National Republican., 1874-06-05
WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
DELEGATE CHIPMAN ON THE UN-
FINISHED SHAFT

FULL AND SUBSTANTIAL REASONS VII
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD COMPLET
THE STRUCTURAL SHORT HISTORY o
PREVIOUS CONGRESSIONAL ACTION o.
THE SUBJECT.
In the House OF Representatives yesterda
Delegate N. p. Chapman made forcible' arg
ment in behalf Of the appropriation for IL
completion Of the Washington monument, Whic
was substantially ss follows:
Mr.. Chapman said: Mr.. Speaker. seventy-foU
years ago, on the 2Sd Of last December, the Coz
gress of the United States, in response to q IN
Tersal feeling throughout the nation, resolved I
erect o marble monument ut the capital, SO d.
signed as to commemorate the great events Of tn
military and political life Of George Washington
The whole people were in mourning for the los
OF the man who, by common consent was regarde'
as the Father Of his Country; the man Of whom
was said, without exciting the envy Of liTIni
soul, that he WAS "hrst IN war hrst IN peace an;
nrsl " the hearts OF his eounLrymen."
hen Congress resolved to commemorate IN
great events Of this mans life. they imposed
Solemn ~ Well 81 pleaEing duty upon all Wht
be performed. % AT At this distance Of time looking
back Along the path Of our history, and remem
beTing the Ticissitudes through which efforts u
my ACE toward that unfinished column, st andinl
with bowed head upon the banks OF the Potomac
/ wonder what great and stirring events mus
have intsrpoeed TO prevent the contamination o.
George Washington died on the 18th day Of De
'cen1ber, lTs9. No man who has ever lived Occu
pied larger space IN history, or had greater
and more sslutSTy influence upon the lives OF men.
Upon his death not only the whole American peo-
one Of the greatest and best Of earth. The Pres.
fdcnt, Mr.. Adams, announced the distressing event
to Congress in message, in which he speaks OF
long series Of services TO his country as having
rendered him illustrious throughout the world.
The letter which brought the sad intelligence to
to Congress. was written from Mount Vernon, De-
cember Is, BY Tobias Leaf, who was with Wash
iDgtCn in his last hours ThS letter % ststes Hi:
his life not groan nor complaint escaped him
IN extreme distress With perfect resignation,
and with full possession Of his reason he closed
After quoting from several letters written at the
time Of his death, highly eulogistic Of Washing
earnest men in Congress to secure appropriations
for the erection OF monument Of some Kind, Mr..
Chipman continued:
FOR FIFTEEN YEARS
the annals Of Congress do not show that graft
tude for the services Of Washington had an abId-
ing place in the hearts of the American people
and that such man had ever lived one
would doubt in perusinE these pages. Except
Once IN lsiO, upon the death Of his kfnsmen, COL
onel William Washington, 8 spasm Of patriotic
feeling seized upon member Of the House. and
he moved o resolution in honor Of ths deceased;
but this obullition Of feeling was quickly sup
pressed, and, lest the contagion might spread and
the memory be disturbed as to the buried monu
ment, the resolution was rejected; and afterward
when feeling Of compunction seized upon some
who had SO promptly suppressed the attempt to
revive any recollection Of Washington, an effort
was made to expupge the record so sighting to his
family. II was refused, and the record kept as o
warning to any who should hereafter attempt to
honor his name.
In lSI6 Mr. Hnuer who uas on tha oornt,,aa
IN lTs9, moved Joint committee TO inquire as to
how the act OF 1893 could be carried out. The
tsere SS nS 1I FS T seRTTt RIsa was ever made
ported favorably TO monument. In moving the
law Mr. Huger said his heart sank within him as
he recalled 70 mind the scenes he had once wit
messed, and in which he had personally acted a
part on the floor of that Congress, which repre-
sents the American nation, on the death of this
great man. He had often since thought with as
tonishment, and more than regret Of the apathy
Of the American people on this subject. The only
action taken is recorded IN the following CHASTITY
nitely postponed" And this first effort for fif
teen SSafs to redeem an early pledge died in the
SsatlS etnosPhYe Of indefinite postponement-
that npGs MSleh grew at the touch Of congress
sionsl iadiSersS5e, afathy, ana disloyGity to the
name qnd fams Of q nSS whose loss had once
moved not only the ARerlesd psople Rgt the whole
Is sSStraS s :IsPas ssPasS 10 PeEa geS
aH3 81 thS 20 WSoe FSaf it TSaTs tST
It tQQk ssaEe uuurr saS h nrhg geous shade of for
i .4ssa' ard ard died t6S FSSs si, Ssa,n e post
when Jaines Buchanan, Just in tho House fresh |
from the old Keystone State, made an abortive |
attempt to convince Congress that by neglecting |
the act ofIT95 ii had subjected itself to tho lmpu
''SR RR5S R5i{Sha' saismn ai TG toiS nEp V
Ri5e REnfoS at:. iag n RsffRs soad e. ahi
eject monument to his memory. That dIstIn- |
guIshed lady has long slumbered with him IN the |
grave, and this pledge has never been redeemed"
He continued:
at is difaeult to determine whether this neg |
Iect be more iDpolitic or ungrateful. Every wise
nation has paid hOnors to the memory of the men |
who have been the sayiours Of their country. |
Sculpture and painting have WED with each other
In Transmitting their images and the memory Of
their deeds to the remoteEt generations By these
means the holy 1re Of vtrtuous emulation has
been kirdled in the bosoms Of the youth Of sue
ceeding ages"
as the annals Of Congress show, he was tolerated
by the House in this flight OF fancy. On account |
OF bis youth and ineIperiencs be was not re-
minded that the subject OF his resolution had long
since been consigned to oblivion and had become
obsolete. II there was q member courageous
enough TO take him aside and congratulate him |
the record does not show it, but can Imagine the
EaTdonic smile which oTerspread the House as the
Of the future occupant OF " Gshington's
rSdL was Nlb1OUL
ORDERED TO LIE UPON THE TABLE"
I wish, Mr.. Speaker, I could find somewhere |
along this period bright sPotJ but as touching
this holy duty it is all the blackncss Of darkness
would close the book Of this Congress if I had |
not resolved to spread before you ali have found
On this Interesting subject.
At the sans session, Mr.. johnson moved in the
Senate TO purchase the equestrian portrait of
W Washington BY Rembrandt Peale, provided 1t
should cost no more than 5000. A similar mo
tion was made by Mr.. Buck in the House. These
propositions were consigned to the table gently
that they might not disturb the quiet repose Of
About the same time the House Committee on
Public Buildings and Grounds was instructed TO
inquire into the expectancy OF purchasing three
busts Of W Washington by Capellano. The commit
tee subsequently reported that
"RoUever laudable It may be in the Govern
nent TO cherish disposition friendly to the fine
arts and to pstroniZe ingenious artisans, or poll
Tie TO adoru our public halls libraries with the
ikenesfes Of departed sases and heroes, It is in
expedient TO purchase these busts at this time
under existing circumstances"
IAe brief record is that the report was con-
,urred in.
Mr.. Speaker, challenge the civilized world.
and WIll include the semi-barbarUus portion to
present specimen OF lOftieT contempt for the
Of the past, q moro heartless and
Iour years before with one voice. the nation voted
a monument to Washington, since which time no
action had been taken toward II. Tho monument
MAS again and again postponed; portrait was de-
cl!ned, and now three little busts could not lie
purchased under existing circumstances"
W hs; were the "eIisting circumstRnces," know
net, unless 1t be that Congress was composed Of
men hlled with personal ambitions, men absorbed
IN personal success, forgetful Of the past, in.
1iheront as to the future, and who lived in an
Atmosphere Of dead memories and unpatrIotIc and
selfish motives.
Washington and his great services had dis
appeared. The question had become one of
Of art, the embellishment Of our halls
and libraries, or the oommemoration Of our heroes
and sages generally. ] shall 70 no further for
proof that tho sO-called golden age of the Re-
public was an age Of Eordil and mean motives no
better than our own, and that the evidences Of
patriotic devotion TO the country and 10 the
Of our revolutionary struggle are four
old stronger and more sincere to-day than In the
days TO which We nre apt TO turn for high aspira-
lions and lofty Ihotives
In 1875 the House tabled o resolution to adjourn
over the I'D Of February in honor OF WashlnRton.
In 1892 an attempt 10 make some arrangements |
10 celebrate bis centennial birthday was dropped,
owing TO the refusal Of Mr. John A. Washington
2 permit the remains TO be removed from Mount
Vernon.
This Congress did. however agree to empIoy
J John Nalderlyn, Of New York. TO paint a ful[-
ength portrait Of Washington to be placed in the
Hail OF Representatives opposite the portrait OF
Latayett the head TO be copy Of Stuarts W ash
nRtoa, and $1,000 were appropriated.
This admirable painting is before You at the
light OF the Speaker, and hope before we refuse
% complete the unfinished monument that This
picture may be yeiled forever from the sight OF
nan. i could never, Mr.. Speaker, look toward
TCur desk with those eyes full upon me and SOL
mnly vote that our centenary may come and 20
Without removing the national disgrace uaiiy
Uttered by yonder
UNFINISHED SHAFT.
At the came session. also the statue now in the