Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-12
THE LAFAYETTE MONUMENT.
Solving the Knotty Problem OF 1t.
Location.

The Lafayette statue commission, consisting
OF Secretary Proctor, Architect Clarke and Sen.
ator Evarts. have in view of the probably early
arrival OF the monument resumed their discus.
sion OF the question OF q site for that work Of
art. This was knotty problem for Secretary
froctors predecessor, Judge Endicott, and one
that was avoided by the then commission as far
rs possible. but the time has now come for its
final solution, for in few weeks the monu.
! ment will be here and the government will, II
nothing is done, be in the rather embarrassing
position of not knowing where to put it. Oddly
enough the difficulty in the matter has been
that there was one place which pre-
eminently fitted for the statue, and that place
was already occupied by another man in bronze.
There has never been any doubt in the minds
OF the members of the commission but that
Lafayette square Is practically the only place
Tor the statue, but the historic figure of "Old
Hickory" has been a bugbear in the way Of the
final selection of that site. There was a feel
ing OF patriotic compunction against removing
the old hero from the place where he and his
morse have been landmark for so many years,
but no one could suggest any better place for
The monument to Lafayette, by whose name
the famous square is known. To be sure there
have been any number OF suggestions in this
line. but none that have merited serious con-
the new monument in the center of the eilipse
south Of the White House and others have
given all sorts of ideas as to where Andrew
jackson would look best
IS THERE ROOM FOR BOTH JACKSON AND LAFAY-
ETTE.
But the idea which has come to be most
favorably regarded by the members Of the
commission and winch is in fair way to be
adopted as the ultimatum is to keep jackson
where he Is at present and to put Lafayette
and his comPatriots, who are depicted on the
same pedestal with him. also in the same square
that Is named after that noble Frenchman
whose ala was so valuable to us in our hour of
need. 1t is a fact of history that George Wash
lngton, from whom this beautiful city took its
name, selected the name for this square as we'll
as that OF Judiciary square and one other This
fact has had considerable weight with the COM
MISSION In determining the matter Cor rather
IN looking over the ground, for the question Is
still unsettled) for it was thought that this act
on the part of Washington indicated desire to
perpetuate the memory of his dear friend from
France by means Of the title of the park. 1t
would be an absurdIty, 1T is argued, to have a
square named after Lafayette and his statue
some where else.
In considering the question of how Jackson
was to be disposed of it was argued that
1t would not do to hide it in some out
OF the way corner, and really when
the commission came to think the thing
all over there seemed certain amount of sac
rilige even in the thought of its removal The
park is quite large, being in the form of rec
tangle, twice as long as broad, and there is
plenty of room for both Jackson and Lafayette
In the same reservation. There is still some
difficulty in the way about the relative arrange
ment Of the two statues, for it is not desired to
put either in such a position as to hide it from
any desirable point of view. The commission
think that good plan would be to transform
this park into a sort Of statuary square, with
Lafayette as the main figure and Jackson near
by. Then at each of the four corners of the
square to erect bronze statues of American
heroes, probably representing four epochs Of
the history of the country. There are many
men whose work in the making Of the nation
entities them to perpetustion in colossal
bronze who have hitherto been utterly over
looked. and there would be no lack of mate
rial, as far as the proper subjects 90, for the
four corner statues