New-York tribune., 1902-10-28
WHY A STATUE TO BOSS SHEPHERD?
A DISCRIMINATING. coMMoN-sENsE VIEW OF HIS
CLAIMS.
From The Evening Post

\
CLAIMS.
From The Evening Post
The movement 10 give place TO the late Alex
ander r. Shepherd among the chosen few whose
monument has attracted attention. especially in
We're the question merely one OF personal merit
OF demert We might perhaps inquire whether il
not better 10 follow an order OF preference
in the erection OF our memorials ana whether whether
IKE G jay S4s6n & 0T ay nd ana AK as
dence OF one whose claims merely local. But
m IortS or Youth? In stating who Mr. shepherd
was and what he did we shall confine ourselves
to facts which all must ad limit e. - -
through Mr.. Shepherds governorship, including
that Of his downfall. NAV be found substantially
@sHEPHERsDi ALEX R. &. CO.. Plumbers and
We do not mean 10 imply that he was but
commonplace plumber. That he was much more
that he a man Of extraordinary activity and
vigor-may be inferred from the finding of the
Of tB Board Of Pubic Works was practcsy the
beard. and exercised lis powers as ABSOLUTELY as
if no one else had been associated with him
Proba bly, the same thing might have been said of
gov gov eTnment But With ali This vgor the results
show that shepherd was neither an administrator
ministrator he would have foreseen the results of
amount Of millions of dollars. without public COM
petition 10 thousand different men 10 be selected
Insure RH ti the best st y 6ve Work NS with PTo
Had he been engineer he would have seen the
necessity ~ no. @ IIs nrsnareG b w9TK
nH"vement Had he been a fnancier he would have
seen the necessity of keeping a rigorous check
indehtedress. Being none or these three he pro-
ceeded execute great public works with prepara-
erection Of house than those required for tho
purpose. ALL. ID, .. 10 +o,d 7, - t..
in ntricial documents II "a fresh in the memory
~ all who then lived IN WASHINGTON or
1s-3 when the Congressional Committee made its
Investigation. there was opened up from the first
Sithon parallel in the municipal history this
or anv other country. Under authority to eXDend
500 eyonnted mt 10 about ss6ooS or moTe tbse
tbrae times that authorized. Multiplicity of
Essence OF order from beginning 20 end, were such
that the committee had TO acknowledge its in
ability to get 20 the bottom Of the affair. and
%%econimended that the subject should be Consd-
dred by some other authority. When this was
6nally done the claims were found to he much
And this immense expenditure had been incurred
IN the short space 9t three Years ana for city OF
Tbe' volume Of indebtedness accumulated was
In that II was impossible for the city ~ bear II
seSnnning thereafter one-half Of the municipal ex-
asS9eess Through this help and the adoption Of
PtIonal methods Washington was made what it
niamed for shepherd may be that of one who
yoiGd t1nbiic end We may suppose that he was
gooS1oundlv struck with the indifference Of Con-
pIuLle IN the condition OF the city and the seem-
fiiffculty OF AWAKENING the nation To a sense
OF IL renkless the expendIture the greater the de-
81 s more likely would be the attainment of the end
in view he iIs nse bacnr 6e G9hoernned ob nut
&c posteritv would praise him for what he had
brought & &ap4It d ht @ S t sie S9nsla-
eiSe We leave that to the promoters of the scheme
T,rSer consideration But the question which we
20 our posterity TO teach II great lesson OF
national Dolicy'