Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1893-02-25
THE JACKSON STATUE.
The Finest Monument in the City
of Washington.
Something About Clark Mills, the Amsri-
oan Genius Who Planned and Exc
cuted the Rare and Graceful
Work OF Art.
Especial Washington Letter, |

Especial Washington letter.
The equestrian statue of jackson in
Lafayette square, opposite the white
art of its kind in the national capital.
Its location is such that it attracts at
tention from a greater number of Wis
itors than any other statue, and it has
a history, which was recently brought
10 light by the efforts of certain I'M
artistic people to obscure the jackson
statue by placing the Lafayette statue
at the south entrance of the park. 1t
was claimed, by officials having a
little brief authority, that THE gov
eminent has n clear title to the jackson
statnc, and can obscure it, or remove it
into the woods, if it wants to-"
There was once a newspaper pub
liShed here called the National Intelli-
gencer. The files of that paper, under
the date of January IL, 1858, contain the
following paragraph: ut is due To the
jackson monumental committee to say
that the jackson statue has been made
and erected entirely under their con-
troll and direction. They caused the
money TO be collected, employed the
artist, and made all the arrangements
for its Inauguration. That committee
consists now of the following gentlemen:
Hon. Cave johnson, chairman; Amos
Kendall, F. p. Blair, John W. Maury,
Il. b. French, Charles X. Gardner, c. p
Sengstock, John McCalla, George w.
Hughes, Thomas Ritchil, George
Parker, John c. Rives and A. j. Donel-
son. The original committee consisted
OF thirteen members, of whom wore the
following gentlemen: John p. Van Ness,
James lioban, Jesse Il. Dow and VIII
liam A. Harris the three former OF
whom have died, and the latter, upon
going abroad, resigned; and their
places have been filed by Messrs. Nc
Gala, Parker, Hughes and Donelson."
The files of the same paper show that
the statue was inaugurated on January
s, 1888, the date ordinarily called
"Jacllson's Day" because it is the an
niversary of the victory at New Or
leans Upon that occasion, the statue
was presented TO the United States; and
hence there is no doubt about the title
# the government 10 the statue of "Old
| Uiekory;" but it has been settled that
! the bronze presentmcnt Of the military
and civic hero shall remain in its pres
| ent position. The statue Of Lafayette
ie now located at the southeast entrance
I Of the park, instead of the south en-
/ rance. where it would have been di-
rcctly between the jackson statue and
/ the white house.
| The names Of the members of the
/ Jackson Monumental association arc
| the names Of the most prominent citi-
zens Of early Washington. The official
| programme Of the dcdicatory exercises
contains the following:
! Military escort
The monument committee.
! Clark -i's artist +
Hon CpEau A. Douglas, orator.
/ ChapRins OF congress
! President OF the United States
Senate and house Of representatives.
| judges q the supreme court.
! Commander in chief Of the army and the old.
| est commodore IA the navy, etc.
1t was a long procession, and the eX-
/ ercises lasted from ten o'clock in the
/ morning until three o'clock in the af
tcrnocn, the last performance being a
national military salute, followed by 6
bcnediction by the chaplain of the
| house. At the conclusion of the OratioI
by the greatest orator of his day, Hon
stephen A. Douglas, Mr.. Clark Mills
the artist, was presented to the vast
concourse of people and heartily
checred, as he deserved to be, for his
work was unrivaled at that date.
Clark Mills had been a plasterer, and
it was while engaged in making plaster
cornices and center pieces that he con-
cluded to undertake the reproduction
Of faces in plaster, lie had very little
success, and finally turned to modelling