The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-16
THE REGENTS SIDE OF 1T
EXPLAIN MORTON STATUE CONTRO-
vERsY IN THEIR REPORT.
No Violation of Any Moral Obliga-
tiOns in Making the Change
Mrs. Morton's Circular.

completion of the fountains and placing of
pedestaIs for the candelabra. The greater
part of the report. however, is given Up to
a discussion of the Morton statue question
! Upon this subject the report says
Another matter of controversy and an
ncyance to which the board of regents has
| been subjected, has been caused by the re-
| moval of the statue of the late Governor
| Morton from it's position facing Meridian
| street TO its present position fronting the
southeastern. segment of Monument place.
| me board of regents, in its resolve to carry
| out, in all its details, the original design
| for the Improvement of Monument place de-
termined not to interfere with it's execution
| or TO inject its own ideas in this important
! work. They determined to complete it in sv-
| cry feature, in accordance with the we'll
matured views of the artist, Prof Bruno
Schmitz Every change and departure from
the original design, which. was suffered to
| be made by the late board of commission
| ers, proved failure and useless expendi-
MRS. MoRToNs CIRCULAR.
"As soon as the change of position was
made, as designed in the plan for the i'm
provement of Monument place and the stat
lie of Governor Morton placed in it's present
place, Mr.. Oliver I. Morton on benalf of
himself and on behalf of his mother, the
widow of Governor Morton, protested
against the removal of the statue Mrs. Nor
ton also addressed a communication on the
| subject to the board of regents, and subse-
| quently honored the board by representing
the matter at one of its meetings. Since that
| time Mrs. Morton has been pleased to issue
| circular, containing her letter to the
| board OF regents, with an indorsema emit of
James :. Dodge, commander of the Depart
| ment OF Indiana, Grand Army of the Re
public, and accompanied by lengthy state
| ment of Mr.. George j. Langsdale, late pres
| ldent of the board of commissioners of the
state soldiers and sailors monument, pur-
| porting TO give his personal recollection of
! certain negotiations with Mrs. Morton, con-
| nected with the removal of the statue from
| Its original position in Circle Park, after it
| had been determined to erect the monument
This circular of Mrs Morton has been
! widely distributed to the press and among
| the posts of the Grand Army throughout
| the State, with the evident intention to Gre
ate an adverse sentiment and by that means
| force the board of regents to replace the
statue at the point of the intersection of
Meridian street with Monument place This
| board of regents is based upon the false as
sumption that Mrs. Morton and her family
| and the Grand Army of the Republic have
some kind of proprietary interest in the
statue of Governor Morton the site upon
which it was originally erected.
HISTORY OF THE STATUE
I'm November, 1877, after the death of
| Governor Morton, many of his friends met
in the United States Courtroom in this
city and took steps for the erection of a
| monument in remembrance of his great and
inestimable services to the State and Ma
| ton in the war of the rebellion. To carry
into effect this laudabie plan, the Morton
Memorial Association was organized, with
| Gen. Lew Wallace president. The statue of
| Governor Morton was cast and paid for by
the Morton Memo ial Association. The nee
| essary funds were contributed by the num-
| erous admirers of Governor Morton through
| out the State. The General Assembly of the
State of Indiana authorized the Morton Me-
| mortal Association to place the statue in the
| center of the Circle Park, where it stood
| until the erection of the monument. There
| is no record which the board of regents has
been able to discover by which it can be
shown that the Morton Memorial Associa-
ton relinquished ownership, by gift 9TH
erwise, or transferred its title to the statue
or its site to anybody. and, as far as known,
nobody, or individual, has any personal
LAS for the Grand Army posts of the
State passing resolutions, demanding the re-
placing of the statue, it sutfices to say that
at the time of the organization of the Nor
ton Memorial Association, and for some
time thereafter, that the Grand Army of the
Republic had no existence as an organiza-
ton In its present form, and while, no doubt
the funds may, in great measure, have
been contributed by individuals who have
since become, and are now. members of the
present Grand Army of the Republic. that
organization has no property interest in the
i Morton statue.
II THE board of regents has examined the
record made by it's predecessor. the Board
of Commissioners of the state soldier. and
sailors monument. The only entry found
relating to this subject reads as follows:
Meeting of Feb. Is, 1888, afternoon ses-
sion
ION motion the president was requested
to call on Mrs. Morton, with Mr.. Schmitz
and State Treasurer Lemcke, for the pJr-
pose of explaining to her the proposed ar
rangements in respect to the statue of Gov
ernor Morton, now in Circle Park
Meeting of Feb. 20, 1888:
g The president reported that he and the
architect and State Treasurer Lemcke had
called on Mrs. Governor Morton. and had
shown her the accepted design for the mon
ument and explained the intentions of the
architect and of the commission in regard
to the statue Of Governor Morton, and that
Mrs. Morton had cheerfully consented to the
placing of the statue in adjustment and
harmonious relation to the monument, ac-
cording to the designs of the architect
THE last and only other entry on the
record of the late Board of Commissioners
in relation to the Morton statue appears
under date of May %, 1898, and is as fol-
lows:
=" Mr.. Oliver r. Morton was present and
stated that he desired to submit plan for
the pedestal of the Morton monument, and
that it was his mothers wish that the
statue remain on its present site.
FAMILY ASSENT TO CHANGE.
On motion Of Commissioner English, it
was decided that the Morton monument be
located about twelve feet north from the
south rim of Monument place, and that the
other three subsidiary statues be relatively
located. This motion was made with the
assent of the son of Governor Morton for
himself and other members of the family
any sound or sufficient reason which caused
any negotiations to be entered into about
the removal of the statue The Board of
Commissioners had no right to enter into
! agreements, as stated by Mr.. Langsdale
and the action taken by the Board of Com
missioners was uncalled for, entirely per-
functory and altogether sentimental There
| IS no violation of any moral obligation:
there is nothing in the transaction binding
the board of regents TO any particular pol
| icy. AS to- the effect of the present position
| of the statue opinions differ: but neVerthe-
less, it may be stated that the change and
its harmonious effect upon the surround
| ings is almost universally approved.
| The board of regents is composed of vet
| cram soldiers who revere the memory of
Governor Morton and cherish his name and
fame they are loath to believe that their
| action removing the statue to it's present
( position is made the means of woundng
aim of the board of regents is to complete
| the monument in a form which will meet
| the approval of the people of the State of
| Indiana, and they have no desire to engage
| in any contentious.
| THE act Of the General Assembly of the
! State of Indiana. March IL, 1895 creating
| the board of regents of the state soldiers
| and sailors monument, prescribing it's
| duties. ETC., among other things provides as
| follows: Sec Z. The said board of regents
| of the state soldiers and sailors monu-
incurred by their predecessors. the/commis-
| sioners of the state soldiers and sailors
monument. and carry to completion as far
| may be desirable and practicable the
| work heretofore inJrusted to their super
vision and control, and in accordance with