REPORT 2d Session. No. 1808. PERMITS TO COMMITTEE ON INAUGURAL CEREMONIES. DECEMBER 18, 1908.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. SMITH, of Michigan, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. J. Res. 202.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the resolution (H. J. Res. 202) authorizing the granting of permits to the committee on inaugural ceremonies on the occasion of the inauguration of the President-elect on March 4, 1909, etc., report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass. The joint resolution herewith reported is identical in text with the joint resolution passed by the Congress on the occasion of the inaugural ceremonies of four years ago, the only differences between the two being slight ones rendered necessary by changes in circumstances. The increase of $5,000 in the appropriation over that of four years ago is accounted for later in this report. The joint resolution was submitted for examination and report to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, from all of whom reports were received, as follows: OFFICE COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, DEAR SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia recommend favorable action upon House joint resolution 202, "Authorizing the granting of permits to the committee on inaugural ceremonies on the occasion of the inauguration of the President-elect on March fourth, nineteen hundred and nine, and so forth," which you referred to them on the 12th instant for examination and report. NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 15, 1908. SIR: Referring to your letter of the 12th instant requesting comment concerning the provisions of House joint resolution 202 “Authorizing the granting of permits to the committee on inaugural ceremonies on the occasion of the inauguration of the President-elect on March fourth, nineteen hundred and nine, and so forth," I have to state that no objection is perceived, so far as this department is concerned, to the legislation proposed. Very respectfully, Hon. SAMUEL W. SMITH, TRUMAN H. NEWBERRY, Secretary. House of Representatives. Chairman Committee on the District of Columbia, [Second indorsement.] WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, Respectfully returned to the Secretary of War. So much of the subject-matter of the accompanying joint resolution (H. J. Res. 202) as pertains to this department is believed to be satisfactory, and the interests of the Government appear to be fully protected. I do not know any objection to the passage of the resolution by Congress. W. L. MARSHALL, Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army. (Through the Quartermaster-General.) [Third indorsement.] WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL, Respectfully transmitted to the Surgeon-General. J. B. ALESHIRE, Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army. [Fourth indorsement.] WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SURGEON-GENERAL, December 17, 1908. Respectfully returned to the honorable the Secretary of War. So much of the accompanying joint resolution (H. J. Res. 202 as relates to the Medical Department is considered satisfactory, and no objection to its passage is known to this office. [Fifth indorsement.] R. M. O'REILLY, Surgeon-General, U. S. Army. WAR DEPARTMENT, December 17, 1908. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on the District of Columbia, House of Representatives, inviting attention to the preceding indorsements hereon. The War Department knows of no objection to the passage of this resolution. LUKE E. WRIGHT, SECRETARY'S OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, D. C., December 17, 1908. DEAR SIR: In accordance with your request of December 12 I forward you a report from the Commissioner of Pensions relative to that portion of House joint resolution No. 202 which refers to the proposed use of the Pension building for the inaugural ball. Neither Commissioner Warner nor I desire to raise any unnecessary question regarding this proposal, as we both appreciate the difficulty the inaugural committee has in obtaining a suitable building, but before Congress directs such use the conditions should be thoroughly understood. If the committee determines that the Pension Office shall be used, I call particular attention to the need of providing for the use of the portion of the building occupied by the pension agency, so that pensioners can be promptly paid. I have requested Commissioner Warner to appear before your committee at the hearing on this subject to-day, so that the committee may have opportunity to make any further inquiry. Very respectfully, JAMES RUDOLPH Garfield, Secretary. Chairman Committee on the District of Columbia, Hon. S. W. SMITH, DECEMBER 16, 1908. MR. SECRETARY: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, by reference from you, of House joint resolution 202, authorizing and directing you to grant a permit to the committee on inaugural ceremonies to use the Pension building on the occasion of the inauguration of the President-elect on March 4, 1909, and respectfully to submit the following report: While the resolution contemplates the exclusive use of the building by the committee for the purpose indicated, it does not specify for what length of time, and in making this report I assume that the occupancy and treatment of the building and the disposition of its present contents by the committee will be substantially as that of similar committees on like occasions in the past. While the committee may not have exclusive possession of the building more than ten days, its possession of the building in removing desks, file cases, records, and furniture from its rooms, and in arranging decorations, platforms, stands, electriclight wires, fixtures, etc., and in attempting to restore the building and its contents to the condition in which the committee found them, will, so far as carrying on the business of the Pension Bureau is concerned, amount in effect to the exclusive use of the building by the committee for twenty days, and during that time the business of the Pension Bureau and the agency for the payment of pensions therein would be practically entirely suspended. There are at present 1,248 employees in the Pension Bureau building, the total of their daily salaries being $4,773.70, and the sum total of their salaries for the twenty days will be $95,474, which will be paid them, as they will be on enforced idleness during that time. If the resolution passes as it now reads, its substantial effect will be the cost in money to the Government of $95,474. If the resolution is amended so as to stop the pay of the employees in the Pension building during their enforced idleness, it will substantially compel the employees to donate to the committee that amount, and if the purpose of the resolution is to enable the committee to reimburse itself or to provide means to pay the expenses of the unofficial inaugural ceremonies it would be much better for the Government to appropriate and give the committee that amount outright instead of turning over to the committee the Pension Bureau during that time. Since the last inaugural ceremonies there has been located in the building an agency for the payment of pensions. That agency pays between 53,000 and 54,000 pensioners, and the next payment by that agency commences on the 4th day of March, 1909. If the building is surrendered to the committee, as contemplated by the resolution, the payments due on March 4, 1909, will be delayed at least two weeks, and it is not necessary to suggest what such a delay will mean to those who confidently expect that their pensions will be paid promptly when due, as they have been in the past. There are in the building 1,433 desks, 154 tables, 570 file cases, with their contents, each one weighing, when full, 1,600 pounds, and when empty 503 pounds, and many other articles of office furniture and books of record, and these would have to be removed before the ceremonies and afterwards replaced. The file cases contain cases and are not supplied with locks. It would be necessary to remove all the above to some place not now provided and have them carefully guarded, at some expense at least, until returned to their proper places in the Pension building. Heretofore the building has been greatly disfigured and damaged by the installation of an additional electric plant for its lighting and by having nailed and attached to its walls and columns the decorations provided by the committee. In addition, heretofore on such cccasions many papers that could not be duplicated have been stolen or destroyed, and on each previous like occasion fires have occurred in the building on account of the carelessness of its temporary occupants; and in moving from and returning to the building the desks, tables, file cases, etc., they have been greatly damaged. We can not expect any less damage to the building and its contents by the contemplated occupancy than the building and its contents sustained by the like occupancy in the past, and the damage in every way by the proposed occupancy can not be estimated. V. WARNER, Commissioner of Pensions. Very respectfully, The SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR. It will be noted that the foregoing communications all give unqualified approval to the resolution except that, in the report from the Commissioner of Pensions transmitted by the Secretary of the Interior, certain suggestions are submitted regarding the use of the Pension building for the inaugural reception. The Pension building has been successively used for the inaugural reception to the President and Vice-President elect since the inauguration of President Cleveland in 1885. No other building, public or private, is available to accommodate the many thousands who attend this function. Such receptions have been accorded each incoming Chief Executive since the time of President Washington. It has hence become by custom a recognized part of the inaugural ceremonies whereto the representatives of all the nations are invited guests. part of the Nation's quadrennial installation of its Chief Executive, it has become in a practical sense a national function. As The court of the Pension building, 400 by 116 feet, and the galleries opening thereon afford ample and safe accommodation, and as the building is wholly fireproof and all decorations of every sort, except flowers used on this occasion, are rendered noncombustible by the use of fireproof solutions, the danger from fire is practically eliminated. The building is also most effectively guarded from fire or accident by the constant presence of trained firemen and policemen, and in the successive inaugural occasions for the past twenty-five years no injury to persons or property has occurred from fire or accident. The band concerts which follow the inaugural reception afford ample opportunity for all who do not attend the reception to visit the building and enjoy a view of the decorated interior." The suggestions of the Commissioner of Pensions as to cost to the Government in the enforced idleness of the pension-office force during the occupancy of the building for this purpose is, in the view of the committee, met by the plain answer that such force is continuing in service and as the work of the bureau is now substantially up to current date the suggested loss is not real--such as would occur in a manufacturing plant where the output ceases when the employees are idle. The further suggestion that delay in payment of quarterly pensions, now carried on in part in the Pension building, will be delayed can and will be fully obviated by the reservation of proper rooms and space now used therefor on the ground floor of the building-a matter fully within the control of the Secretary of the Interior under the power conferred upon the Secretary by the express terms of section 1 |