Bridport, Beaminster, and Lyme Regis Telegram and Dorset, Somerset, and Devon Advertiser. — 1882-03-17 (Bridport, Dorset, England)

THE MYSTERY OF THE STATUES. To the Editor.  A letter on this subject last week W 99 apparently crowded out, and now we have the mystery solved, in the excellent letter of " Veritas." The plain statements in that letter, if laid before the pnblic earlier. might have put another face on the matter, and saved the removal party from so utter a rout as was suffered at the public meeting. Especially fiat very sensible and "taking" statement, that a considerable sum of money has been promised for a better Statue, such a work of art as we could have asked the Prince of Wales to unveil. That was an excellent idea, and I quite agree that the season would have been a capital one, and some last'ng binefit have been done to the town. But why was this kept so dark from the general public, and the Conservative spirit stirred up by the fear of removing the old thing? Here was everybody made to fear that the King woulii be attachel as a kind of hanger.on to the Town Council, in fact a sort of Serjeant-at.Mace. If the cash is nearly mealy for a new statue, let us have one of Her MostGracioni Majesty, in thankfulness for her esospe from the murderous bullet; plenty of ro ,m could be found for it, eve.. in the same triangle over which looks the King George Statue, and, by its superior beauty and elevation, it would serve to show how vastly siiperiot in the Victoria age, in art and in wealth, to the age even of King George. And let there be no such ill taste shown on the Queen's Statue as " Veritaa " so justly comnlains of, on the King's; instead of the " gr at unknown," their names and acts being placarded in stucco, let the donors give us on marble some such Hope *a Tennyson's : "Her court was pure ; her life strene God gave her Dimes : her Imd reposed; A thousand claims to reverence closed In her as Mother, Wife, and Queen; And statesmen at her council met Who knew the seasons when to take ()cession by the hand, and make The bounds of freedom wider yet By shaping some august decree. 'Which kept her throne unshaken still, Broad.based upon her people's will. And compassed by the inviolate sea." _ - .  If the mysteriow-donors- of the frind, which I hear already reaches £5OO, would let the monument,' of the Georgian age suffice for that age, and surprise us with a Statue worthy of the Queen. we will find a noble place for It without displacing the older sign of loyalty, and I shall not regret that some one besides myself is A LOTS or Murmur. Weymouth, 1882.  To the Editor.  Sir,—Leet an attempt should be made by any party to make political capital ont of the recent public meeting, or tEe meetings of our Local Au horities, as regards the removal of the King's Rtatne, allow me to point out that the " divisloP Sets " of our Local }ionise of Parliament will chow that, if politics had anything to do with the matter, it will be found that the greater number of the C ‘neervativre or (so-called) Constitutionalists were in the majority of eight who voted for the removal, and, that in the minority of sir, two only of that party voted against the removal. I am, however, of the opinion that politics or Party had nothing to do with the proceedings of the Town Conncil in the matter. J.