Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-05-29
EVENING STAR,
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WASHING.
TON NATIONAL MONUMENT SOCIETY
THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES

IO INK II s0bEkS Of THE WASHING
TO9 NATIONAL MONUMENT SOCIETY
THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.
1t has become the dutyof the Board of
Managers to inform you of the causes
which disturb the discharge of the trust
confided to them. -sa-.
This society was established in the
city of Washington in the year 1888, for
the purpose, as stated in its constitution,
of erecting "a great National Monument
to the memory Of Washington at the seat
of the Federal Government. For this
object, the managers and their successors.
chosen under that constitution, solicited
and obtained funds from individuals. as
sociations, and public bodies in every
part of the Union, without distinction OF
party, or of creed accepted offered con
tributions from Indian tribes, and blocks
of marble, with suitable inscriptions.
from countries in the old world and OBJ
tanned from Congress authority to build
the monument on land belonging to the
nation, at its metropolis. Their labors
have been so far successful that, there,
on the fourth of July, 1S48, in the pres
ence of the representatives of the people
and the States, and Of an assembled mul-
tltude, the corner stone Of the monument
was laid. The work, thus auspiciously
commenced, has been diligently prosec1-
ted and at the close of the last season,
the collections had amounted to two
hundred and thirty thousand dollars, and
the shaft of the monument had reached
the height of one hundred and seventy
feet. During the past summer the man.
ayers felt it to be their duty to invoke the
attention of Congress to the history and
prospects of this pious work. Their me.
mortal was referred by the House of Re.
preSentatives to select committee, of
which the Hon. Henry May, of Maryland,
was chairman. This committee, after a
careful examination Of the subject, made
a report on the 22d of February last, en-
phatically approving the conduct of the
managers, and recommending that the
sum of two hundred thousand dollars
should be subscribed by Congyias on be-
half of the people of the United States to
aid the funds of the society,"" The re
commendation was understood to have
been acceptable to the House: but action
on it was interrupted by plot, secretly
contrived, and suddenly disclosed, to re-
verse the principles on which the society
bad uniformly acted, and to degrade an
enterprise, sacred to patriotism and hu-
manity, into al instrument of party or
sect. On the very day on which the Sc
lect committee made their auspicious re-
commendation to the House of Represen-
tatives, crowd of persons assembled at
the City Hall, and there voted for seven.
teen individuals, named in printed tic
ket, to be officers and managers of this
society. The only previous announce.
ment of this proceeding, was a notice
signed IF. W. Eekloff, Clerk W. N. NJ.
Society,"" and published on the evening
of the 2lst of February, in the "Ameri-
can Organ" and the " Evening Star, and
on the morning Of the 22d in the National
Intellgepcer. On the oath of February,
in the last named paper, the result of the
election was proclaimed in the following
publication:
WASHINGTON n. M. OFFICE,
February 70, 1855. (
The Washington National Monument So
cis'y met, according to the constitution Of said
society and to notices published in The raws-
papers Of this city, at their Office on the 22d OF
February, 1855, to elect the officers Of said go.
ciety, and to choose thirteen members, who
with the officers, constitute board of mana
gers. After being orgsnized the society re.
paired to tie council chamber and proceeded
TO ballot Mcssrs. z. A. Tucker, ID. A. Gard
ner, Charles Myers, Jackson EdmuRdsOn, John
ID Thompson, and John z. White acting as
tellsfs, VINO announced the following as the
result:
Whole number Of votes east 755, OF which
Fespasian Ellie, First Vice Presidsrr. re
ceiyed 754