The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-05-28

Island - creoles, mestizoes, tquadroons,
hurricanes, Spaniards, earthquakes and
all.
Heretofore in purchasing territory
this country has paid no attention to
the acquisition of relics. Now, if We
can purchase an invaluable relic and
have a prolific island thrown
in, the opportunity should not be
lost. The solution Of the San
Domingo question may be reached
through the acquisition of what is left
of the Great Discoverer. Something is
due in the shape of indemnity or tardy
justice to the memory of the late @. @.
Another has been allowed to usurp the
right to give his name to the magniti-
cent continents which he discovered,
and the august name of Columbus or
Colombia, in some of its forms, is be-
slowed upon petty towns and streams
and elephants and children and guns,
and is woven into National doggerel and
patriotic odes and Fourth of July ora
tions, when it should have been ex-
clusively bestowed upon the Western
Hemisphere. The United States, as the
greatest beneficiary, should possess these
remains. They should be enshrined at
the National Capital. The ground they
occupy should become holy ground and
be crowned by monument (modeled as
nearly as possible after what the Wash
ington Monument isn't), toward which
the eyes and footsteps of Americans
would turn forever.
AS the article is likely to cost nice
bit of money great caution should be
taken to ascertain whether it is genuine
or not. A job is sometimes put up on
the enthusiastic relic hunter and arch
aologist by men of low culture. Havana
claims the possession of these remains,
and it may be that Havana is right. To
make sure thing of it, it may be neces-
sary to even buy Cuba. This could be
done out of the Conscience Fund "cov-
cred" with the United States Treasury
by repentent Government contractors,
of whom there are numerous examples
undoubtedly
! Apropos of fraudulent relics, case in
point comes to mind. Some years ago,
before Centennials were invented in the
interests Of dormant localities, some en-.
terprising parties in Western New York
round about Rochester and the Genesee
country engaged in resurrecting the
so-calIed remains of an old pio.
neer who had been killed by
the indians, and in transferring
them in great state and with pompous
ceremonies to, the beautiful country Of
Mt. Hope, near the said city. There was
never such to-do over mortal remains
in modern times, excepting perhaps in
the removal of those of Napoleon from
st. Helena to the gorgeous dome of the
Invalides. Poets tuned their Tyres, ora
tors exhausted their classical resources
and imaginatfons, the militia furnished
up their old accoutrements and tens o.
thousands gathered together from fal
and near to do honor to the occasion
The newspapers Of the region round about
teemed with historical "reminiscences ol
the time when civilization commenced
its struggles against savage life in the
beautiful Valley of the Genesee, anc
the whole affair was a grand success from
first to last-as business enterprise.
A little discovery made by medica
expert as to when the bones were ex
humed was kept profound secret an'
was not allowed to interfere with the al
rangements and the fully carrying out
the grand programme. There was to-
much at stake. This discovery was tina
the bones SO highly honored were thos
of a black bear-a veritable ursus Amer
icanus Nevertheless the show went OF
!, even to the erection of stately monr
ment.
The moral of this is that in investin
in relics great care should be taken t
ascertain the genuineness Of the article
"Hail Columbia" don't want any spur
GUS Columbus, but ought to grapple wit
the whole world with the full force 9
, her treasury boxes for the possession c
his crumbling bones.