The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-16
TROLLEY Cars HEAT HENRY CLAY
The Removal of Famous statue in New
Orleans Decided tpou.

NEW ORLEANS. July 1.-THE New Orleans
City Council has decided to remove the Clay
statue, which stands at tho junction Of Canal.
ROYAL and 81. Charles streets. and is to the Cres-
cent CITY what City Hall Park ia to New York. 1t
Is the official centre Of the city. the point from
which all distances are measured. where all
the stree ear lines centre II marks the shop
uin% centre and the political centre. II is az
much Part 81 New Orleans as the lovee. For
nearly twenty wears the City Council and tho
street car lines have been irving to get II out
o. The way rs nuisance. which it undoubtedly
is, while artists have protested against it as a
horror. Henry CLAW has triumphed over all
these. The statue has had so strong a hold on
the public that it has remained.
The statue was erected in 1888. when Clay
was the popular hero OF New Orleans Canal
street. the Broadway q the city. had then a
parkway in the centre. II was determined to
heuutfy 1t by the erection OF statues OF great
Americans at every intersccliug street. Then
the street cars came and lul' five parallel
tracks in the centre OF the street The
statues would have been in the way aud 80 no
more were erected Cha" was in the way too.
and an ATTEMPT was made - move him. but
popular sentiment forbade IL.
When Ben Butler took command at Now
Orleans he improved the statue 10y chissllins
CIaY's spesches in which h" denounced
slavery III he most violent terms This guo-
tatOp, az well as others craven on Now or
leans statues 10y Butler ALWAYS puzzled wish
tors. who could never UNDERSTAND why a South
ern city should show abolition continents on
its nOuumertS. The Butter lay Inscription
remained uUiil. a few wears ago when IL was
ordered "hiSellrd ont ~ not hriug a part OF
tn" original monument.
Originally the statue stood on broad gran.
it" hH~". wht'h set II off to advantage. but
greatly iut"r'erel with the street cars The
street ear romran"-, after falling to remove
ston" redest'l. The result is 'udIcrous. The
statue il there hui it cannot h" seen Henry
Claws head is surrounded Wv a network OF
trolley wires. \. the statue cannot he reached
unit! he is n sight to wonder at
But although cut Off from reach and largely
from view. popular sentiment is so largely
drawn 20 the statue. which is regarded in
as the statue of lallas AtheN In Athens that
1t may step in and prevent the removal after
all: for Henry Clay il not only the political
business and official centre Of New Orleans,
There are two places in New Orleans whore
massmeetings are held, IA avette square. OPP
posits the CITY Hall and the Clay statue A
meeting in LAFAYETTE square means a protest;
II gathering at Clay statue m-an1 a revolution
IL was here that the mobo gathered in old
KNOW Nothing DAYS. II WAS here that the Car
er revolution started in lSIn.which gave Pres
ident Grant so much trouble in Louisiana. 1t
was here that The White League ORGANIZED
on SEPT. H.. 1874. and, around the statue the
battle was Fought in which the league de-
icht"d the militia and police and ousted the Re-
in 1877 the NICHOLS forces were organizcd and
marched on tbs State House. The last epi-
sode in which the Clay statue figures was the
in 1891 and marched then to the lynchng Of
the Italians In the Parish prison.