Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-12
Addresses by Senator Lodge and Am
bassador Bryce.
ASSOCIATION ELECTS OFFICERS
Purpose Stated to Be the Erection OF
a Statue to Memory of
Great Financier.

Ian being chosen temporary chairman.
Brief addresses were made by Senator
Lodge of Massachusetts and Ambassador
Bryce on Alexander Hamilton. the senator
declarins that Hamilton was the greatest
constructive statesman in the history of
the United States. and the ambassador
upholding him in his assertion.
Senator Lodge said he was glad to see
a movement started to erect a statue to
Hamilton in Washington. where there
should have been one long ago. II have
personal interest in Hamilton he said.
in addition to the political and historical
interest. for my great-grandfather. whose
seat in the Senate / now have the honor
to occupy. was q close friend of Hamil-
ton. giving him steady support in all the
measures he proposed. and 1 was brought
up to revere the memory of Hamilton.
gazing upon the portrait OF him by Trum-
Dull which now hangs over the mantel-
piece in my study Thus l come by my
admiration for Hamilton naturally. and I
have strengthened it by writing his biog-
raphy and by editing his works.
Hamilton was a brilliant soldier. who
led charge that carried a redOubt at
Yorktown; he was the greatest political
writer of his time: he was great lawyer
and a great orator. and. after all these
years which have passed, 1t may be truly
statesman whom the nation has known.
His great public writings lie at the bot
tom of our government organization and
are the foundation of one OF our great
schools of political thought 1t was due
to him that the meeting at Annapolis de-
veloped into the convention at Philadel-
phia. where the Constitution was born.
Fame Stands the Test.
1.-The Federalist was written chiefly by
him. Owing to the defeat of his party,
his fame was for time obscured, but
this fame has stood the test of endurance
by increasing steadily, year after year.
He was appreciated abroad in his life
time by his development Of our foreign
policy. in conjunction with his great chief
"a foreign policy which we still observe.
1t was Talleyrand who said of him: He
He mas OWNED Europe When the Ger
man empire was formed and the states
consolidated it was to the pages of the
Federalist that Bismarck turned to con-
suit Hamilton's arguments on federation.
And / know that during the recent rise
of the tariff question in England. states
men OF that country have consulted Ham
ilton's great report on manufactures:
II feel that I also represent Massachu-
sets at this meeting. for that state was
always federal and 1 think that the
first statue to Hamilton was erected In
Boston. The state always stood by him,
and the tradition has never been lost.
1T is not creditable to the nation that
there il no statue In ~ ashington to the
man who did more than any other to or
ganize the nation. and hope that I
shall live to see the day when the statue
shall stand before the Treasury, looking
toward the Capitol
Mr.. Justice Harlan then called upon
Ambassador Bryce, saying that he was
the first Englishman he had ever heard
of who had entirely understood our form
of government.
Praise Of Hamilton.
larly glad to have a word to say. since
Hamilton came of distinguished stock
which had for centuries played an inn
portant part in the west Of Scotland. from
which region he himself came. The only
reason, he said. why statue OF Hamilton
was not needed in Washington is that the
man was so illustrious that none was
needed to perpetuate his fame. I'VE do
not look" he said, for statues Of Phidias
or Pericles at Athens. for one Of Julius
Caesar at Rome, or for those of WASH
ington and Lincoln in America. But when
there are such statues they serve to
show that people do not forget I need
add little to what Senator Lodge has said.
but / may say that Hamilton was a
thinker for the world. one of universal
history's exceptional and brilliant men.
Hamilton thought on his own lines. and
his achievements are the more wonderful
when you consider how little political,
philosophy there was then in the world
He had little to go by but the experience
of Greece and Rome. with here and there
the work of some European publicist like
MontesqUieu. Yet see how his genius
Is worked into the very body and tissue
of your institutions 1t matters little that
the plan he would have preferred fo- the
Constitution was not finally adopted. He
added enormous stimulus to discussion
and contributed a mastery exposition of
the fundamental doctrines of the gov
ernment- The element of romance in his
life also fascinates the imagination. and
that is so rare in the days when we trust
little to impulse or the aid of the horse
and the sword. ] agree with Senator
Lodge that his description of Hamilton
as the greatest constructive Statesman
OF the nation is not overpraise
should like to add one practical
word about the proposed statue drawn
from our experience in Europe. Much
Of the effect Of statue depends upn
the site and upon the size Of the statue
with reference to the space about il and
the height of adjacent buildings We
have fouro that 1t is always advisa BILE
of the statue. placed on the proposed site,
and then the effec: can be Judged far
better than by any theorizing, ana error
avoided that coul1 not be correcrel tx-
memorial to HamI.tol is surely worthy
OF the city and o: the fame of a great
man
Chosen by Unanimous Vote.
The following officers were then
unanimously elected: President. MIR.
Justice Harlan: first vice president.
George b. Cortelyou. Secretary Of the
Treasury: second vice president. H B.
r. Mcfarland. chairman Of the District
Commissioners: third vice president,
Judge John F. Dillon OF New York:
fourth vice president, Senator Lodge OF
Massachusetts: fifth vice president. Jo-
seph III. Choate of New York; secretary
Franklin w. Collins to whom the credit
for organizing the movement was at
tributed; assistant secretary Paul e
Sleman: treasurer. Milton r. Allies, vice
president OF the Riggs National Bank.
A committee on constitution and by
laws was appointed by the chair. to re-
port Is soon as possible at q meeting to
he called to receive it's statement The
committee is composed of Franklin w
Collins. Adds Il. Browne and George
King.
Letter From President Roosevelt.
Letters approving the proposed statue
were read from the President who ga Id
thatit was little short OF a scandal
that there Is no such memorial In Wash
ington: from s. w. Woodward. Joseph
II. Choate. Andrew D. White. George
f. Roberts. former director Of the mint;
Gov. Sheldon of Nebraska. Gen. Horace
Porter. Gov. Guild of Massa cnusetts,
ATTORNEY General BOnaparte Secretary