The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-22
GETTING To
WORK ON THE
MONUMENT
Some New Ideas for
DeWey's Statue.
IMPORTANT MEETING TUESDAY
VARIED SUGGESTIONS AS TO LO-
CATION TO BE SELECTED.
One Man Who Thinks It Would Be
Good to Use Stone From the
Admiral's Native
State.
MEETING TUESDAY
VARIED SUGGESTIONS AS TO LO-
CATION TO BE SELECTED.

The next meeting of the Committee to
Erect a Monument to the American Navy
in Commemoration of the Victory of
Admiral Dewey at Manila" will be an i'm
portant one, for there will then be set
tied the approximate amount the commit
tee will attempt to raise and also the
manner of raising that amount.
From the way the idea has found the
public fancy and from the enthusiasm it
has inspired it has become apparent that
the committee need not stint itself. Sums
ranging from $50 900 to $50 900 have been
suggested and the limit seems to be
prompted by thought of what the tax
payer will have to bear in the improve
ments already contemplated rather than
what sum the committee will be able to
gather There will be no trouble in gath
erng either of the sums suggested, so the
committee has wide range to choose
from.
AS to the method of collection there
are various ways suggested, but nothing
will be done until some banking company
shall have been selected for treasurer.
There is general idea, however, that
some method by which every one would
find it easy to contribute, should be adopt
ed. Collectors are not altogether accept
able to several members of the commit
tee but all seem to favor a proposition to
cStaDISn cOllecllOH dBeICltS al oNtl liic
city where the willing may contribute be-
fore they can spend the patriotic dollar.
The location of the monument is an
other subject of discussion. Should it be
in the city or a the park, and If in the
city should it be down town or up town
or on the street or in some square? There
are all kinds of possibilities in this situa-
ton and they are being thrashed out by
the members of the committee as well as
the public at large-for every one seems
willing to take hand in the enterprise.
Ex-Mayor Pond believes the monument
should be placed in some such place as
Union Square He thinks. too, that be-
tween fifty and one hundred thousand
dollars would be sufficient. The people
will be called upon for a good deal in the
near future he says, land l don't think
the amount should go above 100000 in any
case"
There are others who have a different
opinion, however. Charles L. Patton be-
lieves in putting as much as possible into
the monument. ut is the greatest victory
of modern times we are commemorative, ;"
he says, "and we should see that our mon
ument is far above anything ever at
tempted here. Lick gave about 100000 for
the statue in front of the City Hall, and
as a city we can certainly afford to give
at least half as much more. 1 believe.
the proper way we had better let it alone.
Let US spend all the money we can get so
long as we get the full worth of what we
spend. l believe in downtown site, too.
a site in one of the parks. The monu-
ment would then be nearer to the people
in their everyday life.
There is another thing. This monu-
ment ought to be the result of the sub
scriptions of all the people of the city.
w Oh Of of,Nt
which would be in the nature of a souve-
mir. There are a great many who would
not care to keep such a thing. but there
are as many more who would value such
a thing and keep 1t for years. There
might also be an entertainment of some
kind. People like to attend such enter
tainments, for it allows them to work off
surplus patriotism and cheer and yell to
their hearts content. Then, too, it might
be made a feature of the Fourth of July
celebration. To dedicate this years cele-
braton to the victory at Manila would be
a thing to take the public fancy and would
bring home to the people that they have
some hand in the building of the monu-
ment as we'll as the committee. So far as
the unwilling of the monument is con-
cerned l believe it should be set for the
1st of next May-DeWey day. 1t will take
all of that time for the preparation of the
plans, inc -SeltCllOl Ol the design, the
modelling the molding, the casting,
the building OF the pedestal and
the collection of the money II
we could unveil the monument as the
feature of the next Dewey day pro-
gramme we would be ahead of them all;
1t would show the people of the country
that Western patriotism is of the active
kind
The following suggestion is submitted
to The Call by a man who is personally
acquainted with the great admiral
MILLS COLLEGE. CAL May 49, 1899.
San Francisco Call, San Francisco: 1 have
just seen to-day's issue of your valuable paper
and most heartily approve of the proposition
to erect a heroic statue and monument fol-
Admiral Dewey. whose great achievement al
Manila lifted tremendous burden of anxiety
from the minds and hearts of hosts of people
| on the Pacific Coast Dewey's victory saved
| the Pacific States millions of money that would
have been expended for defense If he had
| failed to destroy the Spanish fleet l would
suggest that the principal stone in the monu.
ment be of the beautiful granite which abounds
| in the immediate vicinity of Dewey's native
| place in the Green Mountain State. Vermont
granite is the foundation of the everlasting
| hills and is the right material to commem-
crate the memory of George Dewey and the
battle of Manila Bay. Yours truly
B. s. NICHOLS.
1t might be a graceful act to have the
capstone of the pedestal, if practicable OIL
some part of it. of the Vermont stone
but the monument would be a Californian
offering and the general opinion is that
it should be of Californian material Il
has also been suggested that the
statue be made in part of meta
obtained from some of the guns captured
by Dewey, but again it is believed it Is
better to have any captured guns mount
| ed as part of the monument There is 3
grim significance in a rusty old gun, es.
pecially when it has been captured
Funeral Of r. G. Sargentson.