Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-29
Tie Squir Bill FIR a $3C0,O00
Equestrian Figure.
FAVORABLE REPORT MADE ON IT
Senator Squire Tells What His
Hope in Regard to It is.
REAT MEM RIA L

It seems strange that this city of all other
| Am erican cities should be without ap-
propriate memorial to Gen. Grant, whose
] ame is inseparably associated with the city
| as the capital of the nation TO save which
| he contributed SO largely. This thought mas
| come into the minds of many legislators OF
| late, especially with reference to the birth
| day of Gen. Grant, which was celebrated
Monday. 1t is therefore held to be quite
| appropriate that on that day Senator Squire
| should report to the Senate favorably from
| the committee on public buildings and
| grounds the bill which was introduced by
| him last December. providing for the erec-
| ton of monument to Gen. Grant in this
city.
This bill directs that the Secretary Of
| War, the chairman of the joint committee
| on the library, and the architect of the
Capitol, shall contract for and locate an
equestrian statue i'll bronze OF Gen. Ulysses
S Grant, to be erected on ground belonging
to the United States in this. city and to
pay the entire expense of the statue, the
pedestal and the preparation Of the site the
sum of Sp,CJo is appropriated. Sena tor
Squire said 10 a Star reporter this afternoon
that for three or four years past he has in
troduced bills similar to this in the hope of
getting the nation to erect at its capital city
a memorial to one of the greatest of Amerl-
can soldiers.
A Great Memorial.
ut has been a great disappointment to
me-" he said, that this proposition has
been neglected and the expenditure post
poned for one excuse and another, mainly,
however, on account of the alleged state
of finances. l can conceive of no more
patriotic thing that Congress could do, and
no more appropriate act than to pass such
a bill and to provide for the erection of this
statue in this city. The time has surely
elanCel 10 q :
fame that perspective that entities ii TO
everlasting commemcraton in substantial
form and to my mind the only question in
this connection is to the proper form
and character of the memorial! which the
nation should erect. 1t should be a great
thing, not mere passing monument or
some utiltarian project that does not COM
port with the true sentiment that should
attach to such an enterprise. In some cases
1t is well to commemorate fame by prac-
tical objects of every day use, such as
buildings and bridges which are called by
! the names of the men who are to be thus
| lmniortaliZed, but in the case of Grant L
| doubt if such is the proper course to pur-
| sue. In foreign capitals both kinds of COM
memoratirc art are to be found and in
almost every instance the e> ampleS are all
beautiful. 1t has been sugge gested in this
case that the memorial bridge, for which
| ;he Senate has already passed bill would
be the Proper medium of expressing this
grand sentiment on the part of The pee
pie. But l take a different view, and in
the bill which l have prepared have
broken away from this idea and have silp-
gested statue, in bronze that if de-
signed in the proper spirit and with sufIi-
cient breadth of treatment will give am
PIE room for expressing the sentiment of
the nation.
To Re Equcstrfan.
1T has been said that public commernora-
tive art in Washington has run too much
to the equestrian statue idea, and that fu-
,a,tS of al,
depart from this rule. 1, however, favor the
equestrian statue. In the case Of a man of
military fame such as Gen. Grant the eques-
triaE statue is mCst appropriate and that
form of expression has been found to be
far more striking than other forms For
example, the Peace monument at the foot
OF the Capitol Somehow or other that
MOI ument fails to strike the mind with the
force that its sentiment suggests. While
| in itself perhaps a beautiful thing ii does
| not strongly embody the principle that it
represents-the principle of peace bought
| by bloodshed.
AT the same time I think it would be
well to depart somewhat from the plain
statue idea that is eXempified in the Ham
cock memorial about to be unveiled, where
the simplicity Of the pedestal and sur
rodndings gives to the statue purely and
simply the character of representation of
man on horseback, however beautiful and
artistic the bronze itself may be. In this
connection l noted with pleasure the beau
sherman statue. In some of those designs
| the pedestal plans were exceptionally beau
tful. and perhaps it is in that respect that
l would prefer to see this memorial excel.
Il would like to the competition opea
to the artists Of the world. / would prefer
of course. that the memorial should be the
work of an American: but in case like
this the nation should have the hest the
very best that can be obtained The finest
talent that the wcrld can afford should be
summoned to suggest plans and ideas for
| this great work. which. If undertaken must
! be carried out on generous national lines.
Illustrative of Chnracterfstics.
II have in mind no especial site for the
| memorial Ny bill contemplates that it
shall be located on public ground, and 1t
was for that reason that the measure was
| referred to the committee on public build
ings and grounds. although in some senses
it properly belonged to the committee on
library. The memorial should be placed
where 1t can be readily seen from a dis
tance and amid surroundings that will har-
monize with it's character. The entire
effect should be symbolic of the life, char
acter and work of General Grant. 1 have
In mind two great memorials of this ma
and the other the Hotel des InvaIides in
Paris, the former commemorating the
fame of England's greatest naval COM
mander snd the latter marking the last
resting place Of the great Napoleon. In
each of these the surroundings AMI the
memorial itself are characteristic of the
| man and the events commemorated. In
| the case of the tomb of Napoleon there is
| the impression given of q somber tragic
fate, such as Napoleon suffered, while In
the case of the Nelson memorial In London
| the effect is different, just as the life and
circumstances of the man commemorated
| were different. In these two great works
| of art the central thought seems to have
been to preserve characteristics, and this
| 1 would have done in the Grant memorial
| m OrODOSeS.
Il cannot say, of course, as to the pros
poets of passing this measure. Every
year I have hoped to secure action upon it,
and while the opportunity for legislation
| this year seems slender, yet there is a
| chance that before the session is over suf-
| fcient attention may be attracted to the
proposition to cause the members Of Con-
gress to agree to enact this long-dclayed
proposition. I trust that The Star will
| agitate this matter, and that it's example
will be followed by other great newspapers
| in the country, to the end that in a short
time this national memorial, to one of
lsAmerfca's greatest sons, may become an
| architectural reality
| Return of the Queen.
1