Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-05
The
Rambler
Sheds
Any Responsibility
BY JOHN McKELWAY

In Washington it is pos
Sible to feel better by sim
ply remembering the sticky
responsibilities of others.
The Rambler frequently
feels refreshed when pass
ing the Capitol Power Plant,
E street and South Capitol
street, for two reasons. He
has nothing whatsoever to
do with selecting the right
amount of cold or hot air to
pipe up to The Hill and into
the midst of the elected,
most of whom eventually
prove to be sensitive and
outspoken.
And no one will ever ask
him to solve a problem that
has been lying around in the
yard Of the Power Plant for
more than two years.
Stacked into neat piles
and carefully numbered are
most Of the stones and
bricks that went into the old
East Front Of the Capitol. 1t
was removed basically be-
cause the sandstone was de-
teriorating and because of
the overhang Of the dome
which we need not go into
here.
But someday, somebody is
going to have to decide what
to do with the rubble and,
particularly, the "a sand
stone columns weighing sew
eral hundred tons apiece.
This decision - and they
can have tiles in the laps
of five distinguished gentle
men who, whether they
know it or not, make up
something called the Com
mission on the Extension Of
the Capitol. From left to
right, they are Speaker Nc
CORN ack, Vice President
Johnson, and Minority Lead
erS Halleck and Dirksen. J.
George Stewart, architect of
the Capitol, is also a mem
Der.
IT WAS THIS SAME
COMMISSION, although the
membership differed, which,
in 1859, took steps to assure
that the columns we're not
rolled off to obScurity. 1t
was ordered that they be
saved in hopes that some
body could think Of some
thing to do with them. They
were, of course, replaced with
marble, 32H2 feet further
east.
At first, a remarkable
number of people took time
to think of what to do with
a bunch of sandstone col
umnS.
The first idea suggested
was that they be put up
again in the form Of a memo
rial to James Madison.
This lasted for some time
until along came the idea
that maybe it was high time
somebody did something for
Charles Bullfinch, an archi-
tect of the Capitol. A cir
cular arrangement of the
sandstone columns was put
forth.
This was replaced, how
ever-the plans are filed in
the library of the architects
office-by an idea for a "Bill
of Rights Memorial" 1t was
to have been located on The
Mall.
Shortly, along came the
proposal to send Is sand
stone columns to 10 Of the
original states with the rest
held back for some type Of
memorial to something.
This was followed by an
other idea-to place IL COL
umns at each end of the
Wilson Bridge to produce an
"inspiring and historical APP
proach to Washington"
Also suggested, by some
one apparently unimpressed
by the bridge idea, was the
plan to set up the columns
as an Agricultural Hall Of
Fame" which would COM
memorate farmers who
have served in Congress"
THIS NEVER TOOK HOLD
and was soon to be succeeded
by what may have been the
most amazing Of all: plant
IL columns around the
Washington Monument" in
such a way that the shadow
of the shaft will create a
sundial TO enable air travel
ers to tell the time Of day"
But others said, why not
put 'em up near the entrance
to D. c. Stadium? beside the
rejecting poolP as a part of
the Christmas Pageant of
Peace2 inside the National
Arboretum2 at Sixteenth and
the East West Highway
Since the first furry OF