Evening star., 1933-11-05
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
With the completion and occupation
next year Of the new United States
Supreme Court Building. leaders in
the Capital development work are con-
sidering the placing of two statues in
conspicuous places in that structure
those OF the great Chief Justice John
Marshall and of William Howard TAFT
as tribute to whose efforts the Supreme
Court Building was authorized.
The proposal is to relocate the IA
nous statue of John Marshall (seated)
from its elevated location on the west
front terrace Of the Capitol and give
it more fitting and impressive setting
in front OF the new Supreme Court
Building. While a few veteran admir-
ers in Washington pay occasional rev.
erential visits to the Marshall statue
in its present location, such as Fred
| Shawen, 1852 Biltmore street, who 1or
wears has been making regular annual
pilgrimages to this statue, it is not
placed where the great bulk of the tour,
| ist visitors will notice it. Two special
reasons are advanced for making the
relocation: First, Of course, that II
would be more fitting that Marshall
should have the place OF honor AT the
first permanent home OF that lmPol,,
| tant third branch and balance Wneei
| of this Government, which he more
than any other man made great. Sec
ond, the statue in its present location
| is seldom seen by visitors as, que 20
present-day transportation, nearly every
one goes to the Capitol by automoDne
and accordingly enters the CapiIo'
| Grounds on the east front. Then, too'
there are many of the present genera
ton in Washington who do not even
know of the existence of this statue.
This John Marshall statue was W-
yeiled on May 10. 1884-just a hall
century before the Supreme Court
Building will be completed. Chief JUS
t,ce Marshall died In Philadelphia on
July 6, 1885 and the following day at
meeting of the bar Of that city resoiu-
tions were adopted expressing sense
of the great public loss sustained ano
recommending to the bar OF the Unlteo
States cooperation In erecting q monu-
ment to his memory at some sultapie
place in the City Of Washington. On
August 10 a circular letter solcltine
funds was sent out. SUBSCRIPTIONS Were
limited to $40 from each individual. Tne
sum collected was insufhcient, the re,
ceipts were invested in 1und untll
18a2, when accrued interest brought the
fund to approximately $4,000. Charles
Fairman, curator Of art work in the
Capitol. has done an excellent piece
of research work in connection with
the records Of the Marshall statue. he
points out that on March 10. 1882, an
act of Congress authorized the erection
of the statue and An appropriation ol
$50 900 from the Federal Treasury lr
| honor of this man enShrined IN history
as "the Expounder Of the Constitution.
On the occasion of the unveillng the
| program included: Music by the Marine
| Band; prayer by Rev. DR.. Armstrong
an Grafton by William Henry Rawle
and benediction. Chief Justice Morri.
son r. Waite in his address gave his
tory OF the steps taken TO secure TN
necessary funds for the memorial. he
referred to Justice Story. who sat upon
| the Supreme Court bench for "a years
and whose son, William Wetmore Story
! had been selected as the sculptor OF the
Marshall memorial. The Chief Justice
| quoted from an address by Justice Story
| upon the occasion OF the death OF
! John Marshall. in which he referred
| to the exquisite judgments. the lrults
/ of his own unassisted meditatlons
from which the court has received sc
much honor" Chief Justice Story eX-
planned that when Marshall took hi.
seat on the bench in February. 1901. the
! court had then been in existence but II
wears and in that time less than loo
| cases had passed under its Judgment
! so that there was but little to guide
the decision and Judgment OF the dis
| tinguished Chief Justice, other than
"the fruits of his own unassisted medi-
tations"
H. p Caemmerer. veteran executive
of the Commission OF Fine Arts, IN ms
monumental work for the Government
on "Washington-the National Capltai
| gives further interesting Information
! regarding the Marshall statue. On the
| north side of the pedestal is bas re-
lief representing Minerva debating the
i Constitution of the United States tc
/ Young America. On the south side Il
bas relief representing Victory leading
| Young America to swear fidelity at the
1 altar Of the Union. The dedlcatory IN
/ scription is on the face OF the pedestal
The sculptor has given the posture OF
Marshall as the great jurist, sitting In
/ the chair he used for so many years
rendering a judicial decision
John Marshall was Chief justice OF
the United States for "a years u8Ol
! 1880. and it is said that during TINS
critical period he did more by his
profound reasoning and constructive
! decisions-that have become famous
| to strengthen the foundations OF the
Republic than any man of his time.
| 1t was John Marshall. intimate frlenc
o. Washington, who left to the Amer
| of
the most reliable Authorization OF
Washington's likeness. He found this
/ in the Ilife-mask made at Mount Yer
non as guest of Washington by tht
noted French sculptor, Jean Antoine
Houdon, who in 1875 was commissioned
! by the State of Virginia to execute .
! marble statue of Washington. This
statue was installed in the rotunda OF
! the State Capitol in Richmond. copy
/ of it is in the rotunda OF the Natlona
Capitol. and the death mask is al
| Mount Vernon. Marshall said that the
| three quarter view of this statue CORE
| spends more to the exact likeness ol
! Washington than any other portrait.
1t was while John Marshall was Sec
retary of State that the seat Of Gov
crnment was established In the District
CT Columbia - in 1900. The archive:
! and the seven employees Oh tIe DepdII
ment of State were crowded into tine
Treasury office, a building of 80 rooms
/ to the east of the White House-tht
Cnly Government building sufflciently
completed to receive them. Soon after.
ward Secretary Marshall moved with
| the goods and chattels of his depart
ment to one of the seven buildings or
Pennsylvania avenue and Nineteenth
street northwest. After considerable re.
search Mr.. Caemmerer says that al
writer's apparently agree that the first
home of the Department of State ir
Washington was in the house on the
| northwest corner of Pennsylvania ave-
ME and Nineteenth street. This row