Chapter II: Part 2

In 1846 the Society issued a further address "to the American people," announcing that it had "appointed the Hon. Elisha Whittlesey, of Ohio, the General Agent of the Society, whose office will be held in Washington. To him has been delegated the power of appointing subagents, who will receive a commission on the funds they may collect as a compensation for their services. * * * It is scarcely necessary to remark that the character of the General Agent appointed by the Board of Managers to make additional collections for the Monument is such as to insure success and produce entire confidence. It is known to the whole country; and Mr. Whittlesey's efforts in this new and noble undertaking, it is hoped, will be crowned with that success which cannot fail to accompany so glorious an object."

It was further said by this address:

"It may be proper to state for the information of the public that
the delay in commencing the Monument has been occasioned by the want
of a proper site, which the Board had hoped would long since have
been granted by Congress. * * * The Board designed at as early
period to commence the Monument, but as no site could be obtained
sufficientlyy eligible on any other ground than the public mall,
near the Potomac, and as that could only be obtained by a grant from
Congress, which has not yet been made, that purpose has been
unavoidably postponed until the next session of the National
Legislature, when it is believed no objection will be made to allow
the Board the use of the ground it desires for so laudable and
patriotic an object."

This address, signed by the officers of the Society, James K. Polk, _ex officio_ President; Wm. Brent, First Vice-President; Mayor of Washington, Third Vice-President; J. B. H. Smith, Treasurer; George Watterston, Secretary; and by the entire Board of Managers, including among the number Maj.-Gen. Winfield Scott, Thos. Carbery, Peter Force, Philip R. Fendall, Gen. Nathan Townson, Gen. Walter Jones, Col. J. Kearney, J. J. Abert, W. A. Bradley, and Thomas Munroe, contained the following eloquent language:

"The pilgrim to Mount Vernon, the spot consecrated by Washington's
hallowed remains, is often shocked when he looks upon the humble
sepulchre which contains his dust, and laments that no monument has
yet reared its lofty head to mark a _Nation's_ gratitude.

"It is true that the 'storied urn, the animated bust,' or the
splendid mausoleum, cannot call back the departed spirit, or 'soothe
the dull, cold ear of death;' but it is equally true that it can and
does manifest the gratitude and veneration of the living for those
who have passed away forever from the stage of life and left behind
them the cherished memory of their virtues. The posthumous honors
bestowed by a grateful nation on its distinguished citizens serve
the further purpose of stimulating those who survive them to similar
acts of greatness and of virtue, while the respect and admiration of
the country which confers them upon its children are mere deeply and
ardently felt. The character of Washington is identified with the
glory and greatness of his country. It belongs to history, into
which it has infused a moral grandeur and beauty. It presents a
verdant oasis on the dreary waste of the world, on which the mind
loves to repose, and the patriot and philosopher delights to dwell.
Such a being but seldom appears to illustrate and give splendor to
the annals of mankind, and the country which gave him birth should
take a pride in bestowing posthumous honors on his name. It is not
to transmit the name or fame of the illustrious Washington to future
ages that a Monument should be erected to his memory; but to show
that the People of this Republic at least are not ungrateful, and
that they desire to manifest their love of eminent public and
private virtues by some enduring memorial which, like the pyramids
of Egypt, shall fatigue time by its duration."

The General Agent, Mr. Whittlesey, submitted a plan which was adopted by the Society for a systematic collection of funds, which included constituting Congressional districts as distinct collection districts, and in 1847 a circular letter was addressed to Members of Congress respecting the formation of such districts and the appointment of collecting agents therein. As formerly, it was required that the appointee should be well recommended and endorsed by Representatives, Senators, and well-known citizens of the district or State.

It was also determined to specially appeal to the Masonic fraternity of the country.

The agents appointed were supplied with properly prepared blank books for the autograph enrollment of contributors, which books, when filled with names, were to be returned to the office of the Society for deposit and safe keeping.

On the request of the Society, Mrs. James Madison, Mrs. John Quincy Adams, and Mrs. Alexander Hamilton effected an organization of ladies to aid in collecting funds for the proposed Monument. Through appeals, entertainments, fairs, and many social functions given for the purpose by ladies in various parts of the country, there resulted but a very moderate addition to the funds of the Society, but in no way commensurate with its expectations in the premises.

On the 29th of February, 1847, the Society adopted the following resolution offered by Mr. Brent:

"_Resolved_, That the several Consuls of the United States abroad,
and the Pursers of the Navy, be requested by the General Agent to
solicit subscriptions for the erection of a suitable National
Monument to the memory of Washington from American citizens, seamen,
and others of liberal patriotic feelings, and that the Secretary of
State and the Secretary of the Navy be respectfully requested, on
behalf of the National Washington Monument Society, to cause to be
forwarded the letters and papers necessary to accomplish the object
embraced in this resolution."

In accordance with this resolve (the consent of the Honorable Secretary of State and the Honorable Secretary of the Navy having been given), a circular letter was prepared and sent out to the persons named in the resolution.

After setting forth the object of the Society, and earnestly appealing for funds to accomplish that purpose, the circular stated a compensation of 20 per cent. would be allowed on funds collected and faithfully accounted for. This circular was accompanied by a supply of "prints," to be distributed to subscribers, as follows:

"Copies of a large portrait of Washington, copied from Stuart's
painting in Fanueil Hall, Boston.

"Copies of the large print of the design of the Monument."

Smaller prints of the same subjects were also furnished.

The subscriber of $5.00 was to receive one of the large prints; of $8.00, both the large prints; of $1.00, one of the small prints; and to the subscriber of $1.50, both of the small prints.

It was also publicly announced that the corner stone of the Monument would be laid "on the 4th of July next, and arrangements will be made to give to the ceremony a national character corresponding with the character and magnitude of the work."

The accounts of the Treasurer of the Society from time to time show, in response to this _special_ appeal, a considerable collection of funds, especially among the officers and seamen of the Navy.

In 1847, the aggregate of collections and accumulated interest was some $87,000, which amount was deemed sufficient to justify the Society in beginning the erection of the Monument.

A resolution was adopted that the corner-stone be laid on the 22d of February next "provided that a suitable site can be obtained in time," and a committee was appointed to apply to Congress early in the session for a "site on the public mall for the Monument." A committee was also appointed to ascertain "the best terms on which a suitable site on private grounds within the limits of the City of Washington can be obtained."

Before the latter committee reported, in response to the memorial by the Society to Congress, desiring action by that body to accord a site for the Monument, on the 31st of January, 1848, Congress passed a resolution authorizing the Washington National Monument Society to erect "a Monument to the memory of George Washington upon such portion of the public grounds or reservations within the City of Washington, not otherwise occupied, as shall be selected by the President of the United States and the Board of Managers of said Society as a suitable site on which to erect the said Monument, and for the necessary protection thereof."

January 23, 1848, General Archibald Henderson, Lieut. M. F. Maury, and Mr. Walter Lenox were appointed a committee to make the necessary arrangements to lay the corner-stone, but it being found impossible to make arrangements for that ceremony on the 22d of February, on the 29th of January it was postponed until July 4th following.

SITE OF THE MONUMENT.

The site selected under the authority of the resolution of Congress was the public reservation, numbered 3, on the plan of the City of Washington, containing upwards of thirty acres, where the Monument now stands, near the Potomac river, west of the Capitol and south of the President's House. The deed was executed on the 12th day of April, 1849, and was duly recorded among the land records of the District of Columbia on the 22d day of February, 1849.

This deed was executed by James K. Polk, President of the United States, "and in testimony of the selection as aforesaid of the said reservation, numbered three (3), for the purpose aforesaid," was also signed by William Brent, First Vice-President; W. W. Seaton, Second Vice-President; Archibald Henderson, Third Vice-President; J. B. H. Smith, Treasurer; George Watterston, Secretary; and Peter Force; the signing being "in the presence of Winfield Scott, Nathan Towson, John. J. Abert, Walter Jones, Thomas Carbery, W. A. Bradley, P. R. Fendall, Thomas Munroe, Walter Lenox, M. F. Maury, Thomas Blagden."

As to the reasons for the selection of this particular site, we find them stated by the Society in an address to the country, in later years, as follows:

"The site selected presents a beautiful view of the Potomac; is so
elevated that the Monument will be seen from all parts of the city
and the surrounding country, and, being a public reservation, it is
safe from any future obstruction of the view. It is so near the
river that materials for constructing the Monument can be conveyed
to it from the river at but little expense; stone, sand, and lime,
all of the best kind, can be brought to it by water from convenient
distances; and marble of the most beautiful quality, obtained at a
distance of only eleven miles from Baltimore, on the Susquehanna
railroad, can be brought either on the railroad or in vessels. In
addition to these and kindred reasons, the adoption of the site was
further and impressively recommended by the consideration that the
Monument to be erected on it would be in full view of Mount Vernon,
where rest the ashes of the Chief; and by evidence that Washington
himself, whose unerring judgment had selected this city to be the
Capital of the Nation, had also selected this particular spot for a
Monument to the American Revolution, which in the year 1795 it was
proposed should be erected or placed at the 'permanent seat of
Government of the United States.' This Monument was to have been
executed by Ceracchi, a Roman sculptor, and paid for by
contributions of individuals. The same site is marked on Major
L'Enfant's map of Washington City for the equestrian statue of
General Washington, ordered by Congress in 1783, which map was
examined, approved, and transmitted to Congress by him when
President of the United States."

It may be here remarked, with reference to the site selected for the Monument, that the foundations were laid but a short distance to the east of the meridian line, run, at the instance of President Jefferson, by Nicholas King, surveyor, October 15, 1804. The report of Mr. King, as found in the Department of State, bears the endorsement, "to be filed in the office of State as a record of demarcation of the first meridian of the United States." This line, by the President's instructions, passed through the center of the White House, and where it intersected a line due east and west through the center of the Capitol a small monument or pyramid of stones was placed--an object which disappeared about the year 1874, in the process of improving the Monument grounds. It would also appear that the center of the District of Columbia, within its original lines, was not far removed northwestward from the Monument as it stands, being near the corner of Seventeenth and C streets, N.W., 1,305 feet north and 1,579 feet west of the Monument. (National Geographic Magazine, vol. 6, p. 149.)

It does not appear, however, that these latter existing facts were in any manner considered by the Board of Managers in the selection of the site for the Monument.

The corner-stone for the Monument, a block of marble weighing "twenty-four thousand five hundred pounds," was quarried and presented to the Society by Mr. Thomas Symington, of Baltimore, Md. On its arrival in the city, the stone was enthusiastically drawn to the site of the Monument by many workmen from the navy yard, and other persons.

In planning the ceremonies to occur on the laying of the corner-stone of the Monument, the Society invited ex-President John Quincy Adams to deliver the oration, but the invitation, however, was regretfully declined by Mr. Adams on account of the state of his health.

Hon. Daniel Webster being requested to deliver the oration declined because of pressure of business and the shortness of the time allowed in which to prepare one.

Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, of Massachusetts, Speaker of the House of Representatives, being then requested consented to deliver the oration.

Invitations were sent by the committee of arrangements to Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, Mrs. Dolly P. Madison, Mrs. John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Lewis Cass, General Sam Houston, Chief Justice Taney, George Washington Parke Custis, and other distinguished persons to attend the ceremonies of the laying of the corner-stone. The replies received indicate the interest of those invited in the erection of the Monument to Washington.

For the occasion transportation lines entering the District of Columbia reduced their usual rates of travel.

On the 4th of July, 1848, under a bright sky, in the presence of the President and Vice-President of the United States, Senators and Representatives in Congress, Heads of Executive Departments, and other officers of the Government, the Judiciary, Representatives of Foreign Governments, the corporate authorities of Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria, military commands, associations of many descriptions, delegations from States and Territories and from several Indian tribes, and a great multitude of citizens, the corner-stone was laid.

The Rev. Mr. McJilton offered the consecration prayer, and the oration, lofty and eloquent, was delivered by the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop.

Mr. Benj. B. French, Grand Master of the Masonic Fraternity of the United States, then delivered a beautiful and appropriate address, after which he descended to the corner-stone and performed the Masonic ceremonies of laying it.

The gavel used was that employed by George Washington, as Master Mason, in the Masonic ceremonies in the laying of the corner-stone of the National Capitol. A patriotic song, written by Robert Treat Paine, was sung, after which the benediction was pronounced.

The corner-stone was laid at the northeast angle of the foundation. Among the distinguished guests on the stand at the laying of the corner-stone were Mrs. Alexander Hamilton (then ninety-one years old), Mrs. Dolly Paine Madison, George Washington Parke Custis, and others of eminence.

The proceedings are thus discussed in the papers of the times:

* * * * *

"The day was fine. The rain had laid the dust and infused a
delicious freshness in the air. The procession was extensive and
beautiful. It embraced many military companies of our own and our
sister cities--various associations, with their characteristic
emblems; the President and Cabinet and various officers of the
Executive Departments; many of the Members of Congress; citizens and
strangers who had poured into the city. When the lengthened
procession had reached the site of the Monument they were joined by
a whole cortege of ladies and gentlemen; and we are free to say we
never beheld so magnificent a spectacle. From 15,000 to 20,000
persons are estimated to have been present, stretched over a large
area of ground from the southern hill, gradually sloping down to the
plain below."

"In a hollow spread with boards and surrounded with seats the
crowd gathered. Around two sides of this space were high and
solidly-constructed seats, hired out to spectators, covered with
awnings, and affording a favorable position for seeing and hearing.
A temporary arch was erected, covered with colored cotton and
suitably embellished. But its most attractive ornament was a living
American eagle, with its dark plumage, piercing eye, and snowy head
and tail, who seemed to look with anxious gaze on the unwonted
spectacle below. This is the same eagle which in Alexandria
surmounted the arch of welcome there erected to Lafayette; and to
complete its honors and its public character, it has since been
entrusted to M. Vattemare, to be presented to the National Museum in
Paris. He is now forty years old."

"The fireworks (at night) exhibited on the same theatre, and
prepared by the pyrotechnists of the navy yard, were admirable
beyond description. They were witnessed by an immense multitude.
The President's reception at night in the East Room was very
numerously attended. Thus passed one of the most splendid and
agreeable days Washington has ever witnessed."

Objections having been from time to time urged against the plan of the Monument, the Society, early in 1848, appointed a committee to consider them. In April of that year, pursuant to a report of a committee of its members, the Society fixed upon a height of 500 feet for the shaft, leaving in abeyance the surrounding pantheon and base. And this modification continued to be the plan of the Monument until it was again altered at a later period.

The corner-stone laid, the Society began active operations to raise the shaft, which were most vigorously prosecuted. The purchase of materials and the general construction of the Monument, embracing the employment of labor, skilled and common, were committed by the Society to three of their number, denominated a Building Committee.

The members of this committee devoted much of their time patriotically to the duties assigned them, held weekly meetings during several years, and served without any sort of compensation whatever.

With a view of having the States of the Union properly represented in the Monument, the Society extended an invitation for each State to furnish for insertion in the interior walls a block of marble or other durable stone, a production of its soil, of the following dimensions: Four feet long, two feet high, and with a bed of from twelve to eighteen inches, the name of the State to be cut thereon in large letters, and, if desirable to the donor, the State's coat of arms also. Later, this invitation to contribute memorial blocks of stone was extended to embrace such a gift from a foreign government.

In response to these invitations were received from time to time the many rich and durable blocks which now adorn the interior walls of the shaft, in themselves smaller but not less impressive monuments to the memory of Washington.

In about six years from the laying of the corner-stone the Monument had reached the height of 156 feet, not quite one-third of its ultimate modified elevation. During this period the Society continued most actively at work in the raising of funds to carry the Monument forward.

An appeal to the people was adopted and issued by the Society in 1848, immediately after the laying of the corner-stone, in which the past history of the work was given, what was desired and in contemplation to do, and an urgent request for contributions was made, and an eloquent reference to Washington was embodied.

In June, 1849, a special appeal for contributions, to be made in all parts of the country on the ensuing 4th of July, was issued, and everywhere distributed.

Another special appeal was made in this year, which recited, among other things--

"The scholars and pupils, male and female, of all the institutions
of learning, and the public and private schools in this country, are
requested to make such _monthly_ contributions as may be convenient
towards the erection of the Monument till it shall be completed. It
is estimated that there are about 3,000,000 of pupils of all ages in
the United States, and the monthly contribution of even _one cent_
by each would alone, in a few years, complete the structure now in
progress. The assistance of the principals and teachers in these
schools, however, will be essential, and the Board would be thankful
if they would lend their aid to carry out this plan by making such
collections monthly, and transmitting the amount collected to the
Treasurer or to the General Agent of the Society here," &c.

February 5, 1850, the Society adopted the following resolution:

"_Resolved_, That in view of the liberal contributions made by two
of the banks of the City of Washington, the General Agent be
requested to address a circular letter to the several banking
institutions of the United States, bearing the signatures of the
Board of Managers, soliciting from them contributions to the
erection of the Monument."

In accordance with this resolve a circular letter was issued March 1, 1850, appealing to all banks for contributions.

In May, 1850, circular letters were sent to all deputy marshals of the United States who were to be employed in taking the census then at hand, soliciting their aid in the collection of funds while engaged in the enumeration of the people, and offering a commission of 15 per cent. on the amount collected to each collector, following in this plan the one pursued in 1840. A further general appeal was also printed and distributed everywhere.

Early in 1851 the following resolution was adopted by the Society:

"_Resolved_, That a circular be addressed in the name of this Board
to the respective Grand Lodges of the Masonic and Odd Fellows'
fraternities and Grand Divisions of the Sons of Temperance in the
United States, requesting that arrangements be made to obtain such
periodical contributions as they may deem proper, to be applied to
the erection of the Washington National Monument, until the same
shall be completed."

Accordingly, an appeal was issued to the bodies mentioned in the resolution.

In January, 1852, pursuant to a resolution of the Society, the military organizations of the country were specially called upon for contributions.

In 1853, another urgent and general appeal was put forth for funds, to be given by the Masonic bodies of the country.

In 1854, there was another general address to the country, similar in character to former appeals, and a special appeal was sent to the officers of the Navy of the United States, invoking their co-operation and aid in raising money to carry on the work of building the Monument.

The tangible result of these general and special appeals for funds was far short of hope. The funds collected went into the treasury of the Society, and were at once expended to meet the current and contract obligations of the work of building the Monument.

STONE FROM ROME.

In this year an act occurred at the Monument which created much indignation and excitement in the District, and was the subject of much public discussion throughout the country.

The facts furnished to the press by the Society, after an investigation by it, were reported thus in the "Daily National Intelligencer" on March 8, 1854:

"A deed of barbarism was enacted on Monday morning last, between one
and two o'clock, by several persons (number not known, but supposed
to be from four to ten), which will be considered as belonging
rather to some of the centuries considerably in our rear than to the
better half of the boasted Nineteenth Century. We refer to the
forcible seizure from its place of deposit, in a shed at the
Washington Monument, of a block of marble sent hither from Rome, a
tribute to the memory of Washington by the Pontiff, and intended to
become a part of the edifice now erecting to signalize his name and
glory. It originally stood in the Temple of Concord at Rome, was of
beautiful texture, and had for its dimensions a length of three
feet, height of eighteen inches, and thickness of ten inches. The
account we hear of the matter is this: That at about the time above
mentioned several men suddenly surrounded the watch box of the night
watchman, and passed a cord, such as is used for clothes lines,
around the box, and piled stones against the door, calling to the
man within that if he kept quiet he would not be injured, at the
same time they pasted pieces of newspapers on the two or three
window openings that commanded the particular shed containing the
fated block, so as to prevent the watchman from seeing their
operations. They then removed one of the strips in front of the
place where the block stood, and passing in and out by the opening
carried it off by placing it on a hand cart used about the premises.
There is no doubt they took the block to the river side, not less
than a quarter of a mile off, and pitched it over the steep bank
upon the river beach, where they enjoyed a favorable opportunity of
breaking it up undiscovered or boating it off into the river, which
they probably did after defacing it. All this went on, it seems,
without effective remonstrance from the watchman, although he had
with him a double-barrel shot gun loaded with buck shot, and the
operations at the shed were within easy shot. As for the pasting on
the windows, there was nothing in that, for they slid up and down
like the sashes of an omnibus. These proceedings, the watchman says,
took place about half-past one; but he gave no notice of it to the
family residing at the Monument until four. For these and other
similar reasons he has been suspended."

A meeting of the Society was held on the 7th of March in reference to this vandalism, and it was resolved to offer a reward to discover the perpetrators. Accordingly, the following advertisement appeared in the "Daily National Intelligencer" on March 8th:

"$100 REWARD. The Board of Managers of the Washington National
Monument Society will pay the above reward of $100 for the arrest
and conviction of the person or persons who, on the night of the 5th
instant, stole and destroyed a block of marble contributed to said
Monument."

This advertisement availed nothing as to the discovery of the guilty persons. It was understood to have been the work of persons belonging to the party styled "Know-Nothings;" one of their professions being opposition to the Roman Catholic Church and any political preference of its members. It was not thought the persons were generally depraved characters, but, on the contrary, were supposed to be identified with the respectable part of the community. From the time of the reception of this stone from Rome by the Society until its destruction, there had been frequent expressions in a portion of the daily press in opposition to its being placed in the Monument, and the Society had received many protesting letters and, in some instances, long petitions from various parts of the country, numerously signed, urging that the stone be not used by the Society, as it was representative of the Roman Church, &c.

Many petitions from New Jersey recited:

"We, the undersigned, citizens of ----, in the State of New Jersey,
believing the proffer of a block of marble recently made by the Pope
of Rome to this country for the Washington Monument to be totally
inconsistent with the known principles of that despotic system of
government of which he is the head; that the inscription, 'Rome to
America,' engraved upon it, bears a significance beyond its natural
meaning; that the construction is an artful stratagem, calculated to
divert the attention of the American people for the present from his
animosity to republican institutions by an outward profession of
regard; that the gift of a despot, if placed within those walls, can
never be looked upon by true Americans but with feelings of
mortification and disgust; and believing that the original design of
the structure was to perpetuate the memory of Washington as the
champion of American liberty, its national character should be
preserved, do therefore most earnestly protest against the placing
of said stone within the Monument, or any other stone from any other
than a republican government."

But the Society was not organized on sectarian or political lines, and to the opposition and protests no heed was given. The Society was composed of men of different political beliefs and church affiliations.

The immediate effect of the destruction of the "Pope's stone" was to anger a large body of the citizens of the country, members of the Catholic Church, and then, and for a long time afterward, to estrange any interest they had had in the building of the Monument, and to this extent to impair the field for the collection of funds for the Monument.

It has never been certainly known what the precise fate of the stone was, though occasional uncorroborated statements of individuals, alleging knowledge of or participation in its destruction, have been made as to it. But their variance has rendered them of no value.

The further collection of funds for the Monument was not only curtailed by the destruction of the Pope's stone, but the political and business conditions of the country in 1854 caused a great falling off in contributions. The Monument had now reached a height of 153 feet above the foundation, and the Society had expended on the entire structure $230,000. The funds being now practically exhausted, and all its efforts to obtain further sums proving abortive in this year, 1854, the Society presented a memorial to Congress representing that they were unable to devise any plan likely to succeed in raising the requisite means, and under the circumstances asked that Congress might take such action as it deemed proper.

In the House of Representatives the memorial was referred to a select committee of thirteen members, appointed under a resolution July 13th, of which committee the Hon. Henry May, of Maryland, was chairman.

By a previous order, Mr. May, on the 22d of February, 1855, made an eloquent and able report to the House, in which, after a careful examination of the whole subject, the proceedings of the Society were reviewed and approved, and an appropriation of $200,000 by Congress was recommended "on behalf of the people of the United States to _aid_ the funds of this Society." There was no suggestion made that Congress should assume the completion of the Monument; the Society were to continue actively in the work they had been prosecuting. Congress would make simply a donation to the funds. The sum proposed was the same in amount which the House of Representatives, by their resolution of January 1, 1801, had agreed to appropriate for erecting a mausoleum to Washington, in the City of Washington. The report referred to the Society and its work in the following terms of approval:

"The Society was organized on an admirable plan, and its officers
undertook the duties assigned them by its Constitution, and have, as
your committee are well satisfied, faithfully performed them.

"The funds were to be collected in all parts of the United States;
and agents as competent and as faithful as could be found were
appointed, after giving bond for the performance of their duties.
These agents were sent to all parts of the country, and
contributions were commenced and continued by the subscription of
$1.00 for each person. This plan was adopted in order that all might
have the opportunity to contribute.

"In the appointment of these agents a careful scrutiny was exercised
by the Society, and undoubted recommendations of both character and
capacity were in every case required, and though an opinion may
prevail in some parts of the country to the contrary, your committee
are satisfied that these agents generally proved to be worthy of the
confidence reposed in them. Of the large number employed but two of
them failed to account for the money collected, and legal measures
resorted to promptly by the Society against their bonds have, in one
of these instances, obtained the full amount of the liability.

"It may well be questioned if any Society executing a plan for
collecting money so extensively has met with equal success in
justifying the integrity of its agents, and it is pleasing to state
that not one cent of the funds received by the Society has at any
time been lost by investment or otherwise."

This report, recommending "that the sum of two hundred thousand dollars should be subscribed by Congress on behalf of the people of the United States to aid the funds of the Society" was submitted to the House with every assurance of its adoption, and that the appropriation recommended would be made. But an unfortunate occurrence arose, news of which, upon reaching Mr. May upon the floor, occasioned a suspension of further consideration of the report, and the whole matter was laid upon the table. The occurrence was the result of "a plot, secretly contrived and suddenly disclosed, to reverse the principles on which the Society had uniformly acted, and to degrade an enterprise, sacred to patriotism and humanity, into an instrument of party or sect." On the day the report of Mr. May was submitted to the House of Representatives, "a crowd of persons assembled at the City Hall and there voted for seventeen individuals, named in a printed ticket, to be officers and managers of 'the' Society. The only previous announcement of this proceeding was notice signed 'F. W. Eckloff, clerk W. N. M. Society,' and published on the evening of the 21st of February in the American Organ' and the 'Evening Star,' and on the morning of the 22d in the `National Intelligencer.' On the 24th of February the result of the election was proclaimed in the Press," by which it appeared 755 votes were cast, resulting in the election of the following officers: Vespasian Ellis, First Vice-President; George H. Plant, Second V. P.; Charles C. Tucker, Secretary; John M. McCalla, Treasurer; and the following Board of Managers: Samuel S. Briggs, French S. Evans, Henry Addison, Charles R. Belt, Joseph H. Bradley, J. N. Craig, Thomas D. Sandy, Samuel C. Busey, James A. Gordon, Robert T. Knight, Samuel E. Douglass, Joseph Libbey, Sr., Thomas A. Brooke.

This pretended election was not had according to the Constitution of the Society. The constitutional time of election was every third year from the year 1835, and the last election had been held in 1853.

It was the province of the Secretary of the Society to issue all notices of meetings, and the clerk (Eckloff), a mere recorder and messenger, had no color of authority to issue any such notice. The last regular weekly meeting of the Society was held on the 20th of February, and it had then adjourned to meet on the 27th of that month. Of the 755 votes cast all were given to each of the seventeen persons elected, except one, who received 754 votes, and not one of the persons elected was a member of the existing board. This election was carried on certificates of membership, which could be obtained from the Society or its agents on the payment of one dollar, but which were issued without any knowledge of the Society, and no money representing them was ever received by its Treasurer.

Abundant evidence shows that the plan of this election was "silently yet solemnly resolved," and framed in the secret lodges of the "Know-Nothing" or American party of that day, its object being to transfer the entire and exclusive management into its own hands, and to oust every other description of citizens from participation in the trust.

On the 24th of February, the existing Society held a special meeting, protesting against the pretended election of February 22d, and appointed a committee "to investigate the existing state of things and report thereon at the next regular meeting."

The committee reported at a meeting of the Society on the 27th of February, and in accordance therewith adopted resolutions declaring "that the election held on the 22d instant of officers and managers of the Washington National Monument Society was in direct violation of the Constitution of said Society, and therefore null and void; that this Board, being by virtue of the Constitution of the Washington National Monument Society, the existing Board of Managers, and as such charged with a trust of the most solemn character, in behalf of the American people cannot voluntarily surrender the same; that the above resolutions be communicated to the gentlemen claiming under the election of the 22d instant, and that we propose that an amicable suit be instituted for the purpose of testing the rights of the two parties."

Replying to a transmitted copy of these resolutions, the "Know-Nothing" board adopted resolutions not admitting any right in "the late Board of Managers" to participate in the "administration of this Society other than as _members_ thereof," and appointed a committee of three persons "to confer with those gentlemen in response to the resolutions received from them to-day, and that they report to the next meeting of this Board."

The two committees met on the 3d of March, but were unable to agree on terms of arrangement, the committee of the "Know-Nothing" board adhering to a refusal to submit the dispute to judicial decision.

The Superintendent in charge of the Monument, William Dougherty, declining to recognize the authority of the pretended board or to surrender possession of any of the buildings on the Monument grounds to the new superintendent appointed by it, on the evening of the 9th of March these buildings were forcibly taken possession of in its name, and the "new" superintendent was installed in place. Thereafter, for several years, the Society had no further communication with the "Know-Nothing" board, and published in the daily press a full account of the controversy, which demonstrated the illegality of the organization of the board in usurped possession. Arrangements were also made to secure a decision by the courts in the premises. The Society's agents were also advised of the existing conditions. Being bonded, no moneys collected by them were paid to the treasurer of the "Know-Nothing" board, which board shortly issued the following address, thereby stamping its character:

"BRETHREN OF THE AMERICAN PARTY:

"For twenty years past a voluntary association has existed in this
city, formed for the purpose of raising funds to erect a monument to
WASHINGTON. It was founded on the scheme of voluntary contributions
among the people of the United States, in such sums as would enable
every citizen to contribute towards it. After years of patient
waiting, a sufficient amount was accumulated to justify them in
adopting a plan and beginning the work. A plan was adopted of a
single shaft of white marble, of four equal sides, having a base 55
feet square, and rising to the height of 600 feet, diminishing
gradually from base to top, and to be 33 feet square at the top. The
base is to be a pantheon, surrounded by columns and ornamented by
statues. The interior of the Monument is a square chamber: the
walls, 15 feet in thickness, are composed of the solid blue stone of
the Potomac in large masses, faced on the outside with white marble
18 inches thick, firmly bonded at every course into the blue stone.
The corner-stone was laid on the 4th of July, 1848. The structure
has reached the height of 170 feet at a cost of upward of $230,000.
And it appears to be firm as the materials of which it is composed.

"Last year the contributions were wholly insufficient to keep up the
ordinary progress of the work, and the managers were constrained to
apply to Congress for aid. In the course of its construction they
had thought it expedient and proper to receive not only
contributions in money from every quarter of the globe, but they
invited contributions in ornamented stones, to be placed, under the
direction of the architect, in the face of the wall of the chamber.
Among others, a stone sent from the Pope of Rome, and was received
by the managers, to be placed, as the others, in some conspicuous
place.

"It was an American Monument, and its construction and management
was said to be mainly in the hands of Catholics and foreigners.
Complaints were also made of the administration of the association,
and of the expenditures and losses in the collections of funds. For
these and divers other causes, the Americans of this District
resolved in their respective Councils that this work ought to be
typical of their Government, completed by the free act of the
People, under the direction and by the hands of the natives.
Accordingly, at the election held on the 22d of February last, they
nominated and elected a ticket of their own Order, who now have the
control of the work.

"It will require at least one million of dollars to complete it as
it was originally designed, and that sum must be raised by the
Councils of our Order, or we must suffer indelible disgrace and
become a bye-word. There are enrolled in the Order at this time not
less than two millions of freemen. A contribution of fifty cents
from each, a sum within the reach of every member, will effect it.
There may be some too poor--there cannot be any too mean or too
insensible to the obligation upon them--to give this sum. If this
shall be so, we have adopted a plan by which that difficulty may be
met. For every contribution of one dollar, a certificate of
membership is to be issued to the person in whose name the
subscription is made. It is therefore proposed that collections
shall be made in each Council throughout the Nation in such manner
as each may deem most expedient, and the money remitted to JOHN M.
McCALLA, Esq., Treasurer of the National Monument, accompanied by a
letter addressed to CHARLES C. TUCKER, Secretary of the National
Monument, stating the amount thus forwarded, and transmitting a list
of the names to whom a certificate for each dollar thus paid in is
to be sent. For each single subscription of five dollars a handsome
engraved plate of the Monument, of large size, will be sent.

"But, Brethren, while the sum of fifty cents from each member of the
Order may be barely sufficient to complete the structure, it will
take as much more to finish the work and the grounds, and leave a
surplus to be invested and yield an interest to keep it in repair
end defray the incidental annual expenses.

"We have pledged the American party to this work. We have taken the
great step of overthrowing, on this pledge, the administration which
has preceded us, and which not only failed but went as beggars to
Congress to ask legislative aid for that which loses all merit,
unless it be the free-will offering of grateful hearts.

"Have we done right?

"Brothers, we come to you to demand your aid in this great work to
which we have been appointed, and to which, through us, you are
pledged. We do not come alone. Our brethren in the District of
Columbia, beneath the walls of the Presidential Mansion, from which
a frowning brow is ever turned upon us--these brethren, moved by the
sacred fire that ever burns in their hearts, the altars of
patriotism, defying the scorn and contumely and lust of those
temporarily in power, have come up freely to our aid. They have set
to you, the free citizens of free States, with power to remove and
bring to account those who dare to turn a wrathful eye on the
movements of those native to the soil--to you in every sense
Freemen--they have set a bright and glorious example. May you walk
by its light. The Councils in this the heart of the Nation--yet not
one of its members--our Councils have, with wondrous unanimity,
resolved to contribute _one dollar_ for each member enrolled in each
separate Council. Let it go forth--publish it wherever in this broad
land, those born beneath the stars and stripes, the glorious banner
of our Union, have met, or shall meet, to resolve that Americans
must and shall govern America. Ring it in the ear of the
slothful--breathe it into the heart of the earnest--the native
Americans in Council, in the District of Columbia, have resolved to
contribute a dollar for each member toward the completion of the
work; and they have already begun their contributions.

"Brethren, it is a national work--it is the heaped-up offering of
mighty people--it is the work of the age. To it, from every kindred
and nation, offerings have been brought--the tribute of far-off
lands to that name which stands single, alone, mighty, majestic, in
the history of the world, as though it were written in letters of
starry light in the high heavens, to be read by all men. These are
but the homage paid to virtue end renown, while the heart is cold or
hostile.

"But to you, Brethren, his name is a household word. It was breathed
over you on a mother's name and graven on your heart by a mother's
love. It was taught you by a father's watchful care, and has been
held ever before you as your beacon and your guide by a father's
ceaseless anxiety. It was your watchword in the sports of youth; it
is, it must be, your polar star in the mazes of a maturer life; it
is the name for patriotism; it is little less than that of a god.
Oh, the heart--the true American heart--the heart that beats
responsive to the call of country--the heart that thrills at those
words of wisdom and warning which fell from his lips, teaching us
the dangers of foreign influence--the heart that swells with
gratitude to the great human benefactor, who, having led us through
the perils of the terrible conflicts of the Revolution, and guided
us through the scarcely less perilous history of the Federation, and
presided over that grand and august assembly which framed our
matchless Constitution, laid in practice the deep foundations of
this mighty Nation--the heart of the native-born American leaps up
with joy to testify its deep love and veneration for him and seeks
some adequate means to express it. And, Brethren and Countrymen, we
bring it to you; we give you, by the means spread before you, an
opportunity to enroll your names in the book where is found the
mighty company who have contributed to this the most remarkable
Monument ever erected to man, which, as his name, shall stand
unique, lofty--towering above all others known among men.

"Brethren, come to our aid.

"By order of the Board:

"CHAS. C. TUCKER,
"_Secretary_.

"WASHINGTON, D. C., _May, 1855_."

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY:

FRANKLIN PIERCE,
_President of the United Slates and ex officio President_.

VESPASIAN ELLIS,
_First Vice-President_.

JOHN T. TOWERS,
_Mayor of Washington and ex officio Second Vice-President_.

GEORGE H. PLANT,
_Third Vice-President_.

JOHN M. McCALLA,
_Treasurer_.

CHAS. C. TUCKER,
_Secretary_.

MANAGERS:

HENRY ADDISON, THOMAS D. SANDY,
CHARLES R. BELT, JOSEPH H. BRADLEY,
FRENCH S. EVANS, SAMUEL C. BUSEY,
CHARLES W. DAVIS, JAMES GORDON,
JOHN N. CRAIG, ROBERT T. KNIGHT,
SAMUEL E. DOUGLAS, JOSEPH LIBBY, SR.,
THOMAS A. BROOKE.

The address was printed in certain of the daily papers, and transmitted to the "Councils" of the party by the following letter:

"OFFICE OF THE
WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT SOCIETY,
WASHINGTON, D. C., _May, 1855_.

"DEAR SIR AND BROTHER:

"Enclosed I send you an address from the Board of Managers of the
Washington National Monument Society to members of our Order, asking
their contributions in aid of the Washington National Monument, and
request that you will place it before your Council and lend your
influence towards the accomplishment of the object in view.

"By the action of your brethren in the District of Columbia our
Order stands pledged to the country and the world to complete the
Monument, and the glory of success or the disgrace of failure will
be ours alone. The pledge was freely given; for we were confident
that our brethren in the States would rejoice at the opportunity
thus presented of testifying their gratitude and veneration for him
whose "memory, maxims, and deathless example" we endeavor to keep
alive in the hearts of the American people.

"I would suggest that your Council appoint a Washington Monument
Committee to receive subscriptions and forward the sums collected to
the Treasurer of the Society. The committee should procure a book in
which to insert the name and address of each contributor and the
amount contributed. This book should be forwarded to me, to be
placed in the archives of the Monument, and to each contributor of
one dollar or upwards will be forwarded a certificate of membership
and a print of the Monument or a portrait of Washington.

"The plan laid down by the Board of Managers is to forward to each
contributor of one dollar or upwards and less than five dollars a
small print of the Monument, and to each contributor of five dollars
a print of the Monument, 22 by 30 inches in size, or a large
portrait of Washington, and both the large print and portrait to
each contributor of eight dollars or upwards. To each Council will
be sent a copy of the large print or portrait or both, depending
upon the amount contributed in such Council.

"It is not expected, nor is it necessary, that the subscriptions be
paid at once; but they may be paid in weekly, semi-monthly or
monthly payments, as the Council or committee may determine. One
dime per week from each member of our Order for three months will be
more than sufficient to erect the Monument to its destined height,
thus bringing it within the means of all to assist us in our noble
work.

"If the Council deems it advisable to collect subscriptions outside
of the Council, but within its jurisdiction, let it recommend a
suitable person to act as agent, who will receive a compensation for
his services by a commission upon the amount collected. Upon such
recommendations being received, there will be forwarded to the agent
named a certificate authorizing him to receive contributions. The
Council will determine whether the proceeds of such collections be
received and transmitted by the committee having charge of the
collections within the Council or be remitted by the agent direct to
the Treasurer. It is intended that the amount of such collection be
placed to the credit of the Council in the reports from the Board of
Managers to the State Councils and National Council.

"May we not rely upon your best exertion to aid us in the work in
which we are engaged? We know that our brethren will cheerfully
contribute their mites if the subject is properly placed before
them. We wish to dispense, as far as possible, with the services of
special agents; that all contributions may be applied directly to
the purpose for which they are intended, and we must rely mainly
upon those whose abilities or position enable them to render us the
aid required; and who, like the officers of the Society, will desire
no compensation for their services other than the pleasure of
engaging in this patriotic undertaking.

"Fraternally yours,

"CHAS. C. TUCKER,
"_Secretary W. N. M. S._"

The following "Notice to the Public" was issued by the "Know-Nothing" Board:

"OFFICE OF
"WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT SOCIETY,
"WASHINGTON, _July 1, 1856_.

"IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN ORDER OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS, the public
are requested to pay no more contributions for the Washington
National Monument to agents heretofore commissioned by the Board.

"This notice is not to be construed as a censure on the agents, but
it is designed to effectuate a general settlement of the affairs of
the Society. The Board is well assured of eventual success in the
patriotic enterprise in which it is engaged, but it has resolved to
suspend further proceedings by agency until a plan, now under
consideration, for combining efficiency, promptitude, and safety, is
matured.

"Balances due from agents, or offerings from independent
contributors, are to be sent by draft, _payable to the order of the
Treasurer of Washington National Monument Society_, enclosed in a
letter to the undersigned.

"By order: SAMUEL YORKE ATLEE,
"_Secretary W. N. M. S._

"N. B.--Editors throughout the United States will confer a favor on
the Society and benefit the public by publishing this notice and
sending to the Secretary a copy of the paper containing the same."

Manifestly, the rival claims of the two Boards of Managers, and the office, books, papers, and property of the Society and the Monument itself, being in the possession and control of a narrow political faction, practically arrested the work of the Society's agents in the collection of funds and further building operations.