Evening star., 1909-05-03
OPPOSED TO STATUE
Senator Johnson Opens Fight
on Hamilton Act.
CONSIDERS SUBJECT UNFIT
Declares First Secretary of Treasury
Undeserving Of Honor.
AN ARISTOCRAT AND IMMORAL
Proposed Monument, He Thinks,
Would Probably Be pynamited
by Members Of Y. M. C.. A.
AN ARIsT0CRAT AND IMMORAL


Dakota, who is noted out in his state
as great fighter. has got his back up
and promises to make his debut in the
field of active participation in the pro-
ceedngs of the Senate by stirring up a
fuss over the erection in the District of
Columbia of a proposed statue of Alex
ander Hamilton, first Secretary of the
Treasury.
BY presenting a resolution to repeal
public resolution No. 30. passed toward
the end of the last session of Congress
+ and approved by Mr.. Roosevelt March
last Mr.. Johnson began his fight today.
| The legislation which he seeks thus to re-
peal is as follows:
THAT the chairman OF the committee
on the library of the Senate. the chairman
of the committee on the library of the
House of Representatives. the Secretary
| of the Treasury, and the president and
secretary of the Alexander Hamilton Ma
tional Memorial Association are hereby
| created commission and authorized to
| select site upon the property belonging
to the United States in the city of Wash
| ing. other than the Capitol and Library
grounds for the erection Of the Alex
ander Hamilton memorial to be presented
| by the Alexander Hamilton National Me-
mortal Association to the people of the
| United States.
| Appropriates $4,000.
| That for the preparation Of the site so
selected and the erection of a pedestal
upon which to place the said memorial,
under the direction of the commission
| hereby created, the sum of $4,000. or
| 20 much thereof may be necessary. is
| hereby appropriated out of any money i'll
| the Treasury, not otherwise appropri-
| ated'
Iii.
| the repeal of the law on this subject Mr..
johnson asked that it be referred to the
committee to Investigate trespassers upon
| Indian lands. of which he happens to be
the chairman. Immediately several sena-
| tors, among them the ever vigilant- Sena
tor Aldrich declared that such a matter
should be referred to the committee on
the library.
| To this Mr.. johnson replied that when
| the committee on the library had returned
the former resolution. now a Jaw, to the
Senate with recommendation that it be
adopted il failed to present any sort OF
an explanatory report upon it. This was
| not right he held. and it was for that
the committee he named. He asked unani-
nous consent that it be referred to that
committee.
But Mr.. Aldrich couldn't see it that way,
and suggested il lie on the table, so that
he senator from North Dakota might
discuss it later if he wished. To this ar
rangement Mr. johnson was forced to
agree He indicated that he certainly did
! wish to discuss It,
| Senator Johnson's Objections.
(, A few minutes later Senator Johnson de-
tailed his grievance to Star repoffer.
| Said he:
Il am one of those Americans who
will never allow q statue Of Alexander
Hamilton to be erected on government
property If they can help it. On account
| of his advocacy of an aristocratic and
wholly un-American form of government
| in the constitutional convention and his
openly immoral conduct | regard his name
as one that should be forgotten soon
as possible by the American republic and
its ctiZers.
yesterday I received letter from one
of the officers of the Alexander Haml-
| ton Memorial Association asking me to
contribute to fund for erecting a statue
| to Hamilton here in Washington on gov
ernment property. That was too much.
| | have tried several times to get A hear
| ing in the newspapers against this out
rage and failed. and now / propose to
have one where no man can stop me.
1t necessary I'll create such a sentiment
statue that the association will never
be able to get enough money to accom-
plish its purpose.
Proposes Hard Fight.
Furthermore, l feel that ] have good
| chance to secure the repeal of the resolu
tion granting permission to erect the
statue here. 1t was adopted in the rush
toward the end of the last session and
was not discussed. l shall go before the
committee on the library, since that is
| where my resolution Is going to be re-
| ferred undoubtedly. Notwithstanding my
! request to the contrary and / shall eX-
nI1t tn fnn Nhnrc NJ hot too
| my determination to make it hot for that
association. l hope to get favorable
report my resolution from that COM
| mittee. If it should go to my committee
| it would be favorably reported. / feel
pretty sure, for / am not the only man
who entertains these opinions of Ham,
ilton."
| Mr.. johnson then rected at great
length his reasons for regarding Hamilton
| as unfit to be immortalized by the Ameri
can people
Ought to Be Blown Up.
| He went SO far as to prophesy that If
such statue should be erected on goy-
ernment property it would be dynamited
some dark night by the Young Mems
| Christian Association.
1T certainly ought to be- he added.
IF those who like him want d statue
erected 10 him let them erect one on
| their own property and not seek to do it
| on government property" was his parting
shot
| There is no mistaking that Senator
Johnson is worked up about the matter,
| and unless he changes his mind he will
| give the Senate an interesting half hour
or so before long. Most of his colleagues
are disposed to regard his attempt lightly
! and his view somewhat narrow and do
| not share his hope that his resolution
| of repeal will be adopted.
But this so far has not dampened his
ardOr.