The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-06-26
THE WASHINGTON MONumENT.
Its History from its inception to tn,
Present Time.

Present Time.
Everybody has heard and read about |
the Washington monument, and all Wis |
itors to the national capitol have seen
the unsightly and half completed struct-
ure, yet many are ignorant of its history,
more than that it was designed as a mon
ument to the memory of Washington and
the design never carried out.
The project of erecting a monument
to General Washington is older than
the government itself. In August, 1888,
| the continental congress resolved that
an equestrian statue of the successful
| commander should be erected g at the
place where the residence of congress
| shall be established" but nothing more
was ever done in the matter. Washing
ton died on the 18th of December, 1899,
and ten days afterward congress ordered
"that a marble monument be erected
by the United States at the city of
| Washington, and that the family of
| General Washington be requested to
permit his body to be deposited under
it. The permission was promptly
and cheerfulIy accorded by the widow,
but everybody knows that the monu-
ment was never erected, and that the re-
mains of Washington still rest at Mount
| Vernon. An attempt was made in 1900
|
to secure an appropriation for the mon
Ument, but it failed, and in 1901 bill
appropriating $4,000 which passed
the house, did not secure the sanction
of the senate. After that, no further
effort seems to have been made to full
fill the intention declared by the gov
ernment In the resolution passed by
congress.
After a lapse of more than thirty
years, the monument was again brought
to public attention by the voluntary ac-
ton of the people, entirely independent
of their representatives in congress.
The Washington monument society was
founded in 1888, with Chief Justice
Marshall as president, and it appealed
to the whole people for the funds nee
essary to undertake the work. The
original plan was to give everybody an
opportunity to contribute, and the
amount to be received from any one
person was to be limited to a dollar. In
three years $2S, 001 had been collected,
but the financial collapse in 1887 then
caused the temporary abandonment of
the enterprise. In 1916, however, it was
again undertaken by the society, and at
the end of two years the amount receiv-
ed had increased to $87, 900, which was
deemed sufficient to warrant the COM
mencement of the monument. The work
was authorized, and site coded by a
resolution of congress, passed January
81, 1913. a month later the national
monumental society was incorporated,
, and the grant of a reservation of thirty
acres for the site was confirmed. Work
: was then begun, and on the 4th of July,
1913, the corner stone was laid with i'm
pressive ceremonies. For six years the
undertaking was pushed with reasona-
bic vIgor, the Obelisk in that time being
raised to height of 10 feet. But the
funds OF the society, amounting to $780,
900, were by that time exhausted.
It was in 1854, or Just twenty
years ago, that the Iplan of building a
monument by popular subscription
proved total failure. The society hay
ing tried in vain to raise more money.
finally presented a memorial to congress,
l on which a report was made by spec.
: ial committee, February %, 1855, re-
| commencing an appropriation of $780,.
: 600 to complete the structure. It is
probable that the appropriation would
, have been made, and the monument
long ago completed, had not troubles
} arisen Just at this time within the soci
r ETY., which resulted in a change of man
agement. These troubles were finally
| arranged by the granting of a new char
{ ter, but public confidence in the society
seems to have been shaken by these
events. Since 1854 it has been able tc
? add only four feet to the unfinished
/ shaft; but, although it has been mani
2 fest for twenty years that the society
would never be able to finish the mon
| ument, congress has not yet taken i
in hand and made it a national under
: taking