Mr. FESSENDEN. The resolution involves Very considerably more than appears upon its face; but in drawing it. I thought itest to word it as I have done. It is nown, I suppose, by everybody, that the north wing of the Treasury extension is in process of being erected. In order to complete it, it will be necessary to take down the building which is at present occupied by the State Dept. There is no place provided to which the State Dept can go; and I do not know but that it must follow that the work on the Treasury building must be suspended for the want of power to accommodate the State Dept. There is no tire proof building where it would be safe to lodge the very important documents which are there. It has been suggested to me that there may be great difficulties in carrying out the present plan: but it is very advisable, and very necessary, in fact, that the Treasury building should be completed. It has occurred to me and I will state this as a suggestion that we shall be very soon obliged to erect a new Presidential Mansion somewhere; we ought to have a different place from that to be occu ied by the President, and a place surrounds by grounds of properextent. How soon this can be done I do not know, nor doI know what. facilities may exist for doing it. In that case, the present Mansion might very well, perhaps, be occupied by the State Dept. I merely suggest this. But it is very evident to me that the whole Treasury building will be needed for the accommodation of the Treasury De art ment itself. For instance, the InternalRevenue Bureau is now in a building on the other side of the street, which is not a fire proof I desire to offer a resbuildin, and a fire in that building and a loss of all the papers there would involve infinite confusion and difficulty. The whole subject is one that has really got to a point that presses upon the consideration of Congress to make the proper provision for the Depts and for the safety of the important papers in the different. Depts, and it is high time, in my udginent, that the whole matter should be eliberatel considered by Congress. I have thought, therefore, that the better way was simily to call the at. tention of the Committees of the 2 Houses on Public Buildings and Grounds to the subjectwith regard to the State Dept, which when they come to investigate they will find involves the consideration of the whole subject, which cannot be, in my judgment, any longer delayed. I therefore hope that the resolution will be adopted in order that the matter may be considered.