New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-03-20
vrw-voRK DAILY TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 90 1861

absolutely in his own control Any one who has
listened to a debate in Congress on the subject
of the Fine Arts will easily understand how these
monstrous abuses Of the power Of spending tie
public money are brought about, and it may be
that he will lose all hope of ever seeing better
state of things. But it must be that some day
there will be a reform. and we are bound to
keep the matter before the public until Congress
shall think it worth its while to listen to reason
Winnie Ream and Powell and Leutze are
blunders it is now too late to hope to mend;
but in the case of Mr.. Bierstadt we may hope
it is not too late. Just how Congress ought to
go to work to get the landscapes it has set Its
mind on, we do not pretend to say, other than
that it should he a way by which our dozen OF
good landscape painters should have an equal
chance with Mr.. Bierstadt, and the public an
opportunity to show its approval or disapproyai
of the proposed pictures before they are finally
accepted.
If this were the place to do it, we would ex-
press our conviction, founded, we believe, on
sufficient grounds, that there is 10 reason for
selecting Mr. Bierstadt for this important COM
mission in preference to all other American ar
fists. But. in truth, the point is not at all
painter, but whether Congress has right to
give any one man commission TO pant TWO
pictures for the Capitol. We affirm that it has
no moral right to do so, and that it is high time
a different method were adopted Tor dealing
with artists, and procuring works OF art tor the
Capitol. We shall say nothing here as to the
way in which artists degrade themselves and
their profession by taking up Wmter-quarters
at Washington and striving by persistent l0D-
bying to force their wares Oh Congress. But, IL
IKE artists are not above this sort OF thing,
then Congress ought to protect us and itself
against them, and establish system which
will mt an end to the abuse. We do not ask
it to adopt any pet plan OF our own; Dut we
do ask it not to throw away our money, ana
to deal with the great body OF American ar
fists with some show of justice and respect
If n competition shall seem best to it, we
shall not complain, only asking that it be man
aged fairly and that the people be given a
chance to get some notion beforehand OF what
its money is to go for. Or, if it shall seem
wisest to give, each year, a commission to some
one artist whose reputation is national, why,
that also is a good plan and if the choice
were deliberately made, and on good grounds,
there would doubtless be sufficiently respect
able amount of painted canvas as final result
But it ought to be made perpetual
bar to his nomination, that any
artist should have lobbied for the job, or tried
to secure the prize by buttOnhOling members,
writing them cajoling letters, or offering to go
snacks with them when the booty is once in
hand AS things are at present, the rights OF
modest and self-respecting artists, OF men who
are too proud to play the beggar and sue Con-
gress for favors, but who stay at home and sell
their pictures in the usual way-the rights of
these men, and our rights in them, are sacri-
feed yearly to fill the pockets of painters who
have crowded the Rotunda with their pictures
painted on speculation, and who cry, night and
day, like the horse-leech's daughters, " Give !
"Qiyew