The Holly chieftain., 1923-07-19


and exterior decorator landscape gardener. tree
doctor, florist, game keeper, fashion dictator, d.
rector of outdoor sports and censor of beauty
morals and safety.
He co-operates In selecting sites for monuments
makes plans for their dedication and memorial
and keeps them cleaned and decorated. He causes
public squares to bloom fountains and bands to
play, and sandpiles to grow for the kiddles He
arranges patriotic parades and celebrations Is
sues permits and invitations, makes traffic regula-
lions, erects pavilions. receives boy scouts. re-
views high school cadets and serves on the floor
committees OF charity balls.
Well, last spring some Of Colonel Sherrilps ex-
perts in metallurgy discovered that the bronze
used In Mills statue Of Washington IN washing
ton circle PENNSYLVANIA avenue and Twenty-sec-
ond street, was being badly corroded by the ele-
ments; that the equestrian statue must come down
and have the moth holes plugged up the horse be-
Ing positively mangey.
So derricks and tackle were employed in an at
tempt to get the general of his perch George
Washington extremely "sot" In his ways. The
statue refused to bulge SO for days highpower
flares and torches, mallet and chisels blazed and
hacked away without result But at last the first
president and his steed were slowly swung from
their granite base and ignominiously rolled through
the streets on motor truck to gondola freight
car bound for repair shop In Brooklyn.
OF course all this was watched by curious
crowds. And no sooner had the statue been re-
moved than this word went all over Washington
and the United States:
ANDREW Jacksons statue is to be removed from
Lafayette square and replaced by that of George
Washington In Washington crclel"
A roar OF nationwide protest followed from
Democrats
Swap statues! Remove Andrew jackson from
his seventy year-old place Of honor in LAFAYETTE
square overlooking the White House and replace
him with George Washington! Never. sir Never!
It's an outrage nothing but the rankest sort of
partisan politics."
in accordance with an expressed wish Of the Pres
ident, the office of public buildings and grounds,
was seriously considering the change.
"one gloriousy bright morning late last sum-
mer" ran the story of how the proposed idea was
born, "the President and two very high officials
of the government were standing looking out Of q
north window In the east room. During pause
in the conversation the President is reported to
have said There is the finest view in Washing
tom
"The fact that the statue Of Jackson has for
many years been the brunt of criticism and abuse
by visitors, and even some of the oldtime resi-
dents, principally because Of its hobby-horse ef-
feet was called to his attention." continued this
recital. "He was asked II he did not think the
view he admired greatly could not be improved
by the removal OF the Jackson statue and the
erection in the center of the park of more pleas
ing work of art.
when the suggestion was made TO replace the
Jackson statue with the greatly admired Washing
ton statue, which is so little known by the resi-
dents OF the city and is seen by only few Of the
visitors because OF Its rather remote location the
President is said to have agreed most enthuslas-
tically. He familiar with the Washington
statue More than once he had paused to View It.
The Office of public buildings nnd grounds was