USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > History of Cuyahoga County soldiers' and sailors' monument. Scenes and incidents from its inception to its completion.--Description of the memorial structure, and roll of honor > Part 14
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"' If anyone's hands are to be laid upon Commodore Perry,' said Mr. Herrick, 'I had rather the Commission do it than I.'
"'We have a more sacred regard for that statue than you have,' retorted Gen. Elwell hotly.
"Col. E. W. Force asked whether any other section would be more satisfactory to the City, but no one ap- parently noticed the question.
"'Wont the Monument be a more glorious object,' said Major Gleason, 'than the old rookery in one sec- tion, the fountain that squirts half the year in the other
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section, and the rustic bridge with two dirty ponds filled with banana peels in the third section ?'
"'If you would consent to take one of the other sec- tions,' said Mr. Herrick, 'I think something would grow out of it.
"'Either one of the other three sections,' interposed Mayor Rose.
"Gen. Elwell emphatically declared that the Com- inission would not take any other section.
"'Well,' said Mr. Herrick, 'if you are determined to build there, let the blood be upon your own skirts.'
" Here the meeting ended with no conclusion reached."
The World printed the following sensible editorial on September Ist:
"At this late day, after the matter has been fought through the Legislature and litigated through the Courts, and the whole inatter fairly and honorably settled that the Soldiers' Monument should go into the southeast corner of the Public Square and the work upon construction has begun, an attempt is being made to rouse public sentiment by public meetings and to beg of the Monument Commission to place the Monument elsewhere.
"It seems to us that all this sort of thing is out of date.
"It should have been done ten years ago, if at all.
" After the Commission has been subjected to the annoyance and expense of lawsuits, and has been en- tirely victorious, it seems very late to enter into the business of supplicating.
" It is indeed strange that people can never awake to the seriousness of a situation until it is too late.
"As a matter of fact, we do not believe that there would have been any special objection raised to the erection of the Monument on the proposed site had it
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not been for the constant agitation of a certain news- paper that is simply hostile to the whole Monument scheme and feels that the more it can aunoy the Com- missioners the greater point it will make.
"Whether the northeast corner of the Square is a good or bad place for the Monument, it does seem that it is now too late to kick successfully about locating it there."
Mark well the proposition of the City government. They would readily consent to the occupancy of either of the other three sections of the Square. The object of the Commission was accomplished. They had smoked out the City officials, and planted them just where the defunct Park Commissioners stood. There would be space enough for the Monument on any of the other sections of the Square, the structure would be suitable, but the objection was to the particular section desired. As an actual fact, all of the sections are of ex- actly similar dimensions. The puny actions of the City officials were as utterly devoid of consistency as they were of fair dealing. They were easily caught in the trap set for them by the Commission, to test their motive and sincerity.
XV.
A NEW "Richmond," fiercely booted and spurred, rushes madly into the fray! It will be nicely tamned by the time its wisdom teeth are cut !
The small squad of cranks now began to get in their work. The fence around the southeast section of the Square caused a few "influential citizens" a slight temporary inconvenience. In their perambulations to and from lunch, at the Union Club on Euclid Avenue, they were compelled to walk a few feet more than formerly. This had a depressing effect on these methodical gentlemen, resulting in giving them a bad case of dyspepsia. The fact that a fence had hitherto been built around the foundation of every new down- town business block, agreeable to a City Ordinance made and provided for such purpose, seemed to be completely forgotten. That particular fence around the foundation of the Soldiers' Monument was " an outrage, and must come down!" The poor dyspeptics felt terrifically disgruntled, and they rose right up on their dignity and protested.
As one of their butterfly dudes expressed himself : "Weally, dontcherno, the deah boys wouldn't stawnd it! Us fellahs mus'n't be twifled with! Our pawths must not be obstwucted! That blawsted fence must come down, dontcherno."
Notwithstanding the acrimonious protests of a few unhappy gentlemen, the Monument Commission were necessitated to go right on in the line of their duty to the accomplishment of their work. So straightway the club diners and luncheon squad sought to plant a new
James A.Garfield. Jacob D.Cox. George B. ME Clellan William R Dennison David Tod. John Brougn Whusm'S. Rosecrans. Rutherford B.Hayes, Quincy AGilmore
"THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR, IN OHIO."
ATEN
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battery against the incipient Monument, which would cause the Commissioners to immediately capitulate. Their mighty Krupp gun bore upon its breech the sig- nificant and captivating legend-" Board of Trade."
Neatly printed circulars were gotten out, couriers were sent hither and yon to collect sufficient recruits to man the battery. The newspapers were pressed into the service; glaring headlines, stirring editorials, local squibs, knowing winks, earnest entreaties, hearty hand- shakes, and all the preliminaries and paraphernalia incident to the siege of a castle were brought into requisition, supplemented and sustained by the muni- tions and resources of the vast commerce of the inland seas and the prosperous industries of a beautiful and expanding city. The Monument Commissioners were to be annihilated. The promoters of the "Monster Mass Meeting" started off with the self-satisfied and martial airs of a new country brass band on its first public appearance. However, by the time the curtain dropped on their grand drama of the Board of Trade, the orchestra could not pump wind enough to fill a mouth organ.
The old Board of Trade, before its recent reconstruc- tion, expansion and modern commercial spirit, was in its infancy but an humble institution with a sonorous namie. Its membership-on paper-was eminently respectable. The list of members was "long " on the books, "short " at meetings. Annual fees and dues were promptly paid-when called or sent for. O11 ordinary, everyday occasions, sometimes as many as six business men and the Secretary came together. Occa- sionally a huge transaction took place on 'Change, such as the selling or buying of a full car load of potatoes. Then again a few crates of eggs would change hands, as well as the oats in which the eggs were packed. The dingy headquarters attained to the dignity of being
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supplied with a ticker, which reeled off quotations with the fascinating interest of base-ball scores, horse-racing results, and other like important public events.
At last the auspicions occasion had arisen when the fast decaying Board of Trade would assume a new life, when they would make one last grand rally in defense of the Street Railroad Corporations, or perish in the attempt. Of course this " Monster Mass Meeting of the Representative Business Men of Cleveland" would strike terror to the hearts of the Monument Commission, would cause them to unconditionally surrender the fruits of the victory for which they had been battling the past thirteen years! The fateful day of the conflict at last arrived. The clans began to gather from the "three quarters" of the City. The bare floor and unpainted walls of the rented headquarters of the Board of Trade began to echo with the tramp, tramp, tramp, and the voices of as many as three hundred and fifty brave business men, their aiders, abettors and advisers. The Monument Commissioners, too, were there; uninvited and unbidden, meek and hmmmble, in the presence of " so much influence !" As the meeting proceeded, pande- monium reigned supreme. Parliamentary usages were cast to the winds. Freedom of speech was a lost pre- rogative, especially as applied to several members of the Commission. The balky assemblage paid little, if any, attention to the bell of Col. William Edwards, the genial starter. After many trials, and frequent “ scor- ing," the word "go" was given, only to result in the President's unruly horses running away with him. At last a semblance of order was brought out of chaos, and
the meeting went on. We publish extracts from the Leader of September 2nd, giving a report of it :
" There was a lively citizens' meeting at the Board of Trade rooms, Thursday morning, in reference to the Soldiers' Monument question, but it cannot be said that
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very much was accomplished. There were several elo- quent speeches on both sides of the controversy, and resolutions of no uncertain sound were adopted. A committee on conference, whose duty it would be to confer with the Monument Commissioners as to the matter of a suitable site for the Monument other than the chosen location, was also appointed, but as the Commissioners refused to meet the Committee, it is hard to see what benefit will result from their appoint- ment. The meeting was an extremely lively one, and while, on the whole, good feeling prevailed, there were a few personalities which had been better left unsaid. The citizens were somewhat late in arriving at the Board of Trade, and at II o'clock, the hour set for the gathering, the prospects for a large meeting looked rather dim. Five minutes later, the people began to arrive in droves and they kept coming until when the meeting was called to order, standing room was at a premium, and the last comers had to be content with accommodations in the passage or gallery. All told, there were over 350 persons present, and among them were the most representative and influential citizens of Cleveland. The Monument Commission was repre- sented by Generals Leggett and Elwell, Captain Sco- field, Colonel Dewstoe, Major Gleason, Captain Bohm and James Hayr.
" After rapping for order, President Edwards said a few words explanatory of the object of the meeting. He said the question of placing the Monument in the Square had never been properly discussed by the cit- izens at large. He paid a glowing tribute to the services performed by the ex-Soldiers, and said that in no city of the United States was their memory more revered than in Cleveland. Still there was a very strong senti- ment against placing the Soldiers' Monument in the Square, and it was to discuss that question that the
.
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meeting had been called. President Edwards then said that the meeting would like to hear from General MI. D. Leggett. The suggestion was loudly applauded, and General Leggett was given a hearty round of ap- platise as he left his seat in the gallery and stepped for- ward to the President's desk.
"' I believe the first thing for me to do is to apolo- gize for being here,' said the venerable ex-Soldier. ' The invitation I received was for those who desired to protest against placing the Monument in the Square, and I don't belong to that class.'
" There was a volley of applause at this assertion, and the fact became apparent that the Monument Commis- sion had plenty of friends in the room. 'I have been a member of the Commission since its organization,' continued General Leggett, 'and I submit that I know something about the Monument. There is an old adage common to us lawyers-I think Lord Coke was the author of it-to the effect that if a man neglects to speak when he ought to speak, he should be prohibited from speaking when he wants to speak. [Applause.] That adage is applicable on this occasion. This site was chosen twelve years ago, and it was known to every- body, but there has been no protest until now.' Gen- eral Leggett said the southeast section of the Square is the only section that is adapted to the Monument. The tablet room is to be forty feet square and twenty feet high, he continued, and it would look altogether too squatty and unsightly on any other section of the Square, in each of which the ground is much lower. ' If the citizens have kept still until we have expended $150,000 and contracted for more expenditures,' the General went on, 'I think it is almost unconscionable for them to meet at this late day and protest against the chosen site. We don't want to fly in the face of the community, but we honestly believe we are right in the
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matter. The Monument will not be standing thirty days before nine out of every ten of the people who are objecting to the site will say the Monument is a beauti- ful thing and just exactly in the right place. It is not possible for us to do anything else than we are doing. No other door is open to us.'
" T. M. Heard said he had only a few words to say, and he proceeded to say them, despite considerable in- terruption. He said he was originally opposed to the Square as a site for the Monument, but since the Courts had decided that that was the proper place for it, he had withdrawn his opposition, and thought everybody else ought to acquiesce also. Then Mr. Heard went on to tell a story about a parrot which had acquired the habit of swearing, but the audience didn't want to hear the story and the speaker was obliged to desist.
"Colonel Dewstoe moved that Captain Scofield be invited to subinit and explain the plans for the Mon11- ment. The speaker said that a majority of those present had never seen the plans and should not oppose the Monument until they knew what they were talking about. The motion was carried, and Captain Scofield came forward carrying a big roll of parchment. Pres- ident Edwards asked him to be as brief as possible. ' It wont take very long,' said the Captain.
"'Well, then, I'll give you five minutes,' said the presiding officer.
"'I wouldn't think of attempting to explain the plans in that short time, and if that is all I can have I decline to say anything,' replied Captain Scofield, and he went back to his seat.
Hon. R. C. Parsons was called for and went forward. His speechi was a very eloquent one. He began by re- ferring to a meeting of citizens which he attended thirty years ago, when recruits were being sent for- ward to the seat of war. 'People came forward in
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crowds to pay money to help our boys,' he continued, 'and I thought at that time that I had never known a more loyal or devoted community than Cleveland was. And when I read in the papers the other day that a member of this Commission declared that Cleveland cared nothing for the Soldiers' Monument and wished it was in hell, I thought the man must be blind. Why, Cleveland was the incarnation of loyalty during the war, and it was here that the cradle of freedom was rocked.' Then the speaker told of several touching incidents of kindness to the returning Soldiers at Washington at the close of the war, and continuing, he said: 'This was truly God's country, and Cleveland was one of its brightest jewels. Never let me hear that Cleveland doesn't love her Soldiers. Never let me see an old Sol- dier who is worthy of respect walk along our streets without any one who calls himself a man being ready to take off his hat. It is true that no one objected to this site for the Monument until lately. The reason was that we did not know what the Monument was to be like. Now we find that the Square and the Monu- ment are no more suited to each other than the big hat of a man is suited to the head of a little boy. The Public Square is sacred to our people, and it is none too sacred for a Monument to our Soldiers. But when you come to take away a monument that is already fitted both by associations and size to that place, and put in its stead a structure that is forty feet square and a hundred feet high, you make a great mistake. It has been said that the Commission have a perfect right to go ahead. Legally, that is so; morally, it is not so. The great mass of our citizens are opposed to that location. The Monument is owned by the people, and ought not to be placed on any site that the mass of the people are opposed to. The people are perfectly willing to pay another $100,000 if the Monument is put elsewhere.'
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" Rev. Dr. C. S. Bates was asked to say a few words and he was listened to with marked interest. 'I had something to do with the army,' he began, 'and from the bottom of my heart I sympathize with the honor of our citizen soldiery. I am opposed to placing the Mon- ument on the Square. The question is : Is there not, in fairness, already established a prior claim to this ground ? Ought we to set aside a monument in mem- ory of the achievements of eighty years ago to make room for one in commemoration of those of thirty years ago? I know the Commission do not think so, but it will certainly be regarded as a slight to the memory of Commodore Perry if his statue is removed to make way for the new Monument. Only once in human his- tory did an American fleet ineet the mistress of the waves and demonstrate that on some waters, at least, Britannia does not rule the waves. Perry's Momument is unique in that it commemorates the victory of all American fleet over a British fleet, and we ought to call the place where it stands consecrated ground.
"' The members of this Commission are all noble men and fit to stand with the most princely men in the world,' continued Dr. Bates, 'but they do not represent our citizens properly in this matter. I want our Soldiers to be honored by the love of their countrymen, and 110 monument that may be erected should stand as an odium or reproach, but as voicing the acclaims of the whole people. If the Commission will feel that although they have won a victory in the Courts, they may rise to a grander height by losing something of their personal preference, I believe that for all that they thus lose, they will find in the honor that will come to them ample recompense. They say it is too late. It is never too late for anybody to try and cultivate the good-will of the community. Suppose that this meeting would ap- point a Committee on Conference, and that committee
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should say to you, 'we can secure a better site for the Monument, acceptable alike to you and the people,' is there not a possibility of adjustment along that line ?'
"Dr. Bates' suggestion for a Conference Committee was loudly applauded and bore fruit later in the pro- ceedings.
"Mr. John B. Coffinberry was recognized as Dr. Bates sat down, and he made a speech that caused a great deal of amusement. 'Two days ago,' he said, 'the people of the West Side were relegated to a position of obscurity by a person who is a Justice of the Peace, and from whose decision there can therefore be no appeal. Despite that gentleman's utterances, however, I firmly believe that there are half a dozen suitable sites for the Monument other than the Public Square, and one of these sites may be found on the West Side.'
"Captain Scofield said that the people who had not seen the plans could not comprehend what the Monu- ment was to be. 'There is no inan in the city who thinks more of Perry's statue than I do,' he added, ' but I believe the proper place for him is on the bank of the lake.'
"At this point, Mr. J. H. McBride moved that the chair appoint a committee of five on resolutions. The motion was adopted, and President Edwards named the following gentlemen as the committee: J. H. McBride, Hon. M. A. Hanna, S. M. Strong, G. W. Short and W. H. Corning. They retired to the Secretary's office to prepare their report. As the door closed behind them, Col. A. T. Van Tassel said : 'I would like to ask Cap- tain Scofield if the Commission shouldn't spend the people's money in the way the people say.'
"' We were appointed to perform a special duty, and we have been laboring for five or six years to accom- plish that duty,' replied Captain Scofield. 'We have spent nearly fourteen years trying to find out the sense
naupon this act sincerely believed to be an act of Justice,warrantedby the Constitution upon a mili. tary necessityIinvoke the considerate Judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God
want what the John Skavikan, SalmoniCh ise Dand Fury Alvohem Lincoln Benigniof Wade. Joshua & Gidding
"THE EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVE."
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of the people, and I firmly believe that the largest pro- portion of the people of Cuyahoga County want the Monument to go on the Square.'
" Major W. J. Gleason, in response to numerous calls, walked to the front of the room and made an address. 'I am glad that at last something has arisen that is sufficient to fill this room,' he said, sarcastically. 'It is a very unusual thing for a meeting of the Board of Trade to fill this room. Once a year, on the occasion of the annual free lunch, there is a large crowd here, but as a rule the attendance is very slim.' The Major's words were smothered by shouts of protest at the na- ture of his remarks. For a minute he could not make himself heard, but finally shouted : 'I've heard geese before, and these few geese don't bother me a bit.' He went on to say that Perry's statue was not now placed right or 'pointed ' right. 'We as a Commission,' he said, 'wanted to know the sentiment of the people as regards a site for the Monument, but where have you been for the past thirteen years? The people of this county are not represented here. There are 400,- 000 people in Cuyahoga county, and this meeting can't presumne to speak for the whole county. We are willing to put the question to a vote, but where do a majority of the people want the Monument ? Some want it on the West Side, some want it on the South Side, some want it in Wade Park. They wont all agree on any one site. From October 30, 1879, until two days ago, you have said, 'put it on the Square,' and that is the place where a majority of the people of the county want it.'
"N. A. Gilbert, Esq., said he was opposed to placing the Monument on the Square, yet he wanted to say that he had seldom heard more manly words than those spoken by Major Gleason. 'He puts the question fairly,' continued Mr. Gilbert. 'Where do you want the
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Monument ? The Commission are not to be treated as men violating the law. They are honest gentlemen and are doing what they believe to be right. They have moved on and performed their duty and it is only now that the people have become awake and concluded that they don't want the Monument on the Square. Now is the time and now the place to apply the good common sense of a committee who shall act as buffers between the litigants. I heartily approve Dr. Bates' suggestion that a Conference Committee be appointed.'
" Captain M. B. Gary made an earnest plea for har- inony, and was followed by Colonel C. C. Dewstoe. The latter said there was one phase of the controversy which he could not understand, and that was, why it would be a sacrilege to mnove Perry's statue now, when not a word of that sort of sentiment was breathed when his statue was removed from its original location to that now occupied. 'This talk about sacrilege is only an artificial objection,' continued Colonel Dewstoe. 'Most of you really think that the lake front is the proper place for Perry, and the truth of the matter is that you want to extend Euclid Avenue through the Square. I'll wager that if such a project as that was started there would be no talk about the sacrilege of moving Perry.'
"The Committee on Resolutions returned to the room. Their report was presented and it recommended the adoption of the following :
" Resolved, That we cordially approve the erection, at the cost of the taxpayers of Cuyahoga County, of a suitable Monument to the memory of the brave Soldiers and Sailors who served with patriotic zeal in the late Civil War.
" Resolved, That such Monument, paid for by the voluntary tax- ation of the people themselves, is public property, and its character and location should meet the approval and convenience, as far as possible, of the general public.
" Resolved, That iu our judgment the selection of the southeast
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corner of the Public Square, in the City of Cleveland, as the site for said Monument, is prejudicial to the convenience and comfort of our citizens, because the land is absolutely necessary to the daily needs of the people and is wholly unsuitable for the Monument itself. If the Monument should be built there, it will, so long as it remains, prove an object of public disapprobation and irritation. We protest against such location as unnecessary, unwise and im- politic.
" Resolved, That we recommend the purchase by the City of a suitable plot of land for the Monument and that the Legislature be asked for all necessary authority to pay for the same.
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