The Washington herald., 1912-05-05
D. JAMES ,. MoRRow.


frugal person in red whiskers. coming
down from the lakes. complained thai
he had not been in Glasgow four hours
when bang went a slxpence. Bang goes
$4,000 every working day IN the year for
new post-ofices and courthouses. and
Uncle Sam actually smiles as he foots
the bills and signs his good name to
fresh contracts.
Prudent men In Congress. having dotted
their districts with free edifices, say that
Il Is time the orgy were halted. Many a
6erce watch dog Of the Treasury goes
suddenly blind and mislays his voice
when his constituents evince healthy
desire for an appropriation But the
orgy" as q matter Of fact has Just be-
gun. There are thousands Of towns IN
the country with grass-grown streets that
are demanding post-ofices OF their own,
on the steps Of which. al once an ex-
change and q forum, the male citizens
may congregate In pleasant weather.
Nor can the members OF Congress hall
ing from large cities consistently deny
public buildings to what may be called
the rural regions So far, since the or
ganizstion OF the government. the ma
ti0nal Capital excluded. Sl6o.373.o0o has
been spent on courtheuses, custom
houses and post-ofices and sll.0 900 for
land on which to put them Most Of the
money has been expended in the great
centers OF population. The custom-house
IN New York, for example, cost s7,140. 00o-
se's4ooO0 for the land and s4soo.Ooo for
the building.
Biz Cities Cannot Complain.
OF the two hundred and odd millions
OF money spent all together, tWentyShse
ana a third millions. or about l2k per
cent, has been distributed in the Empire
state alone. Nor can Boston. Chicago,
St Louis, Indianapolis. Cincinnati. Den
'4ver, or San Francisco grumble and put
. good face ON II when Hells Oven, out
in the iron and steel country. asks SO. 900
for a post-offiee. Neither can. Cleveland
where S4.000.00o was spent on single
building. $14s,OoO going to private archi-
tect for plans and supervision. $4,000
TO John ". Alexander for mural paint
ing. $3.50 to Frank D.. AffIlet. who was
drowned in the wreck Of the Titanic. for
decorative painting. and $4,000 to Z. H.
BlAshfield for putting pictures on the
walls and ceilings Of the Circuit Court
room
Small towns will keep on asking for
appropriations and the money viii be
voted. The rivers and harbors bill is not
the only pork barrel in Congress- More
over, the enemies Of greater navy
rather sh-swd1y say that the sum spent
for a battle ship, about $4,000 900, would
The naval establishment, they declare.
requires about s14o0oo,ooO annually. which
is within S20.0o0 900 of the total cost of
all the public buildings In the country,
those In Washington not included.
There are I75 buildings under constr
tion at this time, and go more, the coss
Of which viii be $4,000, 900, have been au-
thorized by Congress and viii be started
as soon as the 81. 600 900 a year set aside
for the purpose becomes available
In the opinion Of Secretary MacVeagh
OF the Treasury, no more than 8. 900 900
a month should be expended for build
ing purposes in the present state of the
nations finances II will require three
and half years, consequently, to COM
plete the buildings already authorized.
Meanwhile, Congress win have legalized
the construction Of many others. Since
1905, three bills providing for buildings
10 cost S1o2, 900, 900 have been enacted into
law. Therefore, while Congress author
izes an expenditure of so, 10000 a year,
Secretary MacVeagh Is only spending
S12.000,0 900. The construction Of the public
buildings is under the management Of
the Secretary Of the Treasury. He pays
out the money. Also. in fact, he ap-
proves the plans. which are drawn two
Nights of stairs up from and Immediately
over his own ONCE James Knox Tay-
lor is the Supervising Architect Help
ing him are seventy-fiYe skilled men and
a large force Of stenosraphers and clerks.
Got Ideas I'm Greece and Rome.
The frst creative architects Of the gov
eminent went to Greece and Rome for
their ideas of. beauty. stability. and util-
ify. Every little post-oface that is built
to-day has a touch somewhere of the
classic architecture OF those early mas
ters William Thornton. Philadelphia
physician, followed the government from
that city to Washington and drew the
plans of the first Capitol Building. He
WAS a learned man and a scientist. and
became superintendent Of the Patent
once at its establishment-tn 1s12. Charles
Bulhnch. of Boston, graduate Of Har-
ward and the architect of Faneuil Hall,
worked on the National Capitol from 1871
until Il was finished. in 1S3c. Thomas U.
walter, who studied in Europe and de-
signed Girard College, in Philadelphia,
which was said to be the finest speci-
men Of classic architecture in the United
States, drew the plans for the extension
Of the Capitol and directed the work to
its completion forty-seven years ago.
A Frenchman, Benjamin H. Latrobe,
born in England and educated In Ger
many. and having q romantic history,
was appointed Superintendent OF Public
Buildings in 1sos by Thomas Jefferson.
He was mainly engaged on the interior
marble cornstalks and introducing to-
bacco plants among the carvings. Such
were the men who gave to American
architecture its classic style and whose
influence continues to-day In the con-
struction of the government ediflces.
The Supervising Architect Of the Unit
ed States, Mr.. Taylor, designs all of
the government buildings except those
constructed In Washington. He was
born In Knox County. H., hfty-four
years ago. was educated in St. Paul and
the Massachusetts, Institute OF Tech
nology. and practiced in New York and
Philadelphia At the time Of his ap-
polntment as chief architect of the gov
ernment. he was senior craftsman In
the ONCE. He gained his promotion by
the record he made at civil service ex-
animation, standing second among forty
applicants. Skilled in his profession, he
IS also very competent executive and
an able business man.
A Temple with n Huge Tower.
"Ars any flne buildings now being put
Up By the government7'' asked him.
ssoh. yes One at Denver, to cost
& 5oo. 900; a courthouse and post-oflce
at New Orleans, to cost s1.750.ooo; post
omcs IN New York. to cost $40o0,o0o
and an extension to the Boston CUSTOM
house to cost s1.5oo.o00 The Boston
building. let me add Is to be something
OF 8 curiosity. Originally. It was in the
form of q Greek temple. No land could
-, rf.fnfr,aS for ffr anlarun=r,arf- ana N