Evening star., 1917-09-18


the site of the old Pennsylvania railroad
station at 9th and B streets for the use
of the War and Navy Departments
raised a tempest in the House of Repre-
sentatives today, in which Representa-
tive Fitzgerald of New York and Rep
resentative Cooper of Wisconsin had an
alteration which verged on the person
al and which was intensely vigorous at
| all times.
Attacks Real Estate Men.
| During the controversy Representa-
| tive Fitzgerald denounced the opposi-
! tion to the temporary building as be-
| ing inspired by a coterie of real estate
| men who have been fattening on the
| government and said the building pro-
| posed is the first attempt to kill the
golden calf in Washington" He read
| a letter from Col. Harts, executive
secretary of the Fine Arts Commission.
which said that published articles
claiming that the Fine Arts Commission
was opposed TO the temporary build
ing at 9Th street and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. were without foundation of fact.
Representative Cooper, who. as far
as the House of Representatives is con-
cerned, has been recognized as cham
pion of better government buildings
for Washington, started the rumpus
shortly after the House convened by
bringing up a point of order against
the item in the seven n-dollar
war appropriation bill providing for
the structure in question. He wanted
to know why the building was to be
there, what it was to be built of and
why the site had been selected.
Committee Chiefs Explain.
Representative Fitzgerald, aided by
Representative Sherley of Kentucky.
answered that the building was tenn
porary in character, would be built in
ninety days and that the price and size
outlined indicated the structure to be
only a temporary one.
Representative Cooper then referred
to the fact that the people who plan |
ned the office building now occupied by
the Interior Department had specified
red brick for the exterior. and that
it was only the insistence of the Fine |
Arts Commission which brought about |
a change in that respect.
But 1t took long campaign. added |
Cooper. ALSO l remem- |
ber that this House once passed bill
allowing the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company to retain its old site. this
very land now under discussion. and
n addition gave the railroad fourteen
lcres of land in the Mall The Presi-
lent of the United States called the
president of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company here and begged him to desist
rom utilizing that land for railroad
purposes. 1t cost the government sew
raj million dollars to get this land
Jack. Also, Congress has given permis-
iety to erect its memorial on that site.
md the organization has raised the
necessary funds"
Sets the House 'tStraight."
Representative Fitzgerald said that
he time for erecting that building
had been extended.
Il want to set the House straight on
his matter" said Representative Fitz-
gerald. The appropriations commit
ee had before it requests from the
departments for $4,000 square feet
If extra space Also we had PROPOSE
ions to rent US buildings to take care
If the extra help needed. amounting
o s421.000 year, and, in addition. a
to erect a small building
,oing to rent a building on the old
Arlington Hotel site for $4,000 year.
which is the equivalent of per cent
IN an investment of $5,000,000.
One Proposal to Build.
"one proposal to meet the demand for
xtra floor space was to erect build
ng next to the Interstate Commerce.
,uilding. The government would take
five-year lease, but the promoters of
he building could not borrow the
money for the project unless they got
ten-year lease. Buildings now cost
rom one-third to a hundred per cent
more than in normal times and the
inancierS insist upon a ten-year lease
o offset the shrinkage in values after
he war.
I'VE are going to need more floor
space all the time. The ordnance bu-
eau will need an extra million square
'eet within year and we must be pre-
pared to organize all the departments
IN a bigger and bigger scale.
What are we going to do? Be at
he mercy of real estate promoters?
There are not office buildings In Wash
ngton with facilities for the proper
1ousing of the added government force.
Must we meet these needs by private
development or shall we devise COM
non sense scheme? The scattered forces
If the departments reduce their eff |
.iency."
He said a congressional committee
had looked into the question of proper
office facilities and had come to the i
conclusion that the proposed temporary
building at 9th and B streets north
west was the common sense scheme to
get the proper space for the necessary
employees. He said the building would |
be up and completed in three months"
1T is idle for Congress to make these
war appropriations if the departments |
cannot carry out their work because |
of lack of space. Here is the first real |
proposition to kill the golden calf In |
Washington; the first proposal to get |
away from the real estate coterie which |
has been fattening on the government" |
He quoted a story from a morning |
newspaper which said the fine arts |
commission has protested against the |
proposed building.
mo Foundation in Fact
II knew that story came from finan-
cial interests when / read it; and on the |
same morning of its publication / re-
ceived from Col. Harts. secretary of |
the fine arts commission, a letter stat
ing the article had no foundation in |
fact The fine arts commission recogn-
ICES the war emergency and knows this
is a temporary structure only
The gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr.. |
Cooper has always been the first man
to oppose the schemes of real estate
men to milk the government through |
Office buildings. and yet here he is OPP !
posing the first real plan to get the |
better of that situation"
Representative Cooper was plainly |
wrtthy when he jumped up to reply:
The gentleman from New York" he |
said. knows better, but yet he insinu- |
ates l have been Influenced by real |
,ts.ta Int No