to commence the
actual work of the construction Of a.
state house. The plans submitted by
| the governor were said TO be the re-
suits of much careful thought given
them by representative business men
Of the state.
The bills referred to in the governors
message and afterwards introduced in
each house conform largely with the
/ plans outlined by the Salt Lake Real
| Estate association. A petition from
/ that association urged the passage Of
/ legislation that will make the early
/ construction and occupancy of a state
| capitol possible. The association has
! approved of the bills and will support
/ them heartily.
/ In the senate the measures were in
/ trOduced by Mr. Marks, who has been
/ working on them ever since the last
/ legislative assembly. In the house they
were fathered by Representative VIII
/ liam Mcmillan.
/ One of the bills provides for the ere
| alton of a state capitol commission of
seven members. three of whom shall be
the governor, the secretary Of state and
/ the attorney general The governor is
to be president Of the board. -Four Of
the members are to be appointed by the
| governor and one of them to be elected
! superintendent Of capitol buildings and
grounds, and one the secretary of the
| commission.
Plans and Specifications.
The commission is given the power to
! have prepared designs, plans and speci-
! fications for the erection of a state
capitol building, upon the grounds on
Capitol hill, in Salt Lake City, The Ill
! innate cost of the building is to be
! s., 500 600. The board of commissioners
is instructed to approve Of plans and to
| proceed with the erection of that pOT-
I ton of the building necessary for the
present and immediate future needs OF
the state, keeping in mind, however, the
needs of the state in the more remote
future, in order that such additions as
may be necessary may be made with
out fnjuring the architectural appear
ance of the building. The bill makes
/ the public land fund available for the
purpose of carrying on this work. The
| commission is required to report bien-
nially to the legislature.
Another bill authorizes the state
board of loan commissioners to issue
negotiable coupon bonds for $500, 600,
/ with interest not to exceed 3 per cent,
the life of the bonds to be twenty
wears. The proceeds of the sale Of these
bonds are to be used exclusively for
the erection of a state capitol.
The third measure directs the state
board of loan commissioners to refund
the territorial bonds of Utah by issu-
ing in lieu thereof negotiable coupon
bonds, and to divert all moneys held
as a redemption fund for these bonds
into the state treasury. to be used eN-
ciusively for the erection Of a state
capitol.
The fourth bill provides for the hold
ing of a special election on the first
Monday in June, 1909, to determine the
question whether or not 1 mill tax
shall be levied on all Of the taxable
property in the state for the next
twenty years for the purpose Of con-
Il structing and furnishing a state cap
itOl.
The main features of the plan out
lined in the bills are that all of the ex-
penses for the construction and fur
nishing of the new state house are to
be met without diminishing the appro-
priations to other state institutions
The capitol grounds at the head Of
State street were donated by the city
years ago, with the provision that they
be only used for the erection Of a state
capitol There are twenty-five acres of
land in a pretty triangular plot which
is.worth at least 100000. This land is
on an eIevs ton commanding a beauti-
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