Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-10-21
lF'roIn the Montpelier Journal
An Interesting Document.

Nerefer to the fol lowing communication
to Gov. Page, by John \. Pomeroy of Bur-
lington. In 1865, the State appropriated
two thousand dollars for monument to
Ethan Allen to be erected in the Gene
terry of that city. The money was Of
course expended and beautiful Tuscan
monument commentaries the virtues OF
the old hero. In 1857, the Legislature Of
Vermont authorized the committee to pro-
cure a statue of Ethan Allen and place it
on the monument, without expense To the
State. The act was of course resulflcss,
because it contained no appropriation,
The people Of the State were appealed to
to beautify the monument with Il statue,
and gave for that purpose seven hundred
dollars, which, with the interest. now in
the hands Of the committee, amounts 10
nearly sixteen hundred dollars In 1889
the Legislature procured a statue of Allen,
to adorn. az 1t most appropriately does,
the portioa Of the Capitol. NV, Mr..
Pomeroy. with sixteen hundred dollars IN
his pocket # the peoples money. prop
| TO the State to give him outright its Own
statue of the hero, and ravish from the
halls of the temple that is trod by the feet
J. of living men, this illustrious memorial %
ancient greatucae, in order To decorate
with it the Tuscan Monument Of Green
Mount Cemetery. We think the halls Of
legislation are quite as well deserving Of
decoration at the expense Of tie State rs
the cemetery Of Burlington, especially
when the honorable committee residing in
that city have got in tboir pockets funds
On the whole, we think this report
about as refreshing a piece of impu-
dence as we have ever known.
And if the Legislature shoald see fit 10
comply with this extraordinary petition,
which aims to gain by iudirccti Ii Hhar
it could not ret fairly nj the outset. We
trust they will also send down 10 Bur
liu9ton the gQldeA Statue that surmouuts
the dome OF the State House, To H. put or
the American Hotel or any other Y 'c,
tho committee may designate, aud also
give to the members of the mmJttte tht
br NE figures that are in the vcstbue ol
the hall of the House 10 alorn taar par
lors, and appropriate whatever Il nccGs-
sary to defray the cost Of tralsP 9rtation.
IL his E.reelenry, joins e phGE. G0rer-
mar IF Ier0so,t:
The committee, George i. Mir-h and
john y. Polhery, 70 whom was entrusted
the erection OF The monument IL the meru-
DRY OF Ethan Allen in Green Mount
Cemetery in Burlng ton, consisting ~ 4
Tuscan column Of granite, forty-two feet
in height and who were authorized by
an act of the Legislature, approved No
vembrr oh, 1897, to procure 70 Ia plrced
upon said monument heroic Statue. III
granite or marble, Of that Distinguished
patriot. without expense to the State ;;
would respectfully rel ort, that und"r tho
authority OF said act, they CORES bonded
with various artists as 10 the terms upon
which they would execute tho work,
and their design for the same. The com
mittee decided in favor of Mr. Lnrkiu q
Mead, Jr., then young and promising
artist OF Brattleb3ro. and under their
auspices and encouragement, Mr.. Mead
constructed model OF the statue and in
October, 1863, the committee made an
official visit to Brattlebor1. for the pur-
pose Of inspecting the model, which, after
such inspection, they approved aud adopt
ed and Mr. Mead was authorized To aid
in obtaining contributions for the statue,
and to proceed with its construction as
soon the receipts would warrant it.
The mode adopted for raising the ne
cessary funds was unsuccessful, being an
appeal to Velmonters alone for eontri-
button Of one dollar each). and resulted in
the net receipt of less than seven hundred
dollars. The subsequent delay in the
prosecution of the undertaking WAS chief
ly owing to refusal of the Legislature
in October, 1858, to pass the bill appro-
priating one thousand dollars in aid of
the committee, and the distracting effect
of the act of the Legislature of October,
1859, appropriating the sum of two thous-
a nd dol lars for a lilo Stat r,o fff ha
distinguished patriot to be located at
Montpelier-and the subsequent adoption
of the artist and model, already selected
by the committee, and the appropriation
of the marble block, valued at some hun
dreds of dollars, which had been gener-
ously profered to carry ont the design of
the committee. This act of the Legisla-
ture was in the nature Of saperce1eds to
the action of the committee, as it could
hardly be supposed that the State was
about to erect, or cause to be erected, sim
ultaneously, two statues to one Allen
particularly, when on the same distin-
gnished roll, thus unhonored, there stood
prominently the names of another Allen,
u Chittenden and Warner.
The course of the committee has been
modified, in view of such a contingency
and this, with the then unextinguished
excitement of the public on the subject of
the removal of the State House, and the
almost total absorption of all other iater-
ests by our civil war, will furnish the ad-
ditional motives and reasons for the pro-
longed delay in the execution of their
commission. But it has not been without
its good results: local prejudices, and
jealousies, it il believed, are allayed, and
. better state Of feeling exists. The sum
Of nix hundred and forty.two dollars and