Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-12-08

i.s;'''.,.4 ,st;natos. we should IaYe an annual
a.rs,;,n from This class of 420, which the bonrd
n ink would 1T least prevent any increase OF INC
,.asuIafion. This is perhaps correct; but by the
census If 1870. tie free coofed population OF II
nfnia was 50 S27, and we may now safely put II
down 1T -, 600. suppose any increase Oh mum,
her- i. rreycutcd. when and how shall re get rld
IL tbeae 5000 Shall we and our posterty al
,vaVs endure the existing evil! trust not; we
should not: and respectfully urge the adoption
Of more efficient measures for their removal leaN
ing the selection 81 tic mode to the united WISDOM
Of the general assembly.
1t is proper that should bring to the noiee 81
the general assembly the condition 81 me y an
iugton monument fund On the I'D OF feefuaf}
lsJ9, act was pissed by the e hefa as elilHiS
directing commissioners to be- appointed by ne
executive to procure amodd for the monument
with al necessary plans and estimates Tor ITS
erection On the 18th October following Ire
govern or then in office appointed the commission
crs. Who in compliance with the act, selected the
rlap fixed upon the site and procured estimates
for the structure An appropriation, with The
amount previously raised by individual sub>cap-
tien. not To exceed one hundred thousand dollars,
was made by the legislature The plans ana eS-
Inmates submitted to the commissioners dld not
exceed the amount appropriated. On the I'D
February. 1850, the corner stone OF the monu-
ment was laid, with the most imposing cerelno-
Mes and the work was progressed with most
energeticaliy. 1t was understood that the
work with all its statues and equipments would
require five years for its completion. When the
commissioners proceeded to enter INTO written
contracts for the work, it was Immediately found
that the estimates submitted were much less than
were necessary to complete the design selected,
and accordingly only It part of the statues and
equipment were contracted for, the commissioners
pfetcrring to leave To the general assembly the
option Of finishing the work according TO the
plan, andof appropriatng the necessary funds at
their own time. They therefore contracted with
Mr.. Crawford for two of the statues and for the
equestrian group which Is to surmount the struc-
ture, and for Il few Of the equipments necessary
to fill up the pan-the whole sum amounting to
s52,975, leaving forty thousand and TWEEN
ty-fye dollars Of the original appropriation,
which it was believed would be sufficient TO con-
struct the granite portion of the monument.
BY the Code of Virginia, the act of 1919 was
amended, and the commissio who had been
previously appointed were superseded. AT the
commencement OF my official career, upon exam
ing into the subject, found that about $4,000
had been expended in the erection of the struc-
ture, aud that considerable part of the work was
yet to be completed. feltit to be my duty to re-
organize the board of commissioners. Since that
time, there has been expended in paying for the
work previously executed, and III carrying on the
structure, about S20, 900, and Mr. Crawford has
received in part payment of his contract which
was executed in 1850, ~ 900. AT the last sess-
ion of the general assembly an additional appro-
priation OF S3O,O0O was made to meet the drafts
which it was expected would be drawn by Mr..
Crawford in accordance with his contract; but a.
yet, no drafts have been made. The actual cost
Of the work at the end Of the last fiscal year was
Sl059lS 81 leaving uneXpendcd OF the two ap-
preparations, S24,05l 10.
II is understood that Mr. Crawford has low
cast, ready to be shipped, the two statues Of
Thomas jefferson and Patrick Henry, and that
he has completed some of the other equipments
of the monument. The equestrian statue of
Washington is now i'll course Of preparation, and
will be completed no doubt as soon as consistent
with its proper execution.
The granite portion of the structure is now
nearly completed the iron stairway will in Il
short time be erected; The tagging aud curbing
will soon hc laid, and the superintendent and lab
orer, may be dismissed during the year | have
been thus explicit that the general assembly
may understand ut glance the position Of this
work. If the work is to be finished according to
its dcsign-and no Nrginan would wish to see a
work. undertaken for such purpose, unfinished
1t will be necessary that the contract for the
additional four statues, the eagles and other ne
cessary equipments should be made, in order that
the monument shall be finished in tie time origi-
nally supposed necessary and that an adequate
appropriation be made therefor.
In connection with this subject cannot re-
fran from respectfully but earnestly recomnen-
ding to the Legislature the proprcty of the pur-
chase Of Mount Vernon by the state of Virginia
And | do SO at this time the more particularly
because there Is reason to apprehend that It il
about 10 pass into the hands of strangers The
Importance Of the acquisition of this property 10y
the tnltcd States, has frequently been brought
TO the attention of Congress, and it is surprising
that this eommcndable project has met with st
little favor For this we should ever feel thank
tul, because II once the property of the fedora
government, we might never have been able to
purchase it. This should never be. Whilst We
might reasonably prefer that it should be the
property of the Union rather than belong to any
private individual, vet Virginia, and she only,
should be the owner, and have control of this sit-
cred and consecrated spot whore rest the mortal
remains of her immortal son. Who else but Nir-
ginia should own this halowed spot--to guard
and protect the grave of him, whose name will be
reyercd as long as one shall live to admire \
mcrican liberty And should some ruthless
hand ever disturb this sepuIchre of the houored
dead, or oven change the primitive simplicity OF
his former residence, a sense of shame would
come over every Nirgnan, and he would feel that
that had been lost which could not be estimated
IN dollars and cents. If it can he purchased,
then, upon fair and reasonable TERMS let us do it
at once that we may preserve it in its primitive
simplicity and beauty--to be freely rcsorted to
by all admirers of true greatness and human lib
erts, and to be gazed ON by all who may pass up
ON the beautiful Potomac.
Considering the character Of him whose name
has thrown this halo of glory around the spot
and in view of the fact that foremost as usual in
whatever was good and great he presided over
the first agricultural society that ever met in Nir-