Evening star., 1909-05-18
HONOR GIVEN
Statue of Gen. Clark to Be Un-
yelled at Quincy.
MAN WHO GAVE AN EMPIRE
Saved Six States to the Union by
His Genius.
SUFFERED WRONGS IN HIS DAY
Refused Help and Even Half Pay
After Serving Faithfully in
Revolutionary Army.
SUFFERED WRONGS IN HIS DAY
RY WILLIAM Z. Curtis.


BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
belated memorial to the memory OF
Gen. George Rogers Clark. the man who
saved an empire to this country, fnclud-
ing the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. will be
dedicated at Quincy, ILL.,, on the after
noon of Saturday, May %. There is a
monument at Indianapolis which was
dedicated February %, 1895. and his fig
ure appears in a group of distinguished
VirH Hnians on the pedestal of statue
of Washington at Richmond. But / be-
lieve those are the only monuments In
his honor. He died at Locust Grove
near Louisville. February 13. 1918. at the
home of his sister, Mrs. Lucy Croshan
and his grave remained unmarked until
1869, when his remains were removed to
Cave Hill cemetery, Louisville, and rein
tered under a handsome monument
Republics are not always ungrateful.
In the majority of cases those who serve
the people are well rewarded, but in too
many they are not. Christopher Column
bus said in the bitterness of his soul:
greatest favor ever granted to any since
David The results of my undertaking
lalready appear. and will shine greatly
were they not concealed by the blindness
lof the government This is the reason
why it is generally said that to serve the
lpeople is serving no one"
And George Rogers Clark might have
said Amen" to those sentiments
Winston Churchill, in novel entitled
1.-The Crossing" has given a graphic de-
lscription of Gen. Clark's exciting career
and has portrayed in forcible words the
injustice under which he suffered. At
one time he was SO poor that he could
not buy the necessary food and cloth
ing, and his dire necessity compelled him
to appeal to the President at Washing
ton for aid. The appeal was unheeded
and even the half pay allotted to all
continental officers was denied him, as
he had been a member of the Virginia
militia and not of the continental army.
He lived in obscurity until 1885, when he
was appointed a commissioner to treat
with Indian tribes. In 1850 he again
Iacted as United States commissioner, ne
gotiating a treaty with the Shawnees.
Later in that year he commanded a cam
paign against the Indian tribes on the
Wabash, but it proved failure. and he
| was unjuStly cenSured by Virginia and
Congress.
Accepted French Commission.
Mortified by his treatment and neglect,
Gen. Clark accepted commission from
the French government of major gen
eral in the armies of France and COM
mander-in- chief of the French revolu-
tionary legion on the Mississippi river"
He was to lead force of 1900 men
against New Orleans and the Spanish
possessions on the lower Mississippi
with a view to fevolutionizing the Span
ish control and government of that re-
gion. This plan was never carried oat.
In 1871 Gen. Clark was granted tract
of S.O49 acres of land in Indiana for his
services in reducing the British posts
He spent his last years in Clarksville,
KY. living alone in loghouse, stricken
with paralysis, helpless and poor. The
general assembly of Virginia; ao dated h;n,
an annuity of $40O. and. in letter writ
ten by James Barbour, rendered him
their earnest sympathy. Barbour also
notified him of the act of the assembly
devices, emblematic of his services,
which would be duly forwarded to him
On receiving the letter he said:
Il am too old and infirm to ever use a
sword again. but 1 am glad that my
old mother state has not entirely forgot
ten me, and I thank her for tie honor. y
| While it is too late by nearly a century
to remedy the wrong. there is yet time to
recognize the services and perpetuate the
memory of one who perhaps had the
most heroic career and did the greatest
service for his country OF all the pioneers
of the middle west.
The Quincy monument is erected by an
appropriation of the legislature of Hi
nos, the bill being introduced by Mr.
Campbell 8. Hearn, who represented the
city of Quincy in the assembly at that
time, and is now a member of the state
senate. Gov. Deneen appointed George
NJ Finlay. Edward Sohm and Henry
r. Hill all of Quincy, as commission
to select design and supervise the erec-
ton of the monument. The statue was
designed by Charles j. Mulligan of the
| Chicago Institute of Art, who has done
much good work elsewhere. and the
pedestal is by w. Carbys Zimmerman OF
the same city.
The monument was completed last win
ter and boxed up to await a more sea-
sonable time for the unveiling. 1t rep
resents the neglected hero leaning
against block of granite, with
his arms folded. an old-fashioned
cooked hat in his right hand and
in bronze of heroic size. nine feet high,
and the pedestal is eleven feet and nine
inches, making the total height of the
monument. twenty feet and nine inches.
Looking Toward Missouri.
The statue faces to the southwest. as
if looking across the river into Missouri.
1t stands in what is called Clark Ter
race, just south of Riverview Park,
which was selected and laid out under
the direction of f. j. Parker. president
of the Quincy Boulevard and Park AS
sotiaton. The ceremonies have been ar
ranged by the Quincy Chamber of Com
merce with the cooperation of the His
! torical Society, the Daughters of the
Revolution, the Grand Army of the Re-
| public and the Women's Relief Corps.
They will be preceded by military pa
rade. reviewed by Gov. Deneen and other
DISTINGUISHED guests There will be sew
eral speeches by local orators and poem