The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-10
Punctuation of Naval Hero's Reply
Causes Hot Debate Among Cap
itol Rhetaricians. .
BODY PLACED IN CRYPT
Being Prepared at Annapolis-Mon.
ument To Be, Placed In the
Potomac Park.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON. -
Washington.-Int the midst of all the
debates and chickering's on the tariff
and appropriate bills and all the tu-
multi and shouting of politics Wash
ington is finding time to have some ex,
element over a matter of interroga-
ton marks and exclamation points.
The burning issue is how the inscrtp.
ton on the John Jaul Jones statue to
be erected in Potomac park shall be
punctuated.
While crypt suitable to receive tho
body of the great naval hero is being
prepared at Annapolis, the capital is
seeking also to set up monument.
and, Of course, the librarians
are casting about for suitable
lines to be inscribed on the
plinth. According to the Washing
ton idea, public memorial that
was not all plastered with inscriptions
would be no memorial at all, so Of
course the usual collection may be
expected on the Jones statue.
The controversy Is over the cele-
brated reply Of Jones to the inquiry Of
the Scraps if he was ready to sur
render. It will be recalled that the
Bon Homme Richard was an unsea;
worthy old Indian merchantmen when
she was assigned 10 jonas: by the
French government and her equip
ment was so outclassed by that of
the Scraps that the only chance of
the American commander was to fight
at close range. So demoralized were
affair on the Bon Homme Richard that
an underof1cer lost his head and re-
oner, who ran to tear down the COL
ors, and might have embarrassed the
American commander still more had
not Lieutenant Dale set them at work
at the pumps to save their lives. Many
Of his guns had been silenced, the en-
tire sides of his vesesl were shot
away and the ship was aflre when
Jones was hailed by Captain Pearson
with the demand, do you ,surren-
der?"
Question or Exclamation IT,
IN his own account of the battle
s10nee states that his reply was some
thing to this effect: II do not, but l
Intend to make you surrender" Lieu
tenant Dale, who also wrote an &C.
count Of the battle, ascribed to Jones
the more spirited reply: Surrender!
l have just begun to fight"
It Is over this world-famous phrase
that the second battle RACES. The con-
testants do not hesitate to substitute
the words Of Dale for those Of Jones,
for the phrase is more striking, but, in
the opinion Of the critics, the writer
Of the inscription proposes to weaken
the retort by means Of second rate
punctuation. Ignoring the peculiar
punch and force of the exclamation
point as compared with the quotation
mark, he proposes that Jones' reply,
Yankee-like, begin with a question,
and then he would fire a. second
rhetorical barrel BY exploding an ex-
clamation point at the end of the SEN
tence 3D. 50. III.
Thus, waving aside the historical
accuracy of the Jones quotation, it
would stand thus:
Surrender? have only begun to
fight" .e.asz.....--as -
Instead of thus:
Surrender! have only begun to
fight"
Not very much, to be sure, on which
to start feud, yet, on the other hand,
enough to make things hum a little
when one has nothing else to do. Old
Doctor johnson tore open the literary
heavens Of his time for less things
than this, and even should the contest
end disastrously for somebody, the
flow would be of tears rather than Of
blood.
Majority for Question Mark.
The exclamation point agitators
have put up their case to the authOri-
ties in charge and have been gravely
informed that they do. not win. The.
question marks appears to have ma
jority Of the delegates, and there is
no evidence to show that their con-
vention was not regularly called under
the approved rules of the national
committee. The case can hardly be
taken up to congress, for what CON
gress does not know about punctua-
ton must be supplied by the proof
readers of the government printing Of
fee. Neither can the navy department
take hand, for 1t has John Paul
Jones memorial OF It's own, ard one
trouble at time is enough.
Speaking Of the Jones memorial at
Annapolis, by the way. the inscription
to be attached to that has been select
ed ~ master Of the art i ayolds