Evening star., 1943-10-10
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago new Government
building was planned. Its necessity was
conceded and the
New Government main question was its
Printing Office location. According
to The Star of Octo-
Der 10, 1893: The joint subcommittee
OF the House and Senate Committees on
Public Buildings and Grounds engaged
In selecting a site for the proposed new
Government Printing ONCE held meet
Ing today. The subcommittee discussed
the various sites they visited last week
and talked informally upon the general
subject of the new building and it's loca-
ton. - 1t is stated that the committee
will not confne itself to the lots pro-
posed, but will look over every site which
they think might be available" A hun
dred and fifty thousand square feet was
called for in the plans, and before the
space OF this size or larger in the District
was considered
Still on the subject of public buildings,
The Star Of the same date quoted an
article by the Rev. Frank
Public Building Sewall in the American
Plons Architect and Building
News: "Buildings
erected by the Government at immense
cost, but of unworthy design, and cal
culated to bring ridicule on our national
culture and to be a means of constantly
depraving instead of educating the public
taste, are simply a gross abuse of the
public trust such as no enlightened ma
ton should submit to; and yet our people
have had to helplesSly face such pro-
ceedings more than once and TO meekly
pay over the money to foot the bills"
He proposed an architectural planning
board to pass on the merits of each new
public building, and to forbid its erec-
ton II the board turned it down. Today,
two such boards operate, the National
Parks and Planning Commission and the
Fine Arts Commission. Neither has been
given legally ironclad veto powers, but
according to Mr.. Lynn, present architect
of the Capitol, there is little likelihood
of any Government building being put
up to which they have objection.
Washington's claim to being a conven-
ton city was further subStantiated by
the presence of a group of
Convention bottlers Said The Star of
October 10, 1893: The
members of the American
Bottlers Association of the United States
have come to town for the purpose of
holding their annual convention. The
sessions were preceded by parade"
The meeting was held at Metzerott Hall.
Interest in the great international
yacht cup race at New York was intense.
Vigilant, the American
America Keeps defender of the cup,
Yachting Cup had already won two
races against the
British challenger Valkyrie, and the third
and last was now on, after a postpone
ment due to bad weather. The Star of
October II, 1893, printed many columns
describing the crowds, the course and the
progress of the race. This time, it looked
as if the Valkyrie might win. She got
off to good lead, but the Vigilant came
from behind near the end and in Gar
rlson finish drove ahead and won by the
narrow margin of IL seconds, to make 1t
three In row and retain the cup for
America.
Congress, In special session, was con-
sidering repeal of the Sherman silver
purchase law, and the
Senotorioi silver men, afraid to put
Filibusters 1t to vote, resorted to
filibuster The Star of
October II, 1893, commented editorially:
Has reason no longer any effect on sem
atorial intellects? Must principle be
established and upheld by brute force?
Shall the majority bow to him whose
mind Is vacuous but who has talent for
insomnia? - The senatorial filibuster
and wind monopolist would make legis-
lation question of vocal endurance. It
is but following his very bad example to
propose to make legislation turn on
physical endurance, merely substituting
robustness Of body for robustness Of
voice."