Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-06-02
THE EVENING STAR.
a "REMINISCENCES OF JEFF DAVIS.

A REnIeIsCENCE OF JEFF DAVIS.
His O ELECTIONS to the Cap of Liberty
Crawford's Statue on the Dome OF the
Capitol at Washington.
ICorrespol dence N. Y. Evening Post
WASHINGTON, May 27-An Interesting cor
respondence in reference TO the statue of Liber-
~ on the dome Of the Capitol, has just come to
HIGHT here, through the instrnmentality OF Mr
BuiIcings and Lands. Mr.. Il. and other men,
hers of the committee were dissatisfied with the
helmet which crowned The statue, and a letter
was addressed to Mr. Walter, the architect OF
the Capitol extension, asking him If 1t were
possible to dlsplace the helmet and return 70
ET. Crawford's original design. Mr. wafer
IL opposed to any attempt at improvement now
that the statue lie fixed in Its place and MI
Crawford is dead He SUBMITS corIespoh,
depce between Capt Meigs and Mr.. Crawford
,erestine. There are letters, however, which
do not appear in this correspondence, and
vhich nm dou btedly have been lost. In those
Ietters Mr.. Davis objected to the Liberty cap
1855, Mr.. Crawford RENTED his first design.
He says: 81 have underworld to represent
Freedom triumphant in peace and war; the
wreath on her head has double signihcation
and allusion to thIs-one- half Of 1t being COM
posed of wheat sprigs, the other half Of laurel.
In October of the same year Mr.. Crawford
Wslter's plans for the architecture OF the
Capitol. In Mr.. Crawford's letter to Captain
Neiss during this month occurs the subjoined
singular passage:
ait is quite possible that Mr. Jefferson Davis
msy, as upon former occasion, object to the
cap of liberty and the faces. can only say
n reply that the work is for the people, and
they must be addressed in language they I'M
dersiand, and which has become unalterable
tor the masses.
"The emblems / allude to can never be re-
placed by any invention Of the artist; all that
can be done is to add to them, as have done,
by placing the circlet Of stars around the cap
OF liberty; II thus becomes more picturesque.
and nothing Of its generally understood sigpifi-
canoe il lost. might, did time permit, to enter
npon q lengthy argument to show how sculp.
ture Is limited In the use of accessories, and that
those only Of the simplest and most ineligible
character can be admitted. particularly IN
works destined for the instruction and graft
hcation of the public. All arguments, how
ever, must reduce themselves into the ques-
ton "Will the people understand it ~ I,
there fore, hope the Secretary will allow the
emblems to pass muster"
"I have said the statue represents armed
Liberty She rests upon the shield Of our.
country, the triumph Of which Is made appa-
rent by the wreath held in the same hand
which grasps the shield; in her right hand she
holds the sheathed sword, to show the fight is
over for the present, but ready for use when
ever required. The stars upon her brow indi.
cate her heavenly origin: her position upon the
globe represents her protection Of the American
parent by the emblems supporting ft'
I subloin Jefferson DAVIS letter to Captain
Heigs entire:
WAR DEPARTMENT,
"Washington, January Is, 1856.
"SIR: The second photograph of the statute
with which i. Is proposed to crown the dome
Of the Capitol impresses me most favorably.
Its general grace and power, striking at first
view, has grown on me as studied its details.
As to the cap, can only say, without in
tendiDg to press the objection formerly made,
that il seems to me that Its history renders it
Inappropriate to a people who were born free,
and would not be enslaved.
"The language of art, like all living tongues,
e subject to change; thus the bundle Of rods,
If no longer employed to suggest the functions
OF the Roman 1ctor, may lose the symbolic
character derived therefrom, and be confined
source, the fable teaching the instructive les
son that in union there is strength. But the
liberty cap has an established origin in its use
AS u badge Of the freed slave, and though it
should have another emblematic meaning to.
day. recurrence to that origin may give to 1t
In the future the same popular acceptation
which it had in the past.
"Why should not armed liberty wear he'll
neti Her conflict being over, her cause tri.
umphant, as shown by the other emblems of
me statue, the vizer would be up 50 as to per-
mt, as In the Photograph, the display Of
circle Of stars-expressive of endless existence
and of heavenly birth.
with these remarks I leave the matter to
the Judgment OF Mr. Crawford; and 1 need
hardly say to you. who know my very high
appreciation of him, that certainly would not
venture, on question Of art, to array my
opinions against his.
.Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"JfFFKRsoN DAVIS, Secretary of War"
Under date of March Is, 1856, Mr.. Crawford
writes:
II read with much pleasure the letter Of the
honorable Secretary, and his remarks hare in
dueed me to dispense NTH the cap and put in its
place helmet, the crest of which is composed
Of an eagles head and a bold arrangement Of
feathers, suggested by the costume of our In-
dian tribes
The dissatisfaction with this JEFF. Davis he'll
met and crest Of feathers is almost universal
here, and it is believed that in the course of a
few years Congress will return the "liberty
cap" in the original design of FIR. Crawford.