Evening star., 1937-12-26

BILE. however. that a portion OF the
space west of the corridor-that por-
ton used at later period as a room
for the Vice President, as shown in
Hazleton's book on the Capitol, and
also until recently as robing room
for members of the Supreme Court
was used as room for Mr.. Jefferson
at the time he was Vice President 1t
might have been also that the space
east Of the corridor, directly opposite
the robing room, through which the
members Of the court passed to enter
the courtroom, was occupied by Mr..
Jefferson as an Office.
1T seems more reasonable, how
ever" explains Mr.. Jurney, that Mr.
Jeffersons room was most likely in the
space until recently occupied as a con-
ference room for the Supreme Court
on the first floor, or basement floor
OF the Capitol, west of the corridor
and opposite the space occupied by
the Law Library. Immediately under
the space on the main floor already
referred to as the robing room of the
! Supreme Court.
Signs Point to Conference Room.
Taking into account all space in
the old Capitol, and by the process
Of elimination" continued Mr.. Jurney,
summarizing the result of his confer
ence with the research workers, lit
would appear that We may assume
With reasonable certainty that Mr..
Jefterson's room was either in the
space already referred to as the con-
ference room of the Supreme Court,
on the first floor, or in the space
already referred to on the second or
main floor. The indications from the
information before us are much
stronger that the Vice PRESIDENT s
room was on the first floor, either in
the conference room or in the space
Immediately adjoining and to the south
Of that room"
Careful examination has been made
OF Glenn Browns history of the Capt.
tol, published in 1900 as a Senate
document, Fifty-sixth Congress, first
session, and the documentary history
OF the construction and development
Of the United States Capitol, pub
lished as a House report in the second
session Of the Fifty-eighth Congress
in 1904. But no specific reference has
been found in either publication to
identify the exact situation of the
room occupied by Mr.. Jefferson as
Vice President.
Mr.. Jeffersons letters have been
read and reread in the hope of finding
some reference to the room he occu-
pied in the Capitol, but nothing Of the
sort has been disclosed.
Writings Explored.
Col Jurney further explains that
"The First Forty Years of Washington
Society,"" by the brilliant Mrs. Samuel
Harrison Smith (nee Margaret Bay.
ard), has been examined in the hope
that In her personal references to Mr.
Jefferson, touching his associations al
the Capitol, something might have
been said about the Offices he occupied
as Vice President. But nothing has
been found to identify the original
Vice Presidents room at that time
Mr.. and Mrs. Smith were intimate
friends Of Mr.. Jefferson. and it was
Mr.. Smith who sponsored the publica.
tion and printing of Mr.. Jefferson's
Manual.
1T is regrettable," concludes Col
Jurney, that so important an item
touching the Senate and the Vice
President and presiding officer of that
body at that most interesting perioc
cannot be definitely fixed in the his.
tory Of the Capitol Further effort.
will be made to identify the exact stu.
alton. Many members Of the Senate
are especially interested in tht
search-to set straight and exact the
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