Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-21
NO PLACE FOR THE GRANT
MEMORIAL.
Choose a New Site.
From the Washington Post.

| From the Washington Post.
| The prompt and emphatic action of the
President, not to mention the equally
gratifying course of Secretary Taft, As
| sistant Secretary Oliver and Mr.. Conrad
| H Syme, has completely removed the
| danger which for time seriously men
aced the historic Crittenden and other
trees it would have been an act of van
dalism to destroy. and appreciation of the
efforts of these men has already been ex-
pressed by the Post.
Now, however, that the danger of the
trees has been removed we cannot too
strongly emphasize the folly. of placing
the Grant memorial in the Botanic Gar
den at all. 1t is no place for it. and the
| Grant memorial commission will be false
to its trust If it permits itself to be
further used by the promoters of the
park commission scheme. This memorial
is to be Of massive size, occupying, with
| it's elaborate base and collateral figures,
| A space approximating 2O0 feet in length.
No adequate appreciation of it's beauty
can be secured except from such distance
as will permit the eye to grasp it in its
| entirety and at no such distance can II
| be viewed If placed in the Botanic Gar
| den. '-.. y
| Erected at the foot of Capitol Hill and
at the lower end of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. only one point will afford anything
| approaching a satisfactory view OF TINS
perhaps, most artistic monument to be
! raised in the National capital That point
will be the terrace of the Capitol. and
even from there it cannot be seen with
| out sacrificing the row of fine old trees
| which guards the lower edge of the Capt.
| toll grounds. There can be discovered no
satisfactory reason for the selection OF
| the Botanic Garden site. the only ap-
parent purpose being the determination
of the park commission to force the adOp-
| ton of its scheme to clear the eastern
portion of the Capitol grounds and the
| Mall of all the fine old trees which con-
stitute their chief ornament and to create
| a vista from the Capitol to the approach
| to the proposed memorial bridge, vista
which could never be made to conform
| satisfactorily even to the plans or the
commission, because the Washington
Monument Is 100 feet or more out OF
center, and the preservation of the Crit
tenden tree will necessitate the placing
of the Grant statue also off center.
Certainly the statue of one of the ma
tons greatest soldiers should be put to
better use than to further the personal
ambitions of a group of architects VINO,
having been repudiated by Congress ana
pronounced to have no legal existence by
the Attorney General, are still deter
mined to foist their services on the Sapi-
tal nolens volens.
Even If the park commissions scheme
for denuding the Mall of the trees it has
taken years to grow were adopted, now
ever, the Botanic Garden would AFFORD
no satisfactory or effective site for the
Grant memorial 1t should occupy the
most commanding position available,
where ample space on all sides will AFFORD
an unobstructed and satisfying view. No
sentimental reasons can be al eyed 10
dictate a site in close proximity to the
home of Congress. for no President had
fewer relations with the national leglsla-
ture, in which he never served.
The ellipse back of the White House,
where he lived and administered the af-
fairs of the nation. whose unity he had
done SO much to preserve. would furnish
an ideal site and possibly there are 9TH
ers almost as desirable. Certainly 1t
would be hard to lind a SPOT less desira-
be than the one selected. The Grant me-
mortal commission should awake from
the lethargy into which it has been lulled
by the Establishments of the park COM
mission and procure a site in some degree
commensurate with the dignity and ex-
cellence of the great monument it has in
charge.