The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-04-21
Our Q9lio.
The Washington Monument.

There come strange rumors from w ash
ington once more that the great monu-
ment rests upon an unstable foundation.
and if it should be built up to the height
proposed, 517 feet, will either sink bodily
into the morass and quicksand on which
it rests, or cant over like the leaning tower
of Pisa, or a country tavern signpost gibed
by the wind. This monument has
strange history, aud it is worth telling, for
the sake of the moral the facts embody.
Every one has seen "the monument" of
course, though not every one has under
stood what the vast unsightly object was
meant for, hanging in the blue sky like a
gigantic windsail, such as they use aboard
men-ofwar, to ventilate the vessel and i'm
prove the air. If the monument, when
built, would be likely to ventilate the ship
of State and improve the moral atmos-
phere of Washington, there would be
'millions in il, and We should advocate
appropriations for il to any extent. But
there is no chimney big enough to carry
off the foul gasses generated in the lobby
furnaces and department smelting-rooms
of the National Capital.
When the design for the new monument
was first adopted, it was to consist of tall
shaft in the shape of an obeisk, surround
cd at the base by pantheon, circular
colonnade to be filed with the statues of
all our great and good men dead or retired
from politics. There would have been
room in this immense walhalla for statues
of Red Jacket and Schuyler Colfax, Brick
Pomeroy and Elder Knapp, Lord Timothy
| Dexter and Ben Butler. Horace Greeley,
however, knowing that he was to have his
own statue in Printing House Square,
poked such fun at the pantheon project
that it was abandoned He said that the
monument, pantheon and obelsk together,
would resemble big pumpkin with a
stick in it.
The Washington National Monument,
as a project, will soon be able to celebrate
its centennial. 1t is ninety-four years old,
and very small of its age In August
1888, the Continental Congress unani-
mously resolved "that an equestrian statue
Of General Washington be erected at the
place where the residence of Congress shall
be established This statue was to be
erected on a marble pedestal, on which
were to be represented the four principal
events of the Revolutionary War where
Washington commanded in person, and
was to bear suitable inscription.
This statue never was made, but in
1853, Clark Mills, who (after his artistic
feat of making General Jackson's horse
rear up and stick his tail in the ground,
till it iroze there and held him in that
attitude, like a hobby-horse in Morris
dance) had never rested from the belief
that he was a great artist, and had, indeed,
set up brass foundry of his own to do
the American heroes up at SO much a
cubic yard in bronze-this same ridiculous
Mills got Congress to give him $4,000
for an equestrian bronze of Washington,
and it stands there now, somewhere out
upon the Georgetown turnpike, across
Goose creek
When Congress met in December, 1899,
TO do honor to the memory of Washing
ton, it was resolved that the United States
should erect monument to him at Wash
ington, and his family should be requested
to permit his body to be deposited under
it. \ copy Of the resolution was sent to
Mrs Washington, who replied, very feel
ingly Taught by the great example
which have so long had before me never
to oppose my private wishes to the public
will, need not, cannot say, what a
sacrifice of individual feeling | make to
sense of public duty"
On the Sth of May, lSO0 it was re-
solved that the monument should be
mausoleum, and Congress appropriated
5000, 600 for its erection. This resolution
also remained unexecutcd
The next move in the matter was made
by James Buchanan in January, 1924,
who proposed to revive the resolutions of
1893, and spoke earnestly in favor of it
but the motion was tabled.
In 1882 Mr.. Clay proposed to celebrate
the centennial anniversary of Washingtou's
birthday by removing the remains from
Mount Vernon to the Capitol and deposit
ing them there under Greenough's statue
Happily Mr.. John A. Washington refused
to consent to the removal. 1t would have
been national shame, dishonor to the
memory of the dead, to bury Washington
in the Rotunda, with Trumbulls paintings
all around and Greenough's lumpy Jupiter
over him. Besides, this statue is so heavy
it must inevitably have broken through.
Mr.. Greenough was a classical sculptor,
but he deserves the epitaph written for
lingo Jones
Gle heavy on him, earth, for he,
Living, put many heavy loads on thee.
Mr.. McDuffie, Of South Carolina, while
opposing the removal of the remains from
Mount Vernon, was in favor of monu-
ment, aud, in his fine, fervid, forid style,
observed: GAS to monument, rear IT,
spend upon it what you will make it dur
able as the pyramids, eternal as the noun
tains, you shall have my cooperation.
Erect, if you please, mausoleum to the
memory of Washington in the Capitol,
and let itbe as splendid as art can make it,
Congress having failed in its duty, in
1888 the Washington Monument Associa.
tion undertook to supply the deficiency by
voluntary subscription. John Marshall
was the first president of the Association
After his death james Madison succeeded
him. Mr.. Madison was then eighty-fye
years old, and expressed himself very sen.
sible Of the distinction conferred upon him.
If he had only foreseen who would be his
successors As Mr. Madison truly said
monument worthy the ,nemnrv 90
Washington, reared by the means propos.
ed, will commemorate at the same time a
virtue, patriotism, and a gratitude truly
national, with which the friends Of liberty
everywhere will sympathize, and of which
our country may always be proud" This
was in 1885, and still the abortiye wind.
sail seems to Zap in the Potomac breezes
by day and by night, deceiving belated
wayfarers with the notion that the moon
has come down to kiss some Endymion on
"the Island"