The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-18
A Letter Reviewing the Work Ac-
complished Since He Became n
Member of the Commission.
THE WAR AND PEACE GROUPS
CAN THEIR CHARACTER BE MODI-
FLED WITHOUT LEGIsLATIONs
Can the Great Memorial be Satisfac-
torfly Completed without the Aid
of Sculptor MacNIonnics.


from the Board of Commissioners OF the
State Soldiers and Sailors Monument, his
resignation to take effect on the sine die
adjournment Of the Legislature. He reached
this determination on Saturday, and pre-
pared and mailed to the appointing board
the Governor. Secretary, Auditor and Treas
urer OF State. the appended letter:
10 the Governor, Secretary, Treasurer and
Auditor Of State:
Gentlemen-The office of monument COM
missioner is no longer desirable to me, in
consequence of oSher more important de-
mands upon my time. as well as the petty
ahnoyances incident to the position in
cluding misrepresentation and unjust crit
iclsns. and therefore respectfully submit
my resignation, to take effect upon the sine
the General Assembly
Il do this the more readily because nearly
the commission have been accompIishad
In TACT, the principal work of the mor1u-
ment is now either. completed, under con-
tract tract or SO matured and advanced as to be
First include in this the great groups
OF War and Peace, which have been the
leading and welI-eStablished features of
the monument from the beginning Since
have been a. commissioner a contract was
signed by the board and Mr.. MacAlonnics
for the erection of these groups and N bond
was given, which presume requires only
the acceptance of the board to be binding
on MIN, unless 1t has been yitiated by some
act not authorized by the board I speak
now of the action of the board only which
has been strictly in conformity with the
advice of the Attorney-general to whom
respectfully refer you for further informa-
ton on the subject If you desire it. AS the
sented, l think / may appropriately say that
the contract was in the usual form, was
carefully considered and adopted by all the
members of the board, well as by Mr.
MacMonnies, who was present at the time
ana ana signed 1t; and that it has been faith
Iuily carried out by the board in every par
ticuIar. / may add that no one more earn
estly desires, or has a greater interest in
desiring, the fulfiIlment of the contract
than myself; and it will be observed. TOO
that the board had not secured this con-
tractor until became member and in
of an American sculptor. But 1 have never
taken any stock in the idea that il
mns,a ynls ,soI,5d contractor :. o We're to die the
that the groups of War and Peace for the
monument would have to be abandoned
There are other great sculptors in America
as well as in other countries and if the pres
emit contractor violates his own agreement
Il the WIN boar 1e an an easy mater @ for example fer
eminent Berlin sculptor which were pend
ing when became a commissioners, and are
yet pending, II they cannot find any others
''second-The next work sof importance
contracted for since went on the board
was the army Astragal, which is now far
Berlin.
"Third-Statues of representative men OF
the principal war periods have also been
secured, and this was matter / had much
attantio,, ne +hls ,s uJIsiu NJ tE p SURE. 70 lne
the fndana Soap,at "a ~ 81 aSuress peiuse ~
Amaricon . I3a,oIrt;Ssn - ~ Fr,Io S0a "a sa. sre
1rhis.t Saas III ~, 81, ~ ual al aos+
xrnot. nf 3ra pan,,hIs. lie ~ u sst sl's
~ tb;s no1,iotie hn.s 5l e ,i,
have raca,ved ~, ,,,ora tt,ao n,,e 90" sin
In connec sinn yr;th the ,oo,,,,,rant 1ssJa,.
an honor nf the, b;g,act orda,. ,.,t,ich r
Certainly shall ever gratefullv rennernher
"Eourtb-The angry contrnversv about tha
fOrtunAtelY. settled
a sa tisfactorv manner hv . measure 7 had
the honor ~ introd,ce and advocata to a
succassf,,I concIusion
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. t. inscriptions have been
made ON tablets of the Inonument com
memoratiys Of the several wars ali OF
which prepared except those ON the south
side and three words on the north side
which had already been Inscribed
s.Sixth--The cascades have been contracted
Abandoned
s'Seyenth-A passenger elevator has been
put in operation greatly to the benefit of
the public as well as to the monument. For
advocating the construction of the elevator
the Subsidiary statues and other practical
and useful things not classed as high art
1t will be remembered / was severely criti-
cised by certain worthy gentlemen who are
so favored by gifts of high art that fear
they look down with something like con-
tempt upon us plain and less gifted people,
who are sadly doomed to live in a less ex-
alted sphere and walk upon the earth in a
practical sort of a way, having nothing to
guide us but little old-fashioned common
sense and just a small trifie of ordinary busi-
ness sagacity-barely enough to enable us to
tn1nk TnaL even nlgn ART people 6nouiu uVo