The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-08-28
PROPOSES MEMORIAL TO
THE COMMONER

A nation wide movement for the
erection of an extraordinary memor
ial to William Jennings Bryan, at
Clewiston, Florida, has been started
by Miss Dionessa Bryan Evans, god
daughter of the late Commoner.
Miss Evans, whose home is in
Minneapolis, is at the Hotel Roose
welt, New York, to establish a per
manent organization for the project.
There is to be committee com
posed of conspicuous leaders OF
thought, industry and finance from
all sections of the country. This
incorporated committee will have
general charge of the enterprise.
There is to be contest for the
most appropriate design for the
memorial, and already Miss Evans
has secured a donation of $1,0OG
from B. G. Dahlberg, of Chicago, to
be awarded for this purpose, The
funds for the erection OF the
monument are to be supplied by the
children of the public and Sunday
schools of the country in dime con.
tributions. Charles F. Daily. Presi.
dent of the Liberty National Bank
in New York, has promised the ser
vices of that institution as custodian
of these funds.
Miss Evans proposes that the
memorial be built in Clewiston
Florida, on the southwest shore
of Lake Okeechobee. She selected
Clewiston as the place for the monu-
! ment of her late godfather, first,
because it is in the Commoner's
adopted state and second, because ii
is a beauty spot he favored.
when l proposed Washington
D. c., as the place for the memorial,
I found number of objections
Critics suggested that any effort tc
secure site at the national capita
would produce a suggestion of politi
cal significance. The monument is
so great and broad in it's conception
and in it's meaning, that l thought
it would be folly to assume any
hazards of political controversy
Moreover, the fear of partisan OBJ
lection brought forth the additional
fear of sectarian discussion.
at was logical, therefore, to re-
move the undertaking from all polit
ical, partisan, sectarian or other
criticism. No one could possibly
object to the selection of Florida
the state of the great Commoner's
adoption, as the site for the frs
memorial to be erected to his
memory; and thus Florida was
chosen.
Briefly, besides the general com
mittee which will handle the estab-
lishment of the Memorial, there
will be committee which will
award the prize of thousand dol
lars to the artist submitting the de
sign which best incorporates the
idea of Bryan and Faith.
"There will be a separate contest
and prize for the finest epitaph ex-
pressing that splendid faith by
which Bryan lived, and there will
be committees to promote the contri-
button of dimes by school children
'"The announcement of the per-
sonal of these committees will be
made as soon as Miss Evans has ap
piled for the Incorporation of the
general committee in New York.
1.-THE invitation for designs for tho
memorial will include the it'll
Bryan land Faith" Miss Evans
vision of the granite structure in.
cludes a heroic effigy of Bryan, bible
in hand, surrounded by group of
school children.
william Jennings Bryan-faith-
| school children-that is the shibbo-
| leth for our memorial. We want nc
complications with isms of any kind
with any sect or party"
Miss Evans is the daughter of ID
H. Evans, of Tracy, Mimi, an inter
nationally known political economist
who was life long friend of Mr.
Bryan.