It is always a source of satisfaction if one's views are vindicated, even though they were not accepted. This is the position of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung in the matter of the now virtually discredited Bedford stone, which is being used in constructing the City Hall. The Illinois Staats-Zeitung waged an energetic but unsuccessful fight against the use of this product.

We claimed that Bedford stone should not have been chosen for the City Hall because of its color. How correct our assertion proved to be, no one will deny, since the clashing difference in color between one half of the structure--the County Building--and the other half, the City Hall, is so glaring that even a blind man can detect it with a cane.

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Furthermore, the Staats-Zeitung claimed that the porous texture of Bedford stone makes it unsuitable as building material, as it disintegrates in the local climate; sudden changes, such as rain followed by severe frost, are common here. Lithologists regarded our views as absurd, yet our predictions have been substantiated, regardless of the experts.

One of the large polished blocks at the Washington Street entrance--and incidentally, let it be recorded that not a vestige of the original ornamentation is discernable now--has cracked from top to bottom. Pressure could hardly have caused the rupture, as the load supported by the rock is probably not even equal to its own weight. The cleavage was most likely caused by the expansive action of frost on the water-permeated stone.

On the La Salle Street facade, more than a half-dozen blocks are broken. Whether this should be attributed to the superimposed load or to the congealed moisture within the permeable material is a moot question.

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Experiments at the Smithsonian Institution in washington proved long ago that Bedford stone withstands barely two thirds of the pressure which Lemont stone can endure. The Staats-Zietung has called attention to these findings.

One realizes now the unsoundness of every argument advanced by the advocates of Bedford stone in seeking to justify the use of a non-local product.

In the meantime, the City Hall is being built of Bedford stone, and the edifice will become a mute witness to the lack of taste and ability--not to mention corruption--of Chicago's building committee, which was hoodwinked by A. Bedford Cook and J. M. Van Osdell.