Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-08-20
WILL COMPLETE
THE monument

The remotest possibility that COM
plications may arise to hold up or
cause delay in the building of the SOL
diers' monument seems to be now re-
moved. Our readers will be gratified
to learn that there has been a general
reversal of opinion as to the intent Of
tie act of assembly of April 3. 1903,
which provides that ION the petition
of at least fifty citizens to the court of
quarter sessions for the erection or
completion of monument in memory
of the soldiers and sailors OF the late
war it shall be the duty of said court
to lay said petition before the grand
jury, and. if approved by two success
sive grand juries, and said court the
county commissioners shall be auth
orized to erect or complete any monu-
ment now partly completed, and main
tain at the county seat suitable
monument in memory of the soldiers
and sailors of the late war of the re-
bellion.
1t will be recalled that some six
weeks ago considerable controversy
was set OH foot by the appearance of
newspaper article, in which it was set
forth that the county commissioners
did not believe that they were en-
powered to pay the money-tive thou
sand dollars-recomm by two
successive grand juries over to the SOL
diers' monument committee, but that
it devolved upon them to "erect" the
monument themselves out of the mo-
ney donated by the county augmented
by such funds as the soldiers monu-
ment committee already had in its
possession. The soldiers monument
committee, it will be recalled, had al
ready gone on with the work and had
not only constructed the foundation
of the monument, but had awarded the
contract for the memorial to the Van
Amringe Granite company, of Boston.
1t was pretty plain that the monument
could not be erected without the five
thousand dollars due from the county,
so that the situation was one in which
grave complications were apt to arise.
Under the act of April 3, 1903. which
authorizes the commissioners to "er-
ect" or complete any monument on
the recommendation of two successive
grand juries the soldiers monument
held that the county com.
could very consistently pay
the five thousand dollars over to the
They took the view that
the monument was already begun; the
was completed and the
itself was contracted for;
nothing therefore, was left for the |
county commissioners but to com
plete" the monument. This, they held. /
would. of course, imply recognition
Of the contract already awarded to the |
Van Amringe Granite company. as
we'll as payment of the money donat-
ed by the county over into the hands
)f the soldiers monument committee
1uIs VIEW, IL seeus, was lhleI du- |
opted by the county commissioners,
themselves. The petition of fifty citiz-
,ns presented to the court asking for
The erection or completion of a SOL
1iers' monument, which was success
'ively approved by the grand iuries of
January and February terms of court,
respectively, on Saturday was approx /
ed by Judge Evans and returned to
the prothonotary with instructions ,
that the proceedings be certified to
the county commissioners.
1t is now up to the county commits |
iioners. The latter officials made their
Intention perfectly clear to a repre-
of this paper Saturday. They |
nave been instructed by the court to
1ay the five thousand dollars over to
The soldiers monument committee and |
hey will comply without any more
The only question in
Tolved at present is whether the mo-
ney shall be paid over now, while the
work is in progress, or later. when the
is completed The county
commissioners take the latter view of
the matter
NAEE KNIHyXThT