Evening star., 1908-01-13
NO ACTION YET TAKEN.
Continued from First Page.

passage of an amendment containing an
express authorization. But We do not
consider that the present site was Sc
iected under this amendment. but under
the original act"
Gen. Dodge declared that he had never
received single letter protesting against
the present site. 1t had been accepted
by all. All sculptors and landscape
architects considered it fine and proper
site On the other hand. he had received
from individuals and societies of all kinds
protesting against any variation from the
present plans of the commission.
Even up to today" the general in
sisted, we have never had a single COM
munication asking that this memorial
be removed. The only thing we have had
Wnich In any way maybe construed as
criticism are three or four letters ask
ing THAT the trees be carefully removed
and preserved
trees can be removed with safety" he
saio. The Beck and Shepherd trees
are small. and there will be no difficulty
ABOUT them Nor do 1 believe there will
oe oe any great trouble in the transplanting
or the Crittenden oak"
In replying to a question of Repre-
sentative Thomas of North Carolina. a
member OF the committee, Gen Dodge
said the protests received were with
.tsie,ence .tae TO any variation from the par
ticular spot selected.
NO other plot will do" he said Some
DAY that will all be an open space When
"a street goes through we will have
mat ina whole square. When we located
the memorial in the Botanic Garden
we placed 1t SO that 1t would be in ac-
cora with the park commission plan, so
that II that plan is ever carried out the
memorial will be in harmony. The Ma
tlonal Museum building and the Agricul-
tural building-the new one-axe both
In harmony with the park commission
project"
Representative Sherley then wanted to
know II in the carrying out Of the park
commission plan 1t would be necessary
In the Botanic Garden.
Gen: Dodge didn't know. He said the
commission had adjusted the memorial
TO the park commissions general plan,
but had not gone into details.
SO other changes may be necessary"
suggested Representative Thomas. Gen.
Dodge admitted that this was so.
Secretary Taft's Explanation.
1T is mighty difficult to select a site
In Washington" remarked Secretary
Taft in beginning his remarks to the
committee. Some people say there
are lots Of sites here, but l want to
enter a denial Of that. Particularly is
this true with reference to u gigantic
The Secretary said that the site had
been selected before he became MEM
Der OF the commission. but he knew
from Secretary Root that the present
site had been chosen because 1t fitted
in with the park commission plan.
I know I am stepping on dangerous
ground in mentioning this park COM
mission plan" said the Secretary. but
/ know that is the motive through
which this site was selected, and /
thought 1 would saw So
Secretary Taft admitted frankly that
IL the memorial is put there on the
present selected site, being part of
the park commission plan, of course.
would have to go. It would be neces-
sary to make an imposing avenue be-
tween the Capitol and the Monument.
and all the trees in the way would
II don't deny that in a sense these
trees are historic" said Secretary Taft.
but they were not put there by acts
of Congress. There is no record of
their being put there except In the
memory Of man and through tradition.
and nothing of historic interest ever
occurred on that historic spot of which
they stand as evidences"
Discussing the question of changes fol-
lowing the erection of the m mortal on
this spot, Col. BromwelI admitted that
he expected. the fence around the grounds
would be removed.
Mr.. Olmstead's View.
Frederick Law Olmsted of Boston,
member of the advisory board OF the
Grant memorial. commission. said that
one reason he and Architect McKim OF
New York had been asked to advise the
Grant commission sif, the selection of
site was that they had been members of
the commission of experts which drew
up the plan known as the park commits
sion plan. The present site of the me-
mortal had been selected because 1t har-
monized with the park commission pro-
ject..
Henry II. Hicks of New York followed
Mr., Olmsted, and said that with the
proper apparatus he could transplant the
Crittenden oak and the other two his
toric trees with 99Sb OF chance In favor
of success.