Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-06-12
NUMBER l7s.

+. ~ ~ ltSs
Reply OF the Managers OF the Washington
National Monument Society 10 the attack
Ofthe late Board.
| TO the Men6srsof the Washington
National Monument Society.
(coNcLUDEDl
They next allege that we took possession of tho.
Monument and grounds by force and they 30 dir-
tort the iacts as to make every one believe th
their TOOL and instrument Dougherty, was actually
expelled by violence, and that his resistance wonn
have been vain, as Mr.. Briggs our Superintendent,
was backed by the Captain Of the Auxiliary Guard.
and the Captain Of the Police, and by a crowd ofI
looking fellows, who were ready to lend their aid
TO his expulsion.
| Let US again come to plain matter of fact We
having been duly elected; our opponents havirg
broken their faith their agent setting US at def.
ance, and, acting under their insfructioas, Iths
they avow not only in their publication, but by az.
pending TO II his statement we elected a new
| superintendent. Dougherty refused 10 give ur.
Briggs, having reason to fear, from his manner ard
language, resort to violence by Dougherty, ask,
the two heads Of the Police Departments to b.,
present. to prevent any violence. The parties met
in the office on the Monument grounds. They
chatted together for some time, when il was sue.
gested that II was time to settle the matter. or
words to that effect. Doughcrty told him he m, ct
use force his instructions were 10 make no resist.
dnce, bm 10 require some jorce hopeper siighf.
Briggs handed him his hat put his hand on bis
| shoulder; they both walked to the door, laughing
and talking, and Dougherty walked out. This Is
the whote natter Are you not ashamed of the
| men who 80 long have managed your affairs, and
who, from lust of office, can make themselves so
small and ridiculous?
We refer to the statements Of Messrs Briggs.
Hilton, Birch and Davis, hereto appended for those
facts, which are not within our knowledge as TO
this point.
And, now we have answered the allegations of
| fact, word as to the motives which led TO our
election. They are equally misreprescnted, as We
have shown the facts to have BEEN
II is alleged that the motive was to rev.fsr
the principles on which this Society had uaitormly
acted, and to degrade enterprise sacred TO patriot
ism and humanity, into an instrument of party or
sect" That those who were in power on the 22d
February last could not submit because they
wonld be ief ~i,iIoat oAcuse by the proclaimed
hostility of the usurpers TO the principles or
which the trust was created, and has hith,r rto
been administered"
We will notice this last allegation first. Before
the late Board had taken any hostile attitude to.
wards us, the committee who wrote the letter to
Dougherty on the day of March, had agreed
on their report of plan of operations, from which
we make the following extract:
ITO inquire whether it will not be expedjent
to appoint an agent in the respective dstricts TO
WIlCH SuusCFIpIouS iTOH pcfbOnS not mG.lbClS OF
any council and request them to name suitable per.
sons for that purpose, so that all American citi-
may haveit in their power TO contribute 10 this
national object and that it may not be said of us
that under our control any American citizen was
debarred.'"
Before we made our first public address, an ad
dress which has been published In the dmerican
Organ, the National hnteliigenccr, and other pa.
Pers; and when, after long silence and inaction
by our accusers. we hoped aud believed vvntru.
troverses at an end, we had agreed employ our
force to invoke the aid of every mau everywhere
to assist in this work. which they describe "as sacred
to humanity and to patriotism And before the pub.
ication Of their assault us that address was before
them, In which we call upon every man everywhere
to contribute his aid and to devise measures by
which it shall bo remtted to us without expense.
These facts utterly disprove the allegation, and
show that our accusers knew they were not true
when they made them. We leave the motive
which prompted the accusation to the intelligent
reader
this revolution was brought about by the American
party to reverse the principles on which this Sc.
ciety had uniformly acted, and TO degrde an entei
prise sacred to patriotism and TO humanity into an
instrument Of party or sect, will require rather
more detail We do not Of course, pretend 10
speak for each Of the 755 voters by whom we were
elected, but we have reason to believe the same
general view operated with them all, and for them
we deny the allegation.
| This Society was founded, and until the last
summer had uniformity acted on the principle
Of erecting a Monument by voluntary contribu.
tons from all who would give, but especially by tho
people of the United States. Some time in the
| summer Of 1854, but at what precise period We
have, after digent search been unable 20 discover
as there is no entry Of II In the Journal a memo
rial was prepared, by whom or by what authority
does not appear in which our accusers, AZ your
representatives, among othcS things, say to Con.
gress
That your memorialsts and their predeces.
sors, elected managers Of the Association have
gratuitoty give,, their services at great personal
sacrifices 10 The proaotion Of its objects; that they
have been enabled 10 raise the proposed Monument
to the height Of 56 feet; that 1874 feet remain vet
| to be erected; that The funds of The Association
are entirely exhausted, and all recent Efforts on Lc
part Of your memoridiits 10 obtain means for
compieting de ~ork hare provod dboytive, and that
| your memorialists are unable 10 devise ann pkou
more likely 10 succeed"
| The principle on which they had unforml,
acted was thereby abandoned, and they asked fof
| Legislative aid. If it was not designedly kept
secret, Il was not generally known for a long time.
This Is not all. Rumor began to spread that thu
Society was bankrupt. Men we're led 10 inquirc
the cause. The whole country had paid tribute,
| and yet the work was not more than one.sixtl
done. And 1t became currently reported, and
widely believed that the causes were the total in.
efficiency Of some the carelessness of others, and
the want Of all proper supervision Of the expendi
lures by those who bad charge of the work; the
supne and almost blind confidence rcposed In one
Of their Board only, and giving him almost the ex
elusive direction from the laying Of the foundation
forward; the vast expenses Of collections and the
want Of just and proper system Of accountability
and thus the enormous sums which had been col.
lccted had been wasted. To these complaints were
added Others, to the effect that the Society bad
been employed for the benefit of one of the great
parties that divided the country, to the exclusion
OF the other, and that nativeborn citizen could
obtain employment there, when foreigner could
be found to fill the place
We do notaver the truth of any of these alI,.
gatons--we state them as in part leading TO this
change II there was any reasonable foundation
for them 1t is evident that partial change in the
administration would have done any good, while
il would have been held up invidious and unjust
The memorial known to be pending before Con-
gross had not been acted on. There was no pros.
lnh . sba, Al. "a