National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-09-11
THE NATIONAL BANKS AND
GEORGE WASHINGTON.


ton National Monument Society, after a
long and solemn consultation, hit upon the
idea that if they could only interest the
national banks in the work of completing
the monument to the Father of his Country,
the Iong-neglected shaft would soon rise in
all its majesty and stateliness along the
Potomac banks, a thing of beauty and a
joy forever. Accordingly. Mr.. J. Carroll
Brent, the devoted, enthusiastic secretary
of the association, who for nearly half a
century has had the monument in his
thoughts by day and in his dreams by
night drew up one Of those eloquent cir
culars in which he has from year to year
endeavored to awaken the patriotism of
the country, and sent it, with neat cut
of the monument TO every national bank
in the Union, appealing to them in the
sweetest and tenderest way to send their
contributions and send them quickly, so
that the great disgrace TO our country might
be blOtted out before the centennial sun of
July, '76, rose upon the unsightly pile.
The conception was certainly splendid.
1t was really beautiful thought Were
not the national banks. some two thousand
in number, the favored, pampered institu-
tons Of the country, which would not be
in existence at all if G. W. had not been
born and devoted his massive intellect to
It's creation? What more rational than to
suppose that they would be glad to avail
themselves OF the opportunity to honor the
memory of the man who had done so much
for them! What more reasonable than
TO imagine that they would have
the generosity TO contribute of their
abundance of wealth-wealth, too, wrung
from the necessities of the nation-tO an
object so noble, so deserving, so worthy in
every way of assistance at the hands of
band Of patriots like the presidents, the
directors and the national bank stock
holders The circulars flew thick and fast
from the Atlantic to the Pacifc-from, as
poor, dear, departed Schuyler Colfax used
to say, the rock-bound coast of Maine to
where the waters Of the gulf lave the golden
sands of the southland. And. as the
newspaper press, following the patriot
&c example of THE NATIONAL REPUB-
LICAN, began with rare unanimity
from one end of the country to the
other TO ind0rse the disinterested and
self-sacrifcing effort of the sanity secretary
of the association, Mr.. Brent began to glee-
fully rub his hands and to at last talk glow
ingly and confidently about the completion
of the great memorial to Americas greatest
son-we forgot, Father. The treasures
of the Black Hills, of Jones' silver mine in
far Nevada, were as nothing TO the treas
ures which should soon be poured in upon
the patient society which has been watch
ing and waiting all these weary years for
that generous moment in the life of the
American people when the golden rills
should triclzle down from every hamlet and
village and unite in one broad stream at
the monuments base. The day of pennies
in POOR boxes, Of Sunday school collections,
of vain appeals to a hard-hearted Congress,
Of dollar certificates, Of contributions of
stones were at last at an end. A generous,
devoted band of bankers was marching
marching, in Mr. Brent's imagination, five
hundred thousand greenbacks strOng-at
whose magic music She marble blocks
should leap to their places, as in the cities
of the olden time
Ii was, as we said. a really beautiful
thought But alas for the vanity of hu-
man expectations, and especially for the
expectations of Mr.. Brent and the Ma
tional Monument Association! After some
months of patient waiting, few hundred
visits to the post office box OF the society,
and On eager scanning of the monument
mail, during which Mr.. Brent experienced
all the emotions, from rosy-hued anticipa-
ton to dull and dark despair, he and the
society have at last come to The conclusion
that our national bankers are as lost to all
patriotic feelings as the rest of the republic,
that all appeal to them is as fruitless and as
vain as to the cold and obdurate Congress,
the insensible State Legislatures, the i'm
pecunious Sundsy-schools, the irresponsible
public. If, as we said, the beginning was
beautiful, the end.Of this latest movement to
build the monument is certainly sad. An
other effort defeated. another hone shiy.
cred, another dark and dismal disanDoint-
ment! Only three answers from nineteen
hundred bankers! Only pitiful three hun.
dred dollars! No wonder that Mr. Brent
in angry Indignation, returned the money.
as he did two or three days ago, and that
the society sent with If the naughty resolu-
tons which only proud patriotism could
have inspired. We deeply sympathize