The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-09
WEDNESDAY, MARCH Q, 1870.
TIE LEGiSLATURE AND THE MU-
NICIPAL BUILDINGS.

H u
The lower branch of the State Legislature
yesterday resolved, by the decisive vote of
81 yeas to nays, that no more public build
ings shall be erected on Independence Square,
and we hope that this wise, Just, and neces-
sary resolution will speedily be approved by
the Senate. A large majority of the citizens
of Philadelphia, and every disinterested
Pennsylvanian residing beyond the limits of
the city, viii heartily approve this action.
Those who wish to cover Independence
Square, forever, with municipal buildings
may imagine that veneration is an obsolete
virtue, and they may affect to ridicule the
attempts to preserve the birthplace
of American liberty from perpetual desecrd-
ton as too absurd for their serious notice.
Their philosophic legislative ally, Mr. Elliott
may be "grieved to find that the American
eagle has been loosened, and he may account
at his leisure to his constituents for his de-
claration that, ''if there was any sanctity
about the hall there was certainly none about
tho square" Even the opponents of the OBJ
noxious project may readily confess that the
present associations surrounding Indepen-
dence Hall are of degrading character, and
difference even the room where the immortal
fifty-six pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honors, by seeing it made
the perpetual background of knot of huck-
STEERING politicians, and by having it fianked on
one side by the headquarters of a force de-
voted to the arrest of cri minals and on the
other by courts where the enemies of society
are judicially arraigned. But these associa-
tions have been popularity regarded as a tenn
porary rather than o permanent evil. Every
patriotic heart has looked forward confidently
to the period when they were to be removed
for ever. Although it is discreditable to the
city that they have been perpetuated to this
time, even that fact has not destroyed, in
millions of bosoms, feeling of profound
venerstion for the spot which, of all others
on the globe, is most sacred to the lovers of
human liberty, and it is an insult to
Philadelphians to pretend that they are
dead to the sentiment which SO universally
prevails among all other citizens of the United
States. On several occasions when de-
structive fires occurred on blocks contiguous
to- Independence Square, no man who re-
members how the fremeL surpassed them
selves by the courageous daring of their eff
forts to shield Independence Hall from the
devouring flames will dare to tell them that
they are indifferent to its destiny and its fu.
ture surroundings. Other cities have reli-
giously preserved for thousands of years the
sanotity of places which have not a tithe
of the intrinsic Importance legitimstely
connected with Independence Square, and
as the centuries rolled on the jealous care
with which such spots was guarded increased
rather than diminished. So, too, should il
be here. The subject is not one on which
we should haggle. If We care SO little for the
birthplace of freedom that we are willing to
formally proclaim degrading estimate of il
to the world Gas we certainly would do by
covering all the adjacent space with expen
sive edilces), we may as well tear it down
stone by stone, and let it be transported tc
some other city whore it would command
municipal respect. If the newspaper writers
and legislative orators who sneer at the idet
of the sanctity of the square wish to tes
public sentiment, let them carry the spiri
they display to its logical conclusion by advo
eating such a removal. They will ther
speedily discover what answer the people havl
in reserve for their fayorite proposition.