The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-14
cry INTELLIGENCE
J, J, ,soroN MoNUMENT ASSOCIATION.

.,,o,,oad meeting OF the Board Of Directors OF the
~ a'9,o,, Monument Association was held at the
Myors Office last evening the object Oh "non was 10
DA''s rsnort from a committee which had been APP
,ntad 10 take into consideration communication pro-
.d at the last meeting from certain members OF the
INA hoard setting forth their claims to the position OF
managers of the association
p~asont Mssrs Kirk, Fitzpatrick, Champion, Moore,
poo.e DIR Blake DR. Jones, and Mr. Ennis
On motion, Dr. Blake took the chair Mr. Ennis, on
M o,t o tho committee above mentioned, read the fol-
lowing report
rp,o n,esept board of managers of the Washington
,,nnmsnt Society have given to the written statement
submitted by the gentlemen composing inc 'oiu poau
examination TO which that paper IL entitled
VIZ on accont of the highly respectable source whence
=, than from the calm and concilatory tone In
,;a n arpues the questions therein presented to the
consideration of this board.
Sincerely reciproeatng tho kindly sentiments, so lar
thv nave personal bearing, which characterize that
nnsr and witnessing with admiration the deep interest
which Il still manifested by its authors In the success OF
Inc great enterprise with which the names OF some OF
them have been for many years honoraoy associated
tis board regrets cncountering in the statement submit
tad Inv them any proposition sentiment to which It
cannot Weld its free and cordial assent
This board does not seek any unfriendly controversy
On the contrary, ii Ia the desire OF every member 10
avoid It. They in with the people OF this CITY,
and indeed of the entire country, viewed with indgna
lion the partisan proceedings in the year 1855 by which
The sold board was busted from their position as man
ayers of the society BY this rash and inconsdeatc act
the completion Of great national work, originating IN
nurly patriotic feelings and calculated to adom city
and confer undug honor upon the whole people of our
common country, has been seriously delayed and its sue
cess in degree eoparded In reference to these pro-
cengs the wishes of the members of this board were
IN accord with those of the gentlemen who were 30 I'M
tremendously deprived Of trust which they had admin
ered with high credit to themselves and greatly to the
advantage OF the enterprise which had been intrusted to
their sipcrintendcnce We approved of their course in
resisting this revolutionary proceeding and if our sym
nahies could have determined the controversy In their
favor they would achieved easy victory tho
intriders who disregardng proper discrimination as
to the legitimate objects Of party warfare eynccd dis
position to pervcrt most cred enterprise to the lowest
Of poitica purposes Entertaining these views then,
and giving candid expression to them now wo cannot
be suspected Of unrendy object in rcmarking, In the
language of dissent upon some Of the points presented
in the paper before us.
This board may justly take exception to SO much of
that paper implies that have usurpcd positions
which were not vacant at the time of our selection
mana ersan assumption resting merely upon technical
grounds which might be successfully rctoted upon the
gentlemen themselves, who however faithfully in other
respects they have administered the trust originally
Gded TO them have in conormed to that partcu
LAT provision Of tho constitution, upon which they base
their present claim, cnoinng election of officers IN
every third year. at the anniversary meeting on the I'D
Of February, AT no such meeting since 1885 has an
election ever taken place. In the year 1888 there
no election Again. in 1871 there no election, but
II was held the Gath Of March ensuing In 1914 there
was election, but it held fourteen months after
wards ION the Goth Of April, 1887 and the journal
states that the officers then elected were to serve from
the 22d of February, lS45 In ls47 another regular
trienna period, 1t again happened that there no
election In lS40 an election was held, which ought to
have taken place in 1850 In 1850 and 1853 two other
regular triennial periods, no elections were held nor Is
- Hall,
meetings appointed for these years And in 1855 the
surprise election took place by which the late know
nothing board obtained control of the affairs Of the
cicty.
1t will thus DO perceived that the only ground upon
which the .'old board claim legitimacy is by
Of the election Of 1885 There having been since that
year election at either o. the triennial periods named
in the constitution, that board held from term to
term under the clause of the constitution which provides
that a officers shall continue in office until others shall
he elected, and they enabled to keep their board
lawfully filled by virtue of the clause which authorized
them to fill 'a vacancies occurring in their body
until the next trennia election" There having been
no ennia election and the two elections at other pc
Rods having been Illegal the members of that board
consttutonaly in office the ed of February, 1885,
when one year before the expiration of the seventh term
for which they were entitled to hold over, they
ircguarly superseded by the connivancc of their
clerk who, with his aders and abettos mised probably
by the irregular periods OF the Immediately preceding
elections made mistake to the proper year in which
10 choose Officers And hence the justification of the
"od board in resisting the revolutionary proceeding by
which they were then unlawfully ousted.
But however well founded we may admit the claim
Of the old board to have been in 1855 il does not follow
that it is equally substantial in 1858 During the inter-
val time and circumstances have very materially modified
that claim. In the former year these gentlemen after
having publicly and eoquently prottsied against tho
usnrpaon of the board then ireguaiiy chosen arpar
entity abandoned their trust leaving tho usurping board
IN possession OF the books and property Of the society
and at the ensuing regular period for election in 1856
thoy do not appear to have made effort to claim their
authority, 80 also, the 22d Of February, 1858, at
uS expiration of the time for which the usurpng board
caiined 10 have been elected, and when that board
tay abdcated the gentlemen of the old board by their
absence from the meeting seemed to cvnce like indf
ference to the of the society and took palms,
ecr directly or indirectly to afford to its members any
indication OF willingness to resume their former posi-
lions During the greater part Of the long interval from
1900 70 1888 the work the monument and the Of
iorS IN its behalf were entirely suspended Under
the dcsoatng influences of the usurping board only
or tcet had been added to its height and decay and
run were last blighting the noble work which had at
uacted 30 much of the active sympathy Of our fellow
cnehs. The beautiful and expensive engine and appa-
a 80 well adapted for raising stone to the top of the
monument was deeply enerusted with rust The build
ng IN which was placed open all Sides and tho
eGnefy within exposed not only to the rain, but to
e oehse logs which sometimes hover that section
VI our CITY The temporary roof the top of the
eh' was III leaky condition. whilst around the base
oaya'ions had been made by the washings of the rain
'h cu strangers, unacquainted with the depth and
ss OF the foundation TO suppose it in danger of be-
iie seriously impaired But moro notifying than all
was 'he spectacle presented in the shed where were de-
p"a,ed tho well-wrought and beautfuIy-ornamcnted
DUCKS o. marble. contributed by corporations societies
anu individuals rs patriotic offerings to the memory Of
INC rather OF bis Country. All Of them wero exposed
W the weather. and some OF them Undecided several