The Portland daily press., 1895-01-26
THE G. A. r. STATUE.
Why General Grant Has Not Place
in tie Hall of Heroes.
Maine VIII Probably Add the Figure of
James G. Blaine to that of William King.

Maine VIII Probably Add the Figure of
Jam.. r. R1.ipe to that of William King.
A preat awkward wooden box has been
living on its side in the rotunda of the Cap
itol for MANY months, waiting for a spool of
rod tame to be unwound before the cover
ings can. be knocked off and marble statue
disclosed There is smaller box resting
nearby. containing the pedestal for this
statue, The spool of red tape has become
somewhat snarled, and so the statue ana
the pedestal still remain unjoined, and the
gift of the Grand Army of the Republic to
the government is neglected.
This statue is a representation of Gen.
Grant standing in full uniform by the side
of the con ventional fluted column. 1t was
accepted from the organization of veterans
by joint resolution approved on the l4th
OF Aug ust, 1881, which contained this provlso:
'.That the design of such statue and pedes-
tai shall be first submitted to and received
the approval of the joint committee on the
library"
And there lies the knot that has tangled
the red tape. Not a peep did the Joint COM
mittee on the library ever get at the design
for the statue and the pedestal, says the
Washington Star. Suddenly. one day. with
out any warming, a couple of huge trucks
drove up to the east door of the Capitol and
deliveYed;this statue and the block on which
ii is to stand as indIffeIently as though they
were a groc er's wagon delivering barrel
of potatoes and a sack Of flour. The great
boxes were hauled up the main steps and
into the rotunda, where they now lie. while
the spool is unwound. Just at present there
is nothing being done to unsnarl the tangle
Last spring an effort was made to have
Senator Mills the chairman of the joint
committee, authorize the opening OF the
boxes and look at the statue himself to give
his approval; but he demurred, owing to
the absence of Senator Voorhees,, who was
then quite i'll.
CAUSE OF THE DELAY.
At the opening of Congress in December
the subject was brought TO the attention OF
Mr.. Voorhees,. and the photograph of the
statue from which accompanying 1llustra-
ton was made, was shown to him. he OBJ
jected 10 taking any action on Two grounds.
In the first place. he did not think that the
statue was good representation of the
general, so far as the photograph demoL-
strated. His words were: 1T don't look
any more like Grant than it does like mel
But he looked up the law on the subject
and ran across that awkward proviso. which
was not observed 0y the committee CT the
Grand Army having the matter in charge.
Here was u predicament, and the Senator
Immediately refused to have anything to
do with the statue. He said that there had
been no design su bmitted. and did not by
any means consider the photograph of the
finished work such design as the law con-
tempIated. He intimated that the joint
committee on the library had not been treat
ed with no proper amount Of consideration
due TO congressional body.
So the matter hangs. The statue and the
pedestal are suspended in the atmosphere of
congressional approval, and the great ugly
box in the rotunda continues to offend the
sight of the thousands of visitors to the
Capitol.
The statue is of marble. an is from the
chisel of franklin Simmons, one OF the best
known of the American saulptors. Gen.
S. S, Burdett, who is chairman of the Grand
Army committee having the matter in
charge, has not taken further steps to &C.
cure the approval of the library committee,
and unless something is done there is excel
lent prospect that the wooden box may
rot away and SO finally expose the marble.
after many years OF waiting. As it is, no
one .,ere has ever looked upon the statue.
and the first presentation of it is by means of
the picture that goes with this account.
NATIONAL HALL OF HEROES.
1t is the general understanding that when
the statue has been finally approved it will
be erected in the rotunda. W here it has lain
l., f,,f ha rot rda fyva1VA
half pillars. or, in the terms of architecture.
pilasteis. jutting from the circular wall AS
the dividing marks between the great his
torical paintings that surround the room.
There are two of these at each of the four
entrances, one on each side of the door
way, and one in the middle of each quad
rant of he circle. making, as has been said
twelve in all. The present proposition is
to place the Grant statue by the side OF the
west door. so that it will be prominently Wis
ible from the east or main entrance to the
rotunda. There is vague idea in the
minds of the Senators and .rembers who
have given the subject any thought what
ever that some day there might be balanc-
ing statue on the other side OF the same
doorway, perhaps of Gen. sherman, to COM
pete the historical symmetry. The sugge s.
ton is now made. however. lnat this
Grant statue will be fitting beginning
for the est a blishment of a grand national
hall OF heroes.
The collection of statues in the old hall
of r representatives, known better AZ Stat
uary Hall. is not national in it's character,
any further than the most of the men now
portrayed there IN marble and bronze
and, sad to say, in plaster-have national
records.
The old Hall of Representatives was set
apart for place to erect statues of the fav-
orite sons of the states oy an act of Con-
gress approved on fhe I'd of July. 1854. in
which it is definitely stated that this space
is rved for the purpose of exhibiting the