Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-03-19
/rHg SOLDIERS MONUMENT

YTHE SOLDIERS MONUMENT
AT the regular meeting Of the Grand
ARMY post held on Wednesday evening the
committee who have in charge the proposed
solders' monument and its erection made
their report on a design. This was in favor
Of the design already described in our col
umns. and the same, or substantially the
same. as was exhibited on town meeting day
IL includes granite base II feet inches
biob as drawn by @. A. Hines, and a bronze
statue OF a soldier feet high, by Mr.. Mos
man of Chicopee, Mass This makes the TO-
tai height of the monument - feet. There
was full meeting Of tbs post, and the de
sipn was adopted without opposing votes.
The total cost Of the monument, under tue
agreement with parties which has been mad
will be S5OO0 exactly covering the $4,000 vot-
cd by the town and the $1,000 which the wom-
ans relief corps have in hand. The cost II
distributed in the following sums g. X.
LYON for the base, 5000; for setting, $500;
for the foundation, $500 for sinking the tat
lets, $3.50; q. A. Hines for the design aud
taking charge Of the construction, $50; Mr..
Mosman, for the statue and tablets, $4,000.
The site of the monument will be at the
junction of Asylum and South Main streets,
and the committee in charge purpose 10 have
il completed and ready for dedication on the
first of September. The day in mind for the
formal dedication is the second of Septem-
Der. should no other local event interfere.
A good deal of feeling adverse to the action
of the committee and the vote Of the post was
developed and found free expression yester-
day As we have said, there were no OppoB-
ing votes cast against the design, but several
leading members Of the post say that they
did not vote and took no action either way
for the reason that, as they believe, it had
been arranged to carry the Hines. Mosmau
design through aud have the monument built
by Mr.. Lyon, and opposition was thought
useless. The claim is made, in the first place
that sufficient chance was not given for com
petition in choice of design. design which
has struck many citizens favorably is one
submitted by Mr. Carter Of South Ryegats, n
worker and dealer in granite. This design IL
| for an all granite monument Of total height
| Of 80 feet 1t consists Of q base and shaft OF
graceful and artistic proportions, surmounted
| by figure of soldier Of heroic size. MIR.
| Carter, as we understand, was anxious for
chance to put in q bid to furnish this monu-
ment for 5000 Another claim is that the
building Of the monument after the design
| adopted was not opened TO competitive bids,
| with an award to the lowest bidder, as should
| have been done, but that the contract has
! been given to Mr.. Lyon at his own price
while other granite men, among them O. ii.
| Grant of West Dummerston aud bis partner,
| Mr. Hardwick Of Boston, would have con
tracted for the same thing for less money.
This in brief is the claim Of those who
| disapprove of the action taken by the post
under the lead of the committee. Col Hooker
| on behalf of his committee claims that no
| choice was open in the matter of design. Tue
| design, he says, which has been adopted, was
| the one submitted at the town meeting, aud
the one which was then practically adopted
Mr.. Lyon claims that the design submitted
was his own with definite sum of 5000
named as tue cost of construction, and when
this had been adopted the work WAS not open
to competitive bids Other parties might put
in designs and bids of their own, but they
could not bid on bis design which was has
own private property.
| Another question which comes up is on the
| legality of the towns vote TO build the mOnu-
ment-a question which is briefly stated,
with quotation from the statute, by cor
respondent in our columns to day. The word
ing Of the statute is plain, but the vote pass
ed did not instruct the selectmen to build
monument. Il simply authorizes them to
borrow and pay over to the Grand Army post
$4,000 when a soldiers monument has been
completed. Leading lawyers from both
Brattleboro and Bellows Falls who looked
into the matter yesterday expressed the opiu-
ion that the vote OF the town has no legal
significance. When Mr.. Herrick's attention
had serious doubts as to the form Of the vote
OF appropriation when it was passed. lie
was not prepared to say what action the Sc
lectmen will take, and could only say that
they would not allow the rights interests
of the town to be jeoparded.
We have thus given what we believe to be
fair and complete statement of all sides of
the soldiers monument question. Under n
strict construction of the statute there can be
| thaNf ha cal. -, H..
the responsible parties in the construction of
: the monument, instead of agents merely to
borrow aud pay over the money when some
! | one else has done the work. With regard to
I the design and construction of the monu-
D ment, if the vote is held to be binding it
= was undoubtedly the right and province OF
the Grand Army post to choose the design
and make the contract But we do not think
it can be tenably held that the Hines Lyon
design was decided on before even the town
I meeting was held and that after that there
= could be no competition. Mr.. Lyon, how
! ever, holds that this WAS practically the case
: and the action of the post aud the committee
d sustain this view. 1t would seem, however
that, in case like this, where the publ,
money was to be spent, the proper way tC
= proceed would have been to first decide on &
Il suitable design open to competitive bids fol-
It construction from responsible parties
il 1t would be a matter of universal regret 4
n see any step unwisely taken in this matter, 7,
i sulting in complications or disagreement o
q any sort For this reason the whole cas-,
i should be thoroughly understood at the start
II There should be no ground for suspicion o
il favoritism undue individual influence il
9 the selection of design or award of contract
e II any wrong step has been taken it SHOULD
n be corrected at once so that the work of con
n struction may be gone on with without de
II lay. There ought not to be captious criti
IT cism on anybody's part The whole commu
}. nifty is interested in seeing a creditable sol
4 ders' monument erected, and the thing to b.
s done is for all parties to look at the case il
C all its bearings and see that the work is don,
l. legally and in way to meet all honest crit
IA cism.
= 1t is understood this morning that the law
+ yers of the town united in declaring til
10 vote of the town void and of no legal effect
n Under this construction the selectmen will b
d obliged to give notice to the post that the
c cannot draw orders for money to pay 70
+ building the monument as the vote nov
l. stands.