The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-05-15
COL. JAS. G. BERRHr.
Sketch OF His Long and Successful Career
Continued.

whose Governmental is the seat. :" He said
mIAplEs AND GExTLEsEN.-In making a few re-
marks in response to the sentiment which has just
been announced by the Chair, it Will not be ex-
peeted of me that shall attempt, in the slightest
degree to rival the elaborate and learned EFFORTS OF
distinguished gentlemen here tonight In lllustrl-
ton OF the topic which has brought us together.
NV pursuits in life have little prepared me for such
a task Had they prepared me for such WORK or
had | been in any degree trained by traVei ana
study to enter into competition with gentlemen OF
sch cultivated tastes extensive uirements, and
distinguished abilities, place far too moderate an
estimate upon my humble powers to attempt TO
For the very few moments shall occupy your
time promise not to trespass beyond the legltl-
mate limits of the sentiment which has been pro-
pounded 1.-The City of Washington" the happy
home of so many of US, and hope not unpleasant
residence of those here who are merely solourners.
To most who hear me- and to whose ears from Inelr
early childhood the language of Chief Justice Mar
shall applied to our city's founder, nrSl III war,
first in peace and first in the hearts OF his country
men y Is as familiar MS household words it may ut
first excite surprise that should speak OF Nasnlhg-
ton as an artist. The craft-the gentlemen OF the
pencil and the chisel-need not be alarmed. 40
not propose to bring to light buried statue OF y
concealed picture which shall emulate the genius
OF Phidias ora Raphael II was not IN oorr9wil,s
the gorgeous hues of the rainbow, or tne supiIlIe
port and eountenance of the 1mmortalS-tne merely
mnistering to = refined taste ana cultivated eye
highly and Justly appreciated through all tlne us
those faculties have been-that our great warrior,
statesman and patriot, has, to my mlnd, won Ihe
title of artist Art, in liberal sense exlenGs Gt
ample definition, temples palaces gardens. arcnes,
sepuchres &c; in word any thing OF a monumental
nature calculated to commemorate tne herolsfn %
man, the splendor of re1gns, or the lnarch OI enl
pre And ii is in this larger sense that aluae 70
Washington an artist, as l will, IN very rev
He was unanimously elected President and en-
tered upon his first term of four years in lIS9 IN
the next year Congress, mainly through his 1nhu-
ence selected this site for the Capital and ten
years thereafter in 1900 the seat OF government was
removed here. 1t was of course, within the elght
wears OF his Presidency, which closed IN ll9, that
The plan of the city which is Submitted TO be MS was
matured and adopted. Though have been resi-
dent of the city for twenty years ana as lts cne
officer, have been under the daily necessity, Iof
nearly year, of studying infinitely us thorough-
fares | confess that the more careful inspection
have given it, in reference 10 TINS OCCASION nus re-
vealed to me evidence of an invention ana OF Il
design on the part of Washington, in the formation
of its plan which entities him to still larger meeu
of admiration and gratitude on the part OF those
who, like myself were in ignorance OF IT, imam lie
has yet received.
are just fifteen in number corresponding 10 tn IN,
"Old Thirteen with Vermont and Kentucky adj
mitted after the adoption OF the Constitution. ana
before the completion of the plan.
The second leading feature is, that Wnlie the
streets proper are ut right angles, due north ana
south and east and west, the fifteen avenues run
diagonally across the city in every direction, ut
their junction with each other forming twenty CIR
Giles or squares of various sizes, and fifty trangles
The third feature is, that. commencing at tne
north and with New Hampshire, the most north
ery State, and proceeding south, the avenues, as
nearly their irregularty will permit are naliieu
in the order OF the States ending with Georgia, the
then most southerly one half being north OF the
Capitol and half south of it. The Varlatloh from
this plan sufficiently marked to be noticeable is
that the three avenues nearly double the lehgih
of tile Others and spanning the city from the noftl-
west to the southeast borders some four i:lles IN
length named, in the order OF the StIes MasSa-
chusetts Pennsylvania and Virginia. If | may be
allowed to penetrate the thoughts oil the great
Presidentartist as he sat broodlng over TINS Deutl
full conception of his genius, and hesitating rs TO
the baptism of the most northern ana longest olth
avenues his great heart thought OF the theatre OF
the first blood shed in the deadly striteof LeXln
ton of Concord of Bunker Hill and OF CharlestoWn,
where he first assumed the office OF Comnander-lll-
Chief under instructions from Congress to "make
it his special that the liberties OF America re-
ceived no detriment." and, with mana VremDllhS
with emotion he chrisened it Massachusetts.
Pennsylvania, just midway between the three
States touches the Atlantic and the lakes thus
making it the keystone of the 'old thirteen" In
happy coincidence with that idea the name OF that
State is given to the noble avenue when cuts ql-
rectly through the centre of the Capitol ahd the
Presidents House. thus symbolizing the idea which
has distinguished PENNSYLVANIA as the keystone
of the arch The third of the long ave ues. named
after his own Virginia, aside from the distinction
of her sons and the splendor of her achieyementS,
was entitled to il on that account merely II Is
peculiarly appropriate that the Location OF the
clossal Washington Monument is in this avenue,
and directly in line with the PRESIDENT House Is
it venturing too much to conjecture that the dis
tincton given to Virginia and Massachusetts be-
yond the other States, in bestowing their names
upon the south and north of the longest avenues,
may have also been intended to be typical of their
containing the landing places-Jamestown and
Plymouth-ot the first emigrants from the Ola
Rejecting upon the results OF the very cursory
examination which MY limited time has enabled
me to give to the matter, it would seem as II the
presiding conception in the mind OF washington
in the planning of the Capital of the Union and the
n ming of the magnificent avenues which, while
they adorn, Interlace ana as IL We're, camp IL! III
every direction, was that of symbolizing the idea
not only of the contest of the cold Thirteen" fol
liberty, but of the relative position of the States
t,iobs Cd and Oh
agony and seas of blood, and for the perpetuation
of the priceless heritage to the latest generation OF
those who should traverse its broad streets
But shall this beautiful and grand conception OF
WashingtOn-thiS monument to the first true rep
resentatiye Republic (resting directly on the VIII
of the people) the world ever saw, ana destined
by the moral influence of its example to amelo-
rate the condition of the race-be suffered to re-
main unfinished and half as Ii now is? The rather
of his Country has furnished programme intended
not only as q monument to her institutions, but
upon carefully matured plan, calculated, through
the symbolic character of its conception, more in
timately to cement and bind together this sister
hood of States, however indefinite its extension.
The twenty circles and squares and the fifty tri'
angles to which have alluded may be considered
mere subsidiaries and accessories to the magnificent
scheme OF decoration and improvement, all to be IN
subordination to the leading idea OF cementlng ana
perpetuating the Union of the states by winch the
scheme is characterized.
of these seventy spaces, only about half dozen
have been even enclosed, and only one, Lafayette
Square, contains q monument of art. All the rest
remain in destitute condition, almost, as when
rulers could for moment d1vest themselves OF the
idea that in gradually decorating these vacant
places they are doing anything more than simply
CARRYING to its contamination the beautiful c0ncep
ton of Washington and in perfect harmony with
his leading, patriotic and generous thought, it Is
hardly possible to conceive that they would in
any narrow notion of economy, stint the means tc
do it, 1t is not for me, is this the OCCASION tC
suggest in what manner this shall be done But II
is obvious that in the way of incidental encourage
ment to art and artists, and OF concentrating, by
appropriate monuments of a decorative description
the character of institutions and the services
and achievements of our distinguished men, al
ways in consonance with the thought OF our city
great founder, is duty which, if considered in the
light have suggested, could hardly be dlsregardeo
by those of the peoples representatives who would
give expression to the patriotic and conservative
feeling of the country.
I viii make Simple allusion to one decoration
already commenced and suspended. l allude tc
the filling of the pediments of the centre, and o.
the new wings, of the Capitol These pediments,
three in number look toward the east and face the
colossal sitting statue of Washington by Greenough
in the eastern grounds. | learn that hgures, some
twelve or fifteen in number to fill the centre pedl-
ment were prepared by the lamented Crawford,
symbolizing the material interests and progress o.
the country, the central and tallest piece being
liberty with her cap The pediments of the soutl
and the north wings, l am informed, have not beer
ordered to be filed. l venture to make the sug
geStion that an appropriate design for the sOutf
one would be the landing of the first en1grants al
Jamestown in Virginia, and for the north one the
landing fourteen years later of the first emigrant
at Plymouth, in Massachusetts. What could bC
more in keeping with the leading idea in the con
ceDtiOn of the plan of the city, and what more ap
propriate spectacle to face, for ages, it might b.
hoped, the magnificent statue of Washington, thar
such a symbolzation of the landing of the frs
emigrantS at the south and north the two JOINED
together as it were, in the centre pediment by
Crawford's noble types of material progressive
complement of strength and union-with th'
croWning token of Liberty "now and forever" il
the centre, gazing with intent regard and triumph
ant air and mien directly upon the Father of hi
Country, who sitting in majestic and soitar!
grandeur, and it may be supposed in gratifed ant
grateful contemplation of the perfect fruition o
sword, and with his right arm points upwards II
that God of Battles-the author and fnisher of the
work?''
These remarks were published at the time
by request of the Art Association, in the daily
newspapers of Washington.
May I, 1860, Colonel Berret was unanimous
lie re-nominated as the Democratic candidate
for Mayor He was again opposed by Richard
Wallack, whose friends induced DR.. r. B
Magruder to become an Independent Demo
cratic candidate, by which means they hoped
to secure Mayor Berrets defeat. In view 0
the approaching Presidential election, NOR,
than usual interest was aroused in Washing
ton and elsewhere, as to the result of this cleo
ton Meetings were held nightly in each o
the election precincts, and addresses deliver
ed by leading United States Senators, anC
prominent members of the House of Repre-
sentatiyes. The election was held June 4
1860, and resulted in triumph for the Demo
cracy by plurality vote.
The correspondence which followed hi
nomination was published at length in thu
! L.