The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-04-12

| enilors monument commission has COM
! pleted his report for Commander Cheadle
OF the G.. A. II. IL Gays the mechanical
work upon the monument and the
! grounds surrounding will DO completed
! during the year and the commission
! expects TO unveil the crowning figure
Sept. Z, while the national q. A. r. en-
campment is in session here. Referring
to the sources OF revenue with which to
build the monument the report SAYS:
| Ten thousand dollars OF the fund came from
| Marion county. aud was given direct to the
state soldiers aud sailors monument commits
sion TO build n state soldiers and sailors mouu-
ment under the law, it's donation 10 this com
| mittee having lapsed in consequence OF our In
| ability 10 raise sufficient money TO build the
| monument; 20. 229 from the indianapolis May
festival, the dedication OF the city hail having
been donated ior that purpose; 81, 90 rom W.
ii. English. paid by him to the state commits
| sion TO be used under the law in building
| atate monument; SS7l.l0 rom the original In
| d ana monument association OF 1870, with
which the q. A. II. had no connection. aud
| $500 from the churches of the state. The con
tributions credited TO posts raised by
| public entertainments under their supervision,
| or were subscriptions from the public solicited
| BY them, aud tie ret sum contributed Ia this
| way, outside OF indianapolis, was less than
al GOO. No case is remembered in which 10 IS
| stated that the contribution was made by
q post, as SUCH though few may have made
small contributions in that way. 1t will be
| further observed that this committee expended
81 Al A in the work OF soliciting subscriptions
and contributions.
Mr. Langsdale has the following 10 say
concerning tho troubles the committee
! encountered in its efforts to raise funds
through the G.. A. X. posts:
ItAppears that the committee entered upon
| the work assigned il with great enthusiasm,
but was surprised at the positive refusal OF
tain posts 80 assist in raising money for the
proposed monument, while others not only re-
| fused, but had recourse to the newspapers,
| through which they attacked aud opposed our
| efforts. sending marked copies OF such papers
| TO the posts throughout the department Ouly
| n few posts responded 10 Us IN a spirit of COM
| rAdeship. and our repeated opportunities 10
| have csmp-fres held subscriptions solicited
| nc opportune times IN all parts of the state met
| with little favorable attention. Ac had hoped
TO raise q sufficient sum & enable the grand army
of the republic to have the supervision OF the
| building OF tho monument; but when the
| turns were all in, after several years of URGENT
| solicitation. u IVES so small that we could not
| do otherwise than ask the state TO take entire
| charge of the enterprise. or abandon il;
whereas, we had expected il to be only an as
sistant. This it did. and the memorial became
| "a state monument with tue approval of the
| department. Being so. II is the representa-
! tive OF Oil the loyalty ana NhiOr OF the sthle
from the earliest time, beyond question. as Il
would doubtless have been had it re-
| manned under the control OF the Grand
| Army of the Kepublic. since broad pa
triotism, and the liberAlity becoming
| old sodiers would have induced us 10
| include all who have followed the flsg ct any
| time or anywhere. Al no time had there been
a suggestion as TO limiting Its inscriptions 10
particular persons. events or periods. although
| IL WAS understood from the beginning that the
| ma nj fram hR WA tha
lust as that period marked the elimination Of
our loyalty and of our accom- lishments in the
arts of both peace and war. and that it should
typify them, as 1t does.
| The expenses upon the work from the begin
ming are: For incidental expenses. including
all preparations and supervision. such as
models, competitions, advertising, printing.
architects. engineers, experts, travelling, super
intendent, secretary, attorneys, removing trees,
temporary grading OF grounds aud commits
sioners' per diem aud expenses SAC, 563.6 30.
| Structural, which includes only such work and
| material as has gone into the structure, $780,
| 96l4 49, Total expenditures, 1888 5li.92. In ac-
| cordAuce with two decisions OF the supreme
| court the incidental expenses paid ont of
| the general fund OF the state, aud not from the
| specific appropriations OF the monument.
| There are outstanding contracts for structural
| work 10 the amount Of S27. 260.7S aud to pay
this there remains $50 556 So OF the original ap-
| preparation OF 81 o O00 anu IN the hands OF the
! treasurer OF the commission, 2l7b26.
Chairman Langsdale speaks of the con-
| tention rising over the inscription and
| dates upon the monument in the follow
ing manner:
During the past year some contention has
arisen regarding inscriptions placed upon the
| monument in recognition of oil the heroic
| periods In which our people have demonstrated
| their loyalty 60 the national government.
| This finally dateriorated into a mere criticism
of the location upon the monument where
| such inscriptions should be made, aud il Wss
| proposed in all seriousness, as n compromise, to
| allow all the inscriptions, involving the same
| thing, TO remain upon the base OF the mOnu-
ment, provided all inscription were taken OIL
the shaft. Subsequently certain members of
| the Grand Army OF the Republic appeared be-
fore committees OF the general assembly, claim
ing that the commission had violated the law
| and asking that the dates be removed from the
shaft OF the monument. The senate refused
TO entertain the proposition and the house
passed n resolution indorsug the action of the
| commission.
Indiana's Silent Victors.
may be said. in addition. that the charac-
ter of the memorial 10 fully shown in the in
scription above its portals-"To Indianas ST.
lent Victors." This means all. Ii gives
broade. Interpretation TO loyalty than ii il were
restricted to one war; however great and patri-
otto that war may have been; and we are in
| spired by 10 to pledge our lives anew TO our
| country in every crisis, and TO uphold, always,
its flag. This s loyalty. IL is for this that the
! monument stands. The loyalty of Indiana has
| been equal 90 every emergency; il has covered
all epOehs; it has not been bound by party
lines, and regard for the future forbids US TO
| begin the effort to restrict il now.
Ii is we'll TO remember that during the prog
ress OF the work every possible reco gnitien aud
| courtesy kas been extended to the Grand Army
! of the Republic. 1t was asked TO conduct the
ceremony OF laying the cornerstone. one of
| the most memorable events in the history of
this state, and it performed that duty in a man
ner that reflected great honor upon the dep art
ment. Ii has been fully consulted, and at 40
time has there been any other disposition on
| the part of the monument commission than to
act in harmony with it.
But now, long after the public announce
ment OF its purpose TO recognize upon the shaft
all the wars in which Indiana has participated
In as a state. and after that purpose has become
an accomplished fact an adverse movement is
begun at public meeting. held at the court
house in Indianapolis on sunday afternoon
of last July, at which, Notwithstanding extern
sve advertising and personal solicitauon, there
were not 10 exceed one hundred men. Assnm-
ing to represent the posts of the city, and con-
c0alIng their limited number behind the forms
of an organization, they sent out misleading
circulars TO all the posts of the state, whereby
an aniAgOnism was created that would have
defeated the completion OF the monument Ii ID
had been recognized. Happily, IL not
needed, and the commission 10 now enabled 10
I'D Uwrf IL A. q 40etn AL han nh.