The Washington herald., 1921-08-30
Site for Lincoln Statue.
To tn. Editor, The Washington B.,Ia:

L am sure every one VIII regret
that Congress. before taking a re-
cess. took no action on the bill in
troduced by Representative King
of Illinois. to replace the statue OF
Abraham Lincoln in its former po-
sition. Not that / believe IL would
be best TO So replace IL, for l do
not. yet l think the bill could be
SO amended as to meet the best in
terests of all, and at the same time
secure to US the statute, which is,
above all else. the ardent desire
OF all the people OF the District OF
Columbia.
Unfortunately. however, when an
effort is made TO obtain considera-
tion of this bill. the merits of the
case are not considered or taken
into account, but rather. the ques-
ton of the price of eggs" or some
similar dilatory subject is used to
sidetrack the measure.
This is probably due to the un-
fortunate part of the King bill
which replaces the statue at a
Arts does not think it should go
anu liOHl "htItE IL Sdlus lnt
judges of the court asked that IL
be removed. Hence. it is but. nat.
ural that this course would be op-
posed by the commission and the
judges. who, we can assume, would
use all the influence at their COM
mand to defeat the measure.
or course where the statue should
be placed ought to be left to the
wish of the people of the District
A majority OF the leading organiza-
tions here have urged in resolu-
tions and in letters that the statue
be placed at Fort Stevens. a site
made historic by the presence OF
the great President at a most crit
ical time. and one which conse-
quently means much to the District
people. and should mean much 10
the nation as we'll
Naturally no red-b1ooded Ameri-
can would have desired this statue
removed in the first place: but that's
past and gone. The statue is re-
moved, and the question now is
should it be returned to it's ac-
knowledged artistically unsuitab BILE
spot or to some other-a more pic
turesque and beautiful place, and
one associated. by all means. with
some incident in the martyred
Presidents life?
One of the arguments advanced
for replacing it in front of the
courthouse is. that this spot was
once a slave mart. To my mind
this Is the vaguest sort of tradi-
tion. and quite likely not founded
on facts at all. Indeed. I think any
reasonable mind will admit that the
placing of this statue In front Of
this handsome building would put
at disadvantage the statue as well
as the building itself. OF course
the statue could be placed At the
southwest corner of judiciary
Square, or elsewhere in those
grounds to more or less advantage.
but surely not directly in front of
the building, and where it formerly
stood.
There is now a movement on foot
to extend the Walter Reed Hospi-
tai property to include, on the
south. the site of Fort Stevens, and
IL this is Gone a more historic OF
picturesque spot could not he I'M
agined.
Another excellent spot would br
in the center of the circle of grave.
at Battle Ground National Gene
terry opposite the Walter Reed Hos
pital grounds, where are buried
some of these who fell In the bat
tie Of Fort Stevens, July IL, IL
1854, the engagement witnessed by
Lincoln. This would afford a fine
view from Georgia avenue, along
which thoroughfare thousands OF
automobiles and persons pass daily
On the spacious lawn, off from
the Presidents cottage in Soldiers
Home, where Lincoln penned the
Emancipation Proclamation, would
be another ideal place for this
statue, affording the proper setting
which II has not had heretofore
and which has been the only just
criticism it as been subjected to.
As to- Lot Flannery. the artist
let me say just a word: He, is q
lifelong resident of this city. and
though q very old man, as may
well be assumed, still Is one of us
The Lincoln statue 10 not his only
work Of art. Many of our resi-
dents are aware that he modelled
the monument erected in Congress
sional Cemetery in 1864 to those
killed in the United States Arsenal
explosion, and understand that
the marble bust of Franklin which
rested for many years over the
North Capitol street doorway Of the
old Government Printing Once was
also his. This bust now adorns a