Evening star., 1925-10-07

than twice the rent the Government
Is paying, and that they are enduring
right now a loss Of 100000 they could
have if the Department OF Justice
would vacate. But this Is only part
of what the owners feel they suffer.
for they have worked up plans for
partial reconstruction Of the building.
with stores on the main floor. 90 that
it will bring them in even larger re-
turns.
This Government is too big in
every way thus to take advantage of
a private owner, but that is exactly
what Congress has done by refusing,
year after year. to make other pro-
vision for housing the Department of
Justice when fully advised Of the real
situation.
Project Urged for Years.
For more than ten years Congress
has had detailed information of the
needs of the Department of Justice
for a fitting building of its own
Plans were prepared In 1910 and ap-
proved by the Sixty-fourth Congress
a decade ago for erection of a Justice
building at Pennsylvania avenue and
Fifteenth street on land already pur-
chased for that purpose. In reports
in executive communications. in the
messages Of Presidents to Congress,
in vigorous speeches on the floor of
both House and Senate and in reports
of the House and Senate committees
on public buildings and grounds, this
same important governmental build
ing project has been advocated and
persistently presented for conclusive
action by Congress.
The need for q Department Of JUS
tice Building Is placed second only to
those of the Internal Revenue Bureau
by those who have made a close and
intensive study of the Government
housing problem for many years.
Away back in 1906-nearly a score
OF years ago-Congress initiated leg
islatton to provide for the Depart
ment Of Justice building located at
the southeast corner of Pennsylvania
avenue and Fifteenth street; but the
Department is still occupying. under
protest of the owners. private
building, the erection Of which was
financed to meet that particular need.
The original rental was $36 900 a
year, where the owner now says he
has been offered $165 900.
Change Must Come Soon.
1t has been repeatedly stressed by
the Public Buildings Commission that
this policy Of securing the erection of
buildings by private parties for Gov
ernment use is open to so many OBJ
Jections that 1t can continue only
until Congress shall take conclusive
action on an adequate plan to meet
the emergency that has arisen out of
the tremendous and rapid increase
In Government activities-an increase
which the war speeded up, but which
really began years before the war.
Legislation for a suitable building
for the Department of Justice must
receive emergency consideration by
the incoming Congress, and President
Coolidge has let 1t be known that he
VIII impress upon Congress the folly
and negligence of further DELAYS.
The location Of the new Department
OF Justice Building on the proposed
site, catacornered from the Treasury
Building, should be a first step in the
direction OF cleaning up the south
side Of the Avenue; which phrase
has become a slogan with those per.
sons who advocate restoring the pre-
eminence Of Pennsylvania avenue as
the greatest thoroughfare In the
world, between the legislative and
executive branches of our unrivaled
Government.
Importance of Department.
Briefly we should consider hero
what the Department of Justice is
its importance as a governmental
agency: The Department of Justice
was created by the act of June %,
1870, but the Office of the ATTORNEY
General was one of the four cabinet
Offices, so called, which were created
in 1889. and around this grew up a
legal department which was known
until 1870 as the Attorney Generals 8
Office. Until 1914 the Attorneys Gen.
eral did not reside permanently in
Washington, but remained at their
homes and transmitted their advice
and opinions by mail. coming to
Washington officially only when it
became necessary to appear before
the Supreme Court.
More than a century ago, in 1922,
the Attorney General was furnished
with his first official quarters, a room
on the second floor of the old War
Department Building, west of the
Presidents house, which was retained
until 1889, when the offices were mov-
ed into the Treasury Department
Building. From that time until Feb.
ruray /, 1917, when the department