The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-08
O'RYAN TAKES UP
SOLDIER MEMORIAL
Approves Plan to Bring Body
of Unidentified Hero to New
York for Burial.
FOR ALTAR OF LIBERTY
Proposal Is to Erect Perma-
nent Monument on Sheep
Meadow in Central Park.

Although Secretary of War Baker has
refused twice to permit the bringing OF
the body of an unidentified soldier from
France for burial in this city with public
honors., the project Is still alive. Major
Gen. John +. Organ. commanding the
New York State Guard. has interested
himself in 1t, and II II develops that
others feel as he does he believes there
is good chance OF success.
Gen. Organ said yesterday that the
suggestion had come to him from several
sources that the war veterans ought to
cooperate with the city and State author
tiles in devising plan satisfactory to
them and the national Government. II
lis proposed that the burial, II it is sane
toned. be in the sheep meadow of Gen.
trail Park. the scene of many patriotic
gatherings In the course OF the war. ard
that there be erected over the spot a
permanent memorial in the form of the
Altar of Liberty. past which, in Madison
Square Park. moved the great parades
Of the returned soldiers.
THE suggestion is said Gen.
Organ. that the unidentified soldier to
be brought back should be New York
soldier. as this Will be distinctly a New
York undertaking. J have to-day sent
letter to Col ]. Mathew Wainwright
president of the Twenty-seventh Divi-
sion Memorial Association. suggesting
that he may wish to call meeting Of
the executive committee to discuss the
matter. The memorial association Of
the Seventy-seventh Division will I'M
doubtedly be communicated with.
THE proposal is now merely in the
suggestion stage. The people of New
York have intended from the first to
erect some fitting memorial OF the war.
Some Of the Ideas advanced have natur-
ally been grotesque. Realizing that time
IS the best corrective, we have wished to
20 slowly and keep our minds open. Now
that two years have passed. 1t may oe
we'll to sound public sentiment regard
ing the suggestion as to the burial in
Central Park--a plan which personally
think is very good one. You remember
the poet said
We claim from war it's richest spoil.
The ashes Of our deadr"
Those who have spoken to Gen.
Organ feel that the body of the uni
Identified soldier to be selected. If this
memorial function Is decided upon.
should be one of the Twenty-seventh d.
Visions men. This division of New
til after the end Of active operations.
Its nameless dead. most of whom lie in
Bcny. not far from st. Quentin and the
spot where Gen. Organs men broke the
Hindenburg line. number only twenty.
The graves have been carefully marked,
and it Is thought that any of these
bodies could be selected with the GER
tainty that it was that of soldier from
New York
Gen. Organ believes that the city.
through Mayor Hylan's committee on
permanent memorial. OF which Rodman
Wanamaker is chairman, would have no
trouble in raising the necessary money
for the project either by appropriation
or public subscription.
Secretary Bakers denial Of a request
for tho burial of a soldier in Victory
Hall was based on a contention that con-
sent would establish precedent for
similar burials all over the country. It
was reported from Washington on Mo-
vember % that he had also decided
against a request of tho city committee
headed by Rodman Wanamaker for
burial in Central Park and also for the
placing OF n soldiers body in the crypt
of the Cathedral OF St John the Divine.