The Washington critic., 1886-09-09
THE BARTHoLpI BUSINESS.

month, postage paid.
THE BARTHOLDI BUSINESS.
Somebody in New York has found
another trouble In connection with the
inauguration Of the Bartholdi Statue;
New York in fact, seems to have dis.
covered everything in connection with
the statue, except the money required
for the erection Of its pedestal and OF
its Inauguration. 1t is generally con.
tended that the inaugural ceremonies
would be incomplete without the pres.
cnce of rcpr, scuta'iyas of ,he donors
of the statue By special invitation ofthe
President of tho tui,ed States, and the
matter appears To- have been brought tD
the attention of the President in the
Adirondacks. Bat Mr. Clcvclanl,
while promising To- consult his Cabinet
on his return to Washington, is clearly
Of opinion that he cannot eXlcnd such
invitations officially for the reason that
he has not been authorized by Congress
TO d. anything of the sort
This latest dilemma IN connection
with the famous statue, which is
wholly imaginary, appears to exist
only because of torgelfulness of the
fact hat the Bnrtholdi Statue IS gift
of the French ueoplc--uot of the
FIen III Governmeut-to the city of
New York; and in no sense a gift to
either the people or the Government of
the United States. 1t is true that Con.
gress, at the request Of the munich
pality of New York, permitted the
erection of the statue on Bedloe' S
Island, and for that purpose surren-
dered its title in the island to the city
To that extent, and no more, has the
United States had anything to do with
the statue.
Certainly New York can manage to
obtain within Itself a few more thousand
dollars for the Inauguration OF the
statue with proper ceremonies, and,
most assuredly, 1t is from that munich
pality and not from the Government at
Washington, that the invitations TO the
ceremonial should emanate. Because
of indifference, parsimony, or some
thing worse than either, this Bartholdl
statue business has well nigh become of
national concern, but only as a scandal.
1t will be relief when the thing is
wholly done with, and Liberty is
nightly engaged in enlightening the
world, which, however, she cannot do
until money has been raised for sup.
plying the electric lightto the uplift ID
torch, and we are not yet informed that
such is the fact.
All that need be done or should be
done by the United States is for the
President or the Secretary Of the N IVY
to order such of our National We lsels
as may be in or conveniently nea to
New York harbor on the appointed day
to take part in the ceremonies. That
can be done by the President, or even
by the Secretary, without any sp cia'
authority from Congress, sand it was
done at the time Of the arrival Of the
statue. If the statue were the gift o.
the Government of France to the
people or the Government Of the United
States the case would be entirely dif.
ferent, but II is notoriously nothing o
the sort. 1t was paid for, so far as i
was paid for at all, by a popular sub
scription among the French people
and is their gift, and that of NJ. Bar
tholdi to the city of New York. Th,
Government of France transported tn
statue to New York, it is true, and tool
occasion to have more than the usua
number Of its naval vessels In the har
Dor of that city at the time of its re
ception and so did the United States
that was all that either governmen
had, or could have, to do with tn
affair. 1t is solely the duty of Ney
York TO invite the French guests, AM
to properly entertain them, not only o.
their arrival, but during their sojourn
If New York cannot raise the where
withal at home, let her stand hat II
hand again at all the cross roads TO
the dropping in of pennies as she tdiC
in raising the Pedestal Fund, and ut
tempted to do in connection with th
Grant Monument.