Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-06-21
More Monumental Folly.

4 movement is OH foot in Washing
ton to induce Congressional appro-
priation of one hundred thousand dol
lars to be expended in marble or bronze
commemoration of CHASE, GREELEY,
SEWARD and SUMNER. The fact that
these four men were the pioneers in
the anti-slavery movement is urged
as reason why their memory should
be thus perpetuated. We do not in
dorse the proposition. While we are
willing to acknowledge the abolition
of slavery as one of the greatest acts of
the nineteenth century, we are not so
ready to indorse the means by which
the end was attained Had the step
been accomplished at lesser cost in
money and with lesser sacrifice of
blood and happiness, we should have
been one of the most enthusiastic adj
vocates of statues, monuments and
other commemorative signs in perpet-
uation of the memory of the great
anti-slavery pioneers. But the re-
moval of the stain upon our National
honor has not been accomplished with
out pain and expense. The blemish
has gone, but it has left an ugly scar
a scar that will last and be pointed out
after marble statues have crumbled to
| dust. We need no statues to perpetu-
ate the memory of the pioneers in the
anti-slavery movement, nor of those
who broke the chains of bondage and
babe the human slave stand forth a
free man. Their memory lives in the
heart of the Nation, and will be remem-
bered so long as the stars and stripes are
recognized as the emblem of free
thought and the banner of a free people.
One of these same men whose memory
we are asked to write in bronze and
chisel in marble, often stood up in his
place on the Senate floor in opposition
to measures designed to perpetuate the
memory of the rebellion. Were he
living to-day, no man would more
earnestly and eloquently oppose the
purpose of this appropriation than
CHARLES SUMNER. Could the silent
pen of HORACE GREELEY again feel
the animation of the past, it would
write, LET my works be my monu-
ment." SALMON P. CHASE and WILL
LIAM H. SEWARD would add their pro-
test, and appeal to that of their great
co-workers. Not one of the four would
ask other incentives to memory than
those they have written on the pages
OF their Nations history. Let us have
none of this statue monument bust
ness. We need our money for other
purposes. Let us pay our debts, and
indulge in bronze and marble after.
Let us remove the bond and greenback
monuments of the rebellion before we
build others of marble. Let us appro-
pirate money for the education and
support of the widows and orphans and
the manned and the helpless who
daily remind us of the sacrifice we
have made, that ours might be free
people in fact as we'll as in name.
When these signs have passed away;
when the widows weeds are no longer
seen; when the orphans appeal is no
longer heard; when there are no more
empty sleeves and no more soldiers of
the rebellion; when the National debt
has ceased to exist, and when taxes
have been reduced to the level of yore;
when the devastated territory again
blooms and the harvest is abundance;
when the plowshare no longer turns
up mementoes of the rebellious strife;
when all these signs and monuments
of the dark and bloody storm which
swept slavery from the land have
passed away, and we are once more
united, prosperous and happy people,
then we may, if so inclined, cast
bronze and chisel marble images of
civil and military heroes; but until
that day arrives let us remember the
dead by being just to the living.