The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-12-17

WAsHINGTos, Dec 2, '63.
The colossal statue of Freedom" in
bronze. by Clark Mills, modelled by Craw-
ford, is to-day set up in the great tholus
surrounding the dome of the capitol.
During more than two years of our
struggle, while the national cause seemed
weak, she has patiently waited and watch
ed below; now that victory crowns our
advasces, and the conspirators are hedged
in and vapquished everywhere, and the
bond are being freed, she comes forward
the cynosure of thousands of eyes, her
face turned rebukingly toward Virginia,
and the hand outetretched as if in guar
anty Of Nationul Unity and Personal Free
dom.
Perhaps the whole history Of that adj
mirable work of art is not generally known
AS | see, from my window, The crowd
gathered at the Capitol, and as the grand
salute in chorus from all the forts around
the city reaches my ears. it occurs to nae
to repeat couple of incidents for The
Tribune.
When the bronze castings were being
completed, at the foundry of Mr.. Mills,
near Bladensburg, his foreman, who had
superintended the work from the begin
ming, and who was receiving IS per day,
struck and demanded slo, assuring Mr..
NJ. that the advance mus. be granted 10
him, as nobody in America but himself.
could complete the work. Mr.. NJ felt
that the demand was exhor bilant, and apt
pealed 10 bis dilemma TO- the slaves who
we're assisting in the moulding. II can
do that well," said one of them, an intel
ligent and ingenious servant, who had
been intimately engaged in the various
processes. The striker was dismissed,
and the negro, assisted occasionally by the
fiaer skill OF his master, took the striker !
place as superintendent, and the work
went on. The black master-builder lifted
the ponderous uncoush masses, and bolt
ed them together, joint to joint, piece by
piece, till they blended into the majestic
Freedom who to-day lifts her head in
the blue clouds above Washington, in !
voking benediction on the imperiled
Republic
Was there prophecy in that moment
when the slave became the artist, and with
rare poetic justice, reconstructed the beau
tiful symbol of freedom for Americs
Another fact The original model Of
Crawford was crowned with the old LIB
eriy Cap"-loyed by our grandfathers
for its significance, but fallen into disre-
pute and disuse under the pro. slavery de.
bauchery Of the last twenty years. When
Mr.. Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of
War under Pierce, saw the model, he
said at once, "This will never do. We
Americans have patronized this absurd
Liberty Cap too long already. 1t was
the detestable head-gear adopted BY the
freed slaves Of Rome. Let us pu, it out
of our sight, And with Characteristic
bad taste, and a fondness for American
institutions for which he has not recently
been conspicuous, he ordered that the
classic helmet be dotted and that The god
dess be crowned, after the manner of our
North American Indians, with fantastic
headdress Of feathers So the Liberty
Cap of Crawford was knocked of, and
the barbarous device of JEFF. Davis mount
ed in It's place, consisting Of a limpsy
eagle skin, with a row of stiff quilts, ram
pant, running down the back from beak
to tail. lis related that wi hen the amend.
ed head was finished, and on exhibition
on the Rotunda, an Irishman, inspecting
1t, said to bis comrade, "Murther, Mike
what quare bird is this, wild his tail on
the top of his head?" As it stands TO-DAY.
though Mr.. Mills gave ali his talen. for
Its construction, land interpreted carefully
and faithfully The orders which he receiv-
ed, the head-dress is an utter nondcscript;
and our capitol is to wear sign of bar
barism for its very crown, because jeff.
Davis, worshipping slavery, despised the
significant and grand old cap Of Liber-
yt.'-lCor. N. Y. Trib.