The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-16


linctop Souare in this city During the last pc.
I ut;soI c,mnoIrn the Soldiers Monument has
: hcen aluded to with just pride by political
lspeakers of both parties rs Tree VIII oucrl"% VI
the people of La Lalle county to commemorate
the virtues aud patriotism OF the soldiers oI La
V s,IIe county who fell in the late civil war and
yayo their lives to save the union and the con
stitution of our country.
The people of this county seem TO rest IN the
, belief that the cost and expense OF erecting the
Soldiers Monument have all been paid by sub
:, scriptions TO the Monument fund. And under
the circumstances, when known, they may have
some ground for such belief.
When took the contract to build the Sol
diers' Monument for eleven thousand aud hvc
hundred dollars, Coils. Moore and Gibson and the
late Joel w Armstron being the committee OF
the La Sale County Soldiers Monument Asso.
citation who contracted with me, there were in
the National CITY Bank Of Ottawa about four
teen thousand dollars of promissory notes
) given for the purpose of building the Monu'
ment. Both myself and the committee who con.
tracted with me supposed and believed that
enough could be collected out Of said notes to
But it since appears that one George Hough-
ton, who claimed to be a union solder, was en-
ployed by the Monument Association to solicit
and obtain subscriptions from the people OF La
Sale county to defray the expense of erecting
the Monument, for which he retained certain
percentage OF the amount subscribed for his ser
vices in obtaining the subscriptions.
Ioughton, US am informed, delivered to the
Monument Association about fourteen thousand
dollars in promissory notes which, he claimed,
he had obtained from individual sub
scrlbcrS for the purpose of erecting the Monu-
mcnt, and received his percentage for obtaining
the same and salary besides.
1t afterward trans pircd, in collecting the notes,
| that a large portion of them were never signed
| by the persons whose names appeared on the
same as u.'kcrs thereof, but that their names
had been si:Ned to the notes by Houghton
without any authority to do 50.
For this reason q large amount Of these notes
are uncolcctcd aud uncolectablc. finished
the erection Of the Monument and allowed the
Monument to be dedicated by the Monument
Association before had received all of my pay
for building and erecting the Monument, the
committee Of the Monument Association be-
licying that the public dedication of the Monu-
ment would call the attention Of the public to
the matter and hasten the payment Of the sub
scrptions, and for this purpose alone allowed
the Monument to be dedicated. At the time Of
the dedication there was due me a balance of
about four thousand dollars for building the
Monument
e 4 I IA
the possession Of the Monument but allowed the
committee to dedicate it, because 1t was bciev
cd By the committee, a, well AS 10y myself, that
it would hasted the collection Of subscriptions
believed at the time, and now believe and
clam, that have a lien upon the Monument for
the money due me for its construction, but | do
not wish to resort to the lien If can get my pay
in any other manner. There Is now Justly due
me for the construction Of the Monument bal
ancc of twenty nine hundred and siXry.seven
dollars.
The committee Of the Monument Association
have done all they could to obtain additional
subscriptions to pay the balance due me, and
have in every way actcd kindly and in good faith
toward me
have no doubt but that | should have re-
cevcd all my pay for the Monument if all of
the notes delivered 10y lIoughton to the Monu-
mcnt Association had been genuine. If IIough-
ton acted dishonesty am not to blame for it,
presume, from the fact that the Monument
has been dedicated the people Of the county
generally have taken it for granted and believed
that the cost Of its construction has been paid
Gen. Morrill, and Col Gibson, the remaining
members of the committee in this county, have
used and are using all OF the efforts in their pow
or to collect money enough to pay the balance
due me.
merely take this occasion to inform the pco.
pie OF the county that the said balance now due
me IS for money whi.h have actually expended
in the construction of the Monument, and that
stand IN great need Of it, and that my business
Is suffering badly by reason Of lis non.paymcnt,
The sum IS a very small one for the people OF
this county 20 pay. but it must be remembered
that it is a very large one for me to lose.
| believe that il the people of the county had
fully known the circumstances Of the case, the
amount due me would have been paid long be.
fore this
The erection Of the Soldiers Monument is q
public matter to the people Of this county, and
one in which every person has or ought have an
interest. aud it does not seem fair to me that
should be compelled to contribute nearly three
thousand dollars toward the construction of the
Monument, besides one hundred aud ten dollars
which had donated and paid TO the Association
as an individual subscriber.
EDwARp MClNHlLL.
-.----s~-----
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