Evening star., 1925-03-08
BORGLUM ALLEGES
/ CROOKED POLITICS
Traces Start of Stone Noun
tain Trouble to McAdoo
Campaign in Georgia.
Nv the Associated Press.

ATLANTA, Ga, March 1.-Gutzon
Rorglum, who was dismissed as di-
recting sculptor of the Stone Noun
tain Confederate Memorial near
Atlanta. in a statement to Atlanta
newspapers tonight declared that
hack of the smoke screen of vim
dlctiveness and misrepresentation
given to the world by the paid agent
of the Stone Mountain Confederate
Monumental Association lies the real
story of the great memorial. a story
that, to say the least, needs true
explanation"
The statement asserted that such
IAN explanation must come from three
Inen-the preside mt of the association,
the vice president and business man
ager thereof and their attorney.
Events Before Fight.
Columns have been written about
the latest developments in this story,
but no mention has been made of the
incidents leading up thereto. The
public has but to go back through
the columns of the press and needs
hut to refer to the bulletins sent out
in the past under the signature of
the president of the association. to
be convinced that there is a. serious
djscre panCy somewhere. Accusations
have been made of late that are
clearly refuted by their own pub
lished statements of but few weeks
ago"
Mr.. Borglum sketched the history
Of the memorial, saying it originated
with Mrs. Helen Plane and was
sponsored by the Atlanta Chapter of
the United Daughters of the Con-
federacy. He said the original idea
was to carve a small bust of Gen.
Lee on the mountain and from that
idea Il conceived and planned the
present great memorial. From this
vision | made the original design and
copyrighted same"
He said this association was COM
posed largely of members of the U. d.
c. and that space on the mountain was
donated to the association by S. II.
Nenable and his nieces, Mrs. Corible
Orme and Mrs. Robert Roper. 1t was
their intention, he continued. to donate
this space but to the u. D. c., but
10 overcome minor technicalities ii be-
came necessary TO give it in the name
of an Incorporated body.
Delayed by War.
The statement said that the World
War interrupted the plans for financ-
ing the undertaking and as soon as
formed to support it in which the
members of the L. D. c., were as
sited by business men of Atlanta, Hol-
Inns y. Randolph being made presi-
dent. Mr. Borglum declared during
the years since 1915, in cooperation
with the Southerners and U. d. c. he
was working in this great vision
that no attempt was made to finance
the project and the expense was borne
principally by S. H. Venable and him
self
The financing proper, he continued,
began in March 1923, and Atlanta
subscribed S250,000 TO the project,
outside subscriptions approximated
$4,000 1t became apparent that
there would be no difficulty in rails
ing the sum of S3,50O 900 as planned
by public subscriptions. The state
ment then described the passage by
Congress of an act authorizing coin
age of the Stone Mountain Memorial
half dollar by the United States Mint
Sale of Coins.
1T was not known" the statement
said, that in addition to securing
$350O,000 by popular subscription for
building the memorial 1t was also
possible to secure an additional
S2,500.0O0 from the sale of these
coins
The sculptor said al the time of the
annual election of officers in April,
1924, the association, faced wonder
full possibilities" 1t had been under
stood that the presidency of the as
sociation was an honor that should
be passed around from year to year.
This was not alone an understand
ing. it was a precedent.
Aid I'm Politics.
strISt-
In fun swing. The president of the
memorial association was also State
chairman of the McAdoo campaign.
In conference with certain influ-
entia1 men. the president asked that
he be reelected to the presidency of
the memorial association, giving as
reason therefor that it would greatly
assist him in his political aspirations
This request was unthinkingly
granted upon the promise of the pres
ident that he would resign immedi-
ately following the close of the presi-
dential primary campaign.
The date for the annual election
of the association was named by the
president for the same day upon
which was called the convention for
selecting the presidential primary
candidates. The political meeting Z
was held first. Immediately follow
ing the political meeting the presi-
dent went to the annual meeting of
the memorial association taking with
him a large number of prominent men
from the political meetings.
Played shrewd Game.
These prominent men unthought-
edly played into the hands of the
president, for they were Immediately
elected to membership in the memo
rial association and together with the
president dominated the meeting.
They selected a new board of direc-
tors for the association, increasine &
said board from a small number to q
membership of SO that there might bt
no chance for a slip in the domina
tion of the board. This board of di-
rectors in turn elected a new execu.
tive committee. The same tactics were
employed in the selection of the ex-
ecutiye committee, so the membership
thereof was increased from nine tC
fifteen.
II do not believe any of the prom.
inent. men who followed Mr. Ran
dolph to this meeting of the memo
rial association even realized in the
least the purpose for which they were
being used. With few exceptions
they did not even stop to consider
that there were dues to be paid the
association. They did not pay sale
dues. Who did pay these dues
Eighty-six new members who in the
main did not know what it was al
about. Heretofore the membership
dues had been So. On that day the
dues were arbitrarily ruled to be but
81 each. Who was enough interest.
ed in the future control of the asso.
citation to pay this sum of sS6? Why
was it done?"
The statement charged that Ruber
o Arnold introduced a resolution