The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-01
COMMISSIONS SIDE.
WHAT CAPT. ELLIS SAYS ABOUT
LOCATION OF MONUMENTS.
DISCUSSES RESPONSIBILITY.
ONLY NECESSARY THAT FACTS
ABOUT ORDINANCE BE KNOWN.

Park and Tree Commission Objected
From the Beginning to the Bull
and Gaston street Location for the
Monuments-Was Left No AIternn-
tive by the City COuncil-CRPt. Ell
lis Suggests Removal of sphinxes
TO the south Entrance to Park.
Monuments Would BE at One En-
trance and the Sphinxes at the
other, Rather Than All Four Be-
ing HuddIed observation-disclosures or
Satisfactory Settlement of the
Capt. c. S. Ellis, vice chairman of
the Park and Tree Commission, was
asked yesterday who was responsible
for the location of the Barlow and
McLaws monuments at the Bull and
Castor street entrance to Forsyth
Park
To fix clearly the responsibility for
the selection of the two sites for the
moments to Generals Barlow and Nc
Laws" said Capt Ellis. lit is
only necessary for the public
TO know the exact facts in connec-
ton with the ordinance adopted by the
city. The objections now made to the
placing of the Barlow and McLaws
monuments were patent to the Park
and Tree Commission from the begin
ming. When the subject was preached
by the Confederate Association. the
Commission discussed it thoroughly,
and practically decided that the most
Appropriate place for the monuments
was in the southern part of the Park
facing the Confederate Monument.
Not the Commissions Choice.
when 1t became known that this
was the opinion of the commission. a
committee from the Confederate Assoc
citation went before the City Council
and urged them to instruct the COM
mission to place the monuments at the
CASTOR street entrance, facing Bull
street, giving, among other reasons,
that they should be in a more con-
spicuous notwithstanding Bull street
so that they would be observed by
strangers driving up Bull street, and
that the sculptor objected to the mon
uments being placed in the background,
in front.
"The result of this appeal was the
passage of an ordinance, March 6, 1901,
giving consent to the erection of the
two monuments, ON both sides of the
Castor street entrance Zone on the east
side and the other on the west side),
near the northern end of the park, pro-
vided that the permission of the Park
andsTree Commission. shall be obtained,
which commission Shall fix the exact
locations of the monuments
why was not Chairman Daffin pres
ent at the meeting of the commission
and the Confederate coInmittee?'s Capt.
Ellis was asked.
- The Cenlm IssiOn's Action.
"In September, 1901, the commission
was requested by the Confederate AS
sociation to meet with their commit
tee and designate the sites for the
monuments. The meeting took place by
appointment on Sept. IL, the Park and
Tree Commission being regularly called
together for this purpose. The chair
man being absent, l, as vice chairman,
called the meeting. 1t was understood
at this meeting that the plan of the
Confederate Association had been
agreed to by Council and the monu-
ments were to face Bull street
on either side of the entrance
to the park. There was no authority
to place the monuments within the
area of the CASTOR street entrance,
or in that of the park proper-the re-
quirement was that they be placed on
either side of it. There was no per-
mission to place them on or beyond
the northern end of the park proper
they were to be placed near it. The
old line of the park was the iron rail-
ing, which formerly enclosed Forsyth
Park. This was on line with the
present line of the hospital and in
cludes half of the present walk north
of the park. Placing the monuments
either north or south of this line. it
was thought, would obstruct the walk
too much one way or the other, so
the sites We're finally designated at
the intersection of this old park line
and a line drawn through the middle
of the Bull street sidewalk on either
side. The only discretion the commits
sion had was to fix the exact loca-
tons" within this pre-fiXed area and
they could fix them nowhere else with
out ignoring the positive mandate Of
the municipal authority. Had the
commission been vested with discre-
ton, it would have selected very diff
ferent sites"
Monuments Too Crowded.
What suggestion have you to make
now, Capt. Ellis, as to placing the
monuments
-Four monuments within this re-
stricted area will give a crowded APP
pearance to the entrance to the park
If the SphinXes were removed to the
Southern part of the park, facing the
Confederate monuments more fitting
position-their places could be occu-
pied by the busts of the Confederate
generals-who would then be at the
front. a more natural place for them
and where in life, they always were
to found"
Did the commission attempt to in
fiuence the position for the monu-
ments2'
ION March 4, and previous to the
passage of the ordinance, the chair
man of the commission, Mr.. Daffin, ad-
dressed a letter to the Mayor, request
ing him to delay action on the ordi-
nance until the commission could be
heard To this communicat ton no re-
ply was received. At the first meeting
af the commission after the naSSa 90