Evening star., 1922-02-03
ARCHIVES BUILDING
i FUNDS REFUSED
House Also Fails to Concur in
100000 Appropriation
! for Treasury Vault.

The House yesterday refused to
concur in two Senate amendments to
the Treasury Department appropria-
tion bill, one of which carried $1,00O.-
900 for the construction of a. vault
for the Treasury and the other $780,
900 for a site and other preparations
for erecting a national archives build
ing in Washington.
Chairman Madden of the appropria-
tionS committee strongly opposed the
purchase of a site for the archives
building, contending that an ideal 10
cation would be at 9th and B streets
where the George Washington Me-
mortal building is under construction:
Representative Walsh (republlran( OF
Massachusetts argued that the time
limit has expired during which Con-
gress had given the land to the me
mortal association and that in point
of fact the building is being erected
on land to which the association mas
no right.
Explains Memorial Status.
Chairman Langley of the public
buildings committee said that the
need for an archives building is rec
ognized. and explained the situation
with regard to the George Washing
ton Memorial building as follows:
I'VE had a hearing on that very
question. and the matter is now under
consideration by the committee on
public buildings and grounds. of
which / am chairman: and Col. Sher--
rill, in charge of public buildings ana
grounds. who represented the Presi-
dent at the corner stone laying, ad-
mitted that the corner stone was lald
without authority of law. the judge
advocate general having rendered
ruling that in view of law subse-
quently discovered his previous rul-
ing that it was lawful was not cor
Feet. He said, however. as the hear
ings will show. that, having practi-
cally completed the arrangements.
they thought they might as well go
ahead with them.
I'VE certainly do not intend to au-
thorize the beginning Of a building
that will take decade to complete
States expends seven or eight million
dollars in order to do it, and that is
the exact situation with regard to
that structure. We have had some
experience along that line already, as,
for instance, the Washington Monu-
ment. I am inclined to favor the
views of the Secretary Of War and
the Fine Arts Commission that the
pending resolution should be amended
so as to read that the Secretary Of
War shall have discretionary power
to determine exactly how much money
shall be subscribed and paid in before
the project is started. l think that
is the view of the committee of which
I am chairman. 1 might add that
representatives of the American Le-
gion who have appeared before our
committee are opposed to erecting any
monument or memorial building for
the world war veterans until the sick
and disabled are properly provided for
and just compensation law has been
enacted.
Scores Archives Plan.
"I concede that we need an
other buildings in this country. hun
dreds of them. The government
business is being transacted in many
places under conditions that are dis
graceful to this republic. and if we
permit another body to stick in here
and there a provision authorizing the
construction of buildings that exist
ing law does not permit and has not
authorized, the first thing we know
we country dirt-road farmer con-
gressmen will be knocked out of any
public buildings al all, and l am op-
posed to any such procedure as this"
Representative Dallinger of Mas
sachusetts reminded members of the
House that the national archives
building was authorized almost eight
years ago in the last omnibus public
buildings bill passed by Congress.
After quoting the records he said, in
conclusion.
so there is no question about the
authority. We not only authorized,
but we directed the Secretary of
the Treasury to purchase the site
when the plans were approved. AS
a.matter of fact, the plans were ap-
proved by that commission, and one
of the members of the Senate COM
mittee on appropriations has
photostatic copy of that approval by
that commission; so that the Secre-
tary of the Treasury is not only au-
thorized. but directed to purchase
this site by existing law, and the
only thing that is needed is the ap-
preparation of money by the COM
mittee on appropriations"
Fess Pleads for Building.
Strong argument for the erection of
an archives building. to preserve val
liable records now stored in cellars.
was made by Representative S. D.
E'ess of Ohio. who said:
81 would like to present just briefly
the tremendous Importance of this
proposed building by citing the fig
ures given to the House on June 3.
1916, by myself. on the occasion when
we had under discussion this item
and when 1 read to you the report
from the fire marshal of the District
of Columbia of the number of fires
that they had had. in government
SPECIAL NOTICES.