Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22
Building of Monument Was Long Task

The United States in Congress assembled
ordered this statue to be erected in the year
of our Lord 1888, in honor of George Wash
ington, the illustrious commander in chief OK
the Armies of the United States of America
during the war which indicated and secured
their liberty, sovereignty and independence
Resolved, that statue conformable to the
above plan be executed by the best artist In
Europe, under the superintendent OF the
Minister of the United States at the court Of
Versailles and that money to defray the expense
of the same be furnished from the Treasury
of the United States.
Resolved, that the secretary of Congress
transmit to the Minister of the United States
at the court of Versailles the best resemblance
of Gen. Washington that can be procured for
the purpose of having the above statue erected,
together with the fittest description OF the
events which are to be the subjects of the basso
relievo.'
Sometimes resolutions made by Congress are
like New Year day resoutiOns-easily made and
soon forgotten, and so 1t was with the fore
going resolutions. The sum total of their result
nothing, and it remained for the cele-
brated John Marshall Is years later, TO resur-
rect the matter and bring the subject again to
the attention of the House of Representatives,
in which body he was then serving Repre-
sentative from Virginia. And so, on December
23 1799 another resolve was made this time
that marble monument be erected by the
United States in the Capitol, at the City OF
Washington and that the family of Gen. WASH
ington be requested to permit his body to be
deposited under it; and that the monument be
so designed as to commemorate the great events
of his military and political life"
WASHINGTON had then been dead but nine
days and in replying to the resolutions
Mrs. Washington said Taught by the great
example which have so long had before me
never to oppose my private wishes to the public
hat
of individual feeling make to sense of public
duty
The Select Committee, are told, which
was appointed to carry into effect the fore
going resolution, met and offered another reso-
luton on May 8, 1900, in which it was urged
that marble monument be erected by the
United States in the Capitol in honor of Gen.
Washington, and this was amended to provide
that 'mausoleum of American granite and
marble, in pyramidal form, 100 feet square at
the base and of a proportionate height, should
be erected instead of it in the City of Wash
ington.'"
On May g. 1900, Thomas Evans Repre-
sentative from Virginia, reported bill for
erecting the mausoleum, and even got the
House to agree to an appropriation for 5000 900,
but the Senate did not concur, and there the
matter rested until 1916, when the matter was
taken up by the General Assembly of Virginia,
which instructed the Governor to correspond
with Judge Bushrod Washington, then living at
Mount Vernon, asking his consent to the re-
moval of Washington's remains to Richmond, to
be there marked by fitting monument to his
memory.
This action on the part of the Virginia As
sembly caused the Federal Congress again to
take up the matter, and select joint commit
tee was appointed to carry into effect the pro-
ceedings had by Congress at the time of WASH
mgtons death, in which both Houses concurred.
Among other things, this committee recon-
mended that tomb should be prepared in the
foundation Of the Capitol for the remains of
Washington, and that a monument should be
erected to his memory In this connection,
Judge Bushrod Washington would not agree to
the removal of Gen Washington's remains on
the ground that they had been deposited in the
vault at Mount Vernon in conformity with
Washingtons expressed wish ut is his will, -
said Judge Washington writing to the Gov
ernor Of Virginia, land that will is to me a law
which dare not disobey." And then the
Congress decided to postpone indefinitely action
on the matter, though it does appear that q
vault for the reception of the remains was pre-
pared beneath the center of the dome and ro-
tunda Of the Capitol and beneath the floor of
the crypt.
In 1919, Charles H. Goldsborough, Senator
from Maryland, moved in the Senate to