The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-03
FOR HALL Of FAME
DISTINGUISHED GEoRGIANs WHOSE
STATUES ARE TO ADORN 1T.
OPINIONS DIFFER WIDELY.
AZ TO WHO ARE ENTITLED TO THE
HONOR.

col George A. Mercer md Non. Pope
narrow Give Their Views of the
subiect-CoI. Mercer Selects 4. IL.
stephens and ELI whitney, While
MFR. Barrow Picks Out Gen. Ogle-
thorpe and DIR. Crawford w. Long.
The Last Named Was the Dis
coverer of Anaesthesia-COl. Mer-
Ger Agrees That GEN. OglethOrpe
should Be Chosen, If One Not Born
In Georgia Is Eligible for Selec-
ton.
There seems to be some difference Of
,,ninion among the citizens of Savan-
nah as to which of the great men Of
the state deserve recognition in the
hall of statuary at Washington. Sew
oral of the city's most representative
citizens were interviewed yesterday
and scarcely two of them agree as to
the men whose statues shall ornament
the hall.
The hall of statuary has been es-
+ahltshed for twenty or twenty-five
years and for large part of that time
i has been the intention of the people
Of this state to cause the statues to
he carved and placed in position. For
one reason or another, frequently With
ont anv reason at all, this has never
baan done. In the meantime almost
sverv state in the Union, including
even those most recently admitted, has
had statues of two of it's most dis
in the hall
As has been told in the Morning
News. the Legislature of the state has
adonted a resolution providing for the
orac+ion of these statues and 1t seems
Trobable that they will be placed IN
Ioeirion as soon as those to be honored
have been named and the money need
Cd for the purpose has been raised.
As has been stated there is decided
difference of opinion as to whose stat
ues shall ornament TINS nail SoI'
George A. Mercer was seen yesterday,
ma asked to give his opinion. He SAID
mat in the absence of exact informa-
ZION as to the requirements of those
whose statues were to be given place
in the hall he found it difficult to ex-
rress an opinion, but he believed that
Alexander H. stephens should be
named in any event. If Gen. Ogie-
thorpe. who was not citizen OF
Georgia, but who was man to Wnom
the state owes more than to any oth-
er could be considered eligible, Ger
tainlv he should be chosen above and
before all others Col. Mercer enter
tanned some doubt as to the eligibility
OF Gen. Oglethorpe for such an honor.
In the next place Col Mercer would
select Eli Whitney, the inventor OF the
cotton gin.
Look" said Col Mercer. cat the
vast benefit this invention has brought
to Georgia and to all of the Southern
states. It is certain that if it were not
for the cotton gin the cotton crop of
the country would not to-day equal
one-fourth of that of the Southern
states. l consider Whitney one of the
greatest men the South has known
Mr.. Pope Barrow thought there
should be no difference of opinion as
to the selection of the first OCCUPANT
of this hall Of fame. In his opinion
no patriotic Georgian could overlook
the claims Of Gen. Oglethorpe or deny
him a vote.
Cen Oglethorpe is responsible for
the establishment of the colony" said
Mr.. Barrow. land for the fact that
such state as Georgia now exists.
Had it not been for him no such place
as Georgia would have been on the
map. When the Revolutionary War
broke out he was offered the command
Of the British troops on this continent
and refused it, on account of his at
lection for the citizens of this state and
his love for Republican institutions.
TT seems to me that DR.. Long, DR..
Crawford w Long. is almost equally
entitled to receive the honor. DR. Long
was the discover of anaestheSia, and
the first man to announce to the world
the benefits of This discovery There
has been no discovery for the past CEN
fury that has brought so much good to
the people of the human race; none
that has relieved so much suffering,
that has permitted such steady and
marked advancements in the science
Of surgery, or that has done SO much to
ir1prove the standing of the human
race"
And so IL goes. There is no fixed
and general opinion as to those who
should receive the honor, but, on the
contrary, a wide difference of view on
this subject There is no probability
that, should the money needed be rails
ed and the statues be placed m posi-
ton, there would be any dearth of par
tisans for the selection of particular
men. Georgia has produced a number
OF men who may aptly be denominate1
great. and there are many whose
friends are in position to produce and
prove good title to the honor of selec-
ton for a place in this national hall
Of fame.
A number of other citizens who were
interviewed refused to discuss the
question on the ground that they had