The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-04-09
FORD BIDS
$4,000
FOR. It
FIivver King to Move oIdroyd
Mementos to Detroit Unless
Congress Acts Soon.
By GEORGE FRANKLIN.

By GEORGE FRANKLIN.
Loss of one Of the most valu-
able historical collections In
Washington threatens unless Con-
gress, following reorganization in
December, appropriates money for
It's purchase.
The collection is known as the
1Qldroyd Lincoln Memorial Collec-
ton. It consists Of more than
5000 articles once the property
Of Lincoln or closely identified
with him. Many of them are Of
inestimable value. not only to col
lectors Of Lincoln mementos, but
from an historical viewpoint.
Ford Would Buy It.
Since 1888 the collection has been
housed in the residence at SIS Tenth
street northwest, where Lincoln died
on April Is, 1865, following his fatal
shooting by Wilkes Booth in Ford'e
Theater. directly across the street.
For this collection Henry Ford has
offered Captain Osborn H. Oidroyd
$685. Ford proposes to remove Il
to Detroit, Mich, house it suitably,
and create a lincoln Memorial
Museum In that city. Ford's offer
will stand good until Congress has
an opportunity to act on q bill pro-
viding for the purchase Of the col.
lection by the Government.
Opposition to the removal OF the
collection from Washington. since It
became known that the Detroit
multimiIlionaire proposed transfer
ring 1t to Detroit, has been cry
stalking fast not only in Washing.
ton but throughout the country.
The opinion seems general that
the collection properly belongs
where Lincoln died. It is further
more contended that it should be-
long to the American people and
not be left the property Of an in
dividuai or society TO be cared for
by them and utilized az a money
making" shrine. at the expense OF
the public.
Might Keep It Here.
That Henry Ford overlooked one
Of the few bets he can be accused
Of missing when he failed to sense
the psychological possibilities In
tent In situation offering the pos
sibility of purchasing and present
ing collection Of the kind to the
American people. is being comment
ed on locally by those supposedly
informed as to his political and
other ambitions. Whether he will
sense what he missed and by an
eleventh move seek to retrieve
the opportunity is q matter Of in
teresting speculation among those
familiar with his aims.
For several days q rumor has
been afIoat that he intended going
further than he animated when he
made Captain Oldroyd the $50.0O0
offer. 1t il intimated that he plan
ned the purchase Of the property sd-
Joining the Lincoln death site and
convert it into a fireproof structure
into which q part OF the collection
could be moved. It Is suggested
that ultimately he proposed present
ing the latter property and the col
lection to the Government. with the
provision that the collection remain
permanently housed in the two
structures.
Title to the house in which LIN
coin died is now in the United
States. the Government having Ollr-
chased 1t in 1897 for $4,000. Incl
dentally, the bill providing for TAX.
ing over of the house and ground
gresham Sayers Of Texas. a Demo
crat.
Say Ford's Offer Too Low.
Since the Ford offer became
known an avalanche of protests
from Lincoln collectors, antique
dealers and art buying organiZa-
tons has reached Captain Oldroyd.
Ford's offer Is declared to be ridicu-
lousy under valuation, lit being
pointed out that the amount he
Offered for the entire collection can
be realized by private sale of less
than 200 of the articles included in
the collection.
Among the relics for which offers
have been made recently to Captain
Oldroyd is the chair in which Lin
coin sat while compiling his list Of
cabinet officers and which he occu-
pied while writing his inaugural
address The order written by Lin
coin removing General Mcclellan
from the command of the Army of
the Potomac, on November 5, 1862.
and that naming General Grant
commander-in-chief of the Union
army, as well as a letter written
by him discharging a man from
the company which he commanded
in the Blackhawk War in 1882,
signed Captain A. Lincoln, are also
among the items for which high
prices are offered. 1t is understood
that offers aggregating approx
mately one-third OF the Ford offer
are standing good affecting less
than fifty of the items contained in
the CORRECTION.
According to Captain Oldroyd no