Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-03-01
National Monument.

National Monument.
We find in the National Lntelligencsr of
yesterday, the report of committee of Con-
gress to whom was referred the memorial of
the late Board Of Managers, representing the
condition Of the Monument, and the abortive
attempts made by the managers to obtain
means for completing the work We copy
therefrom the following:
uThe Select Committee of Thirteen, TO which
was referred the memorial Of the Board of Mama
gers of the Washington National Monument Soce-
ty, beg leave to report
"That this memorial states that In the year
1888 an association of individuals was formed in
this city for the purpose Of raising funds, by APP
peals to the patriotism Of the people, for the
tion Of monument in the national metropolis to
to the memory Of the Father Of his Country.
"That your memorialists and their predecessors,
elected managers Of the Association, have gratut-
ously given their services at great personal sacr
Rce, to the promotion Of its objects that they
have been enabled to raise the proposed monument
to the height of ITO feet that BAT feet remain vet
to be erected; that the funds of the Association
are entirely exhausted, and all recent efforts
on the part Of your memoriasts to obtain means
for completing the work have proven abortive /;
and that your memoriasts are unable to devise
any plan more likely to succeed.
"Under these circumstances, they feel 1t to be
their duty to bring to the notice Of the Represent
atves Of the States and people Of the Union these
facts, in order that such action may be had on
them as to the assembled wisdom and patriotism
of the nation may seem meet.
"ARcH. HENDERSON, First Vice President.
ELISHA WHITTLEsEY, General Agent.
JOIN CARROLL BRENT, Secretary"
Here is truthful representation, officially
made, by the old Board, that their funds are
exhausted---tha their efforts to raise means
have proved abortive, and that I" they are una
bic to devise any plan more likely to succeed"
The old Board represent that they have
gratuitously given their services, at great per-
sonal sacrifice, to tho promotion Of the objects
for which the Society was formed. This is all
doubtless true No one disputes these official
declarations of the old Board Of Managers. No
one doubts that their funds are exhausted"
that their efforts have proved abortive," and
that they cannot devise any plan more likely
to succeed They say this, and subscibe their
names to the declaration, and the truth Of their
statement, thus made and subscribed, is ad-
mitted.
These gentlemen were the agents Of a pri-
vate association, called the Washington Nation
nl Monument Society Their inability to carry
into effect the objects of this society is volun-
tarily and, truthfully proclaimed to the country,
by their memorial to Congress. Now, what
was to be done?
Had these gentlemen been the agents Of
,,{,ro.d coynnany-of a canal comnopu-of n
banking company, or Of private individual, en-
gagged in an important undertaking, and had they
made these solemn declarations, that they had
exhausted all the funds which had been provi-
ded-that their efforts to raise more funds were
abortive-and that they could devise no plan
likely to succeed, what would have been the
response Of their employers, their principals
The answer would have been that given by
the Society on the 22d instant. Then zoe pill
employ other agents to fH your places! And
in the cases above alphabetically stated, what
should have been the reply Of the agentsf 1t
should have been this, We uillingly gipe place
to those Whom yoa may select to succeed us.
Why was not that reply given by the old
Boardf 1t pas given by General Henderson,
and by Colonel Force, who themselves aided
by their votes in the selection Of the new Board
Why did not the other members give the same
replyi Why, they doubt tho legality Of the
slectioni And why' Because the election
was not held at the end Of triennial terms,
counting from 1885. Unfortunately for this
pretext, there has been no election held since
lS4l, at the end Of any such term-net one I
The old Board, who now assume this ground Of
opposition, were themselves elected in 1S49,
solemnly declaring, by an entry then made in
their records, that such election was made in
conformity with the constitution And, yet,
l849 was not the proper time for such an cleo
ton, according to their present pretext
We challenge the defenders Of the prcten-
sions Of the old Board, to present the facts
and points to the consideration Of an enlight-
sned community, on which they now lay claim
TO the management Of tho Washington Monu-
ment We challenge them to publish the pro-
ceedings Of the Society from its beginning to
the present day, and thus maintain their CLAN
to the possession and control of the affairs Of
this Society. Give the public light on this
subject
We stated in our issue Of Tuesday, all the
important facts, as shown by the records,
touching the elections which have hitherto
TRANSFERRED, we ask their defender, the Epen-
ing Star to give us facts, dates, points, ana
reasons for its most important declaration OF
faith, in the legal right Of the old Board to
control the Monument and tho affairs Of the
Society
We say TO our friends both here and abroad,
that the late Board Of Managers have no more
right to retain the control Of tho Monument,
than Willard Fillmore had, to hold on to the
Presidency, after the 4th day of March, 1853.
If"migh makes right" and IL they have the
might, they may retain the control Of the az
fairs Of the Society. There is neither law nor
equity, justice nor propriety, on their side
But eui bono should they seek to retain the