USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > History of the Cuyahoga County soldiers' and sailors' monument > Part 18
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" The Monument, with its granite and bronze, would not be affected seriously by the smoke nuisance-not half as much as the Perry statue is; and, besides, the smoke nuisance can, and therefore will, be abated in the near future.
"The obstructing of light and air is another objection. Well, this needs no argument, for there is simply nothing in it; and peo- ple making this objection are like the old lady in Puritan times who objected to having a stove to warin the church in winter, and fainted away on a cold winter day because of the stove, but was quite sur- prised afterwards to learn that there was no fire in it.
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"Second. As to the removal of the Perry statue, it need not be removed at all from that section of the Square. The Monument Commissioners have so decided, and propose that he shall stand on the south side near the naval group on the Monument and be asso- ciated with it, blending the earlier and later glories of American naval achievements.
" If the City authorities should prefer to remove it to some other location on the Square, or to Lake View Park at the foot of Ontario Street, it could not possibly imply any disrespect to his memory. The statue has been removed once, and the fact that he has so many new friends now, clearly shows that the removal of his statue does not, and cannot, lessen the glory of his achievements, or the affec- tion with which his memory is cherished.
" Third. It is said that the majority of the people are opposed to that location ; but, manifestly, that is a matter of opinion, for none of those expressing it have ever talked with one-tenth of the people on that subject, and, besides, the groundlessness of the objections made, as I have pointed out, shows that these opinions have been formed without investigation or knowledge of the real facts. Much of what has appeared in a large part of the city press has been of the same character. It has been in a large measure like the cry of 'mad dog.' One person expresses an opinion in language of denun- ciation, and another, and another, and so on take it up and repeat it, and thus an injurious and unjust public sentiment is created. This is very much like the tactics sometimes used to stampede political conventions. The great mass of the people are intelligent and thoughtful, and will not be blindly led on this subject, and cer- tainly so great a matter as this cannot be determined by mere asser- tions or denunciation.
"Fourth. But, it may be asked, have none of those who so vio- lently opposed that location any reasons for so doing? Yes, they have reasons, but they are not brought to the front. One class ob- jects simply because they think the Square should be kept entirely open and free from any structure, aside from here and there a statue ; but the Supreme Court has exploded that theory, both as to monuments and purely public buildings.
"The Square has the appearance of belonging simply to a coun- try village. In fact, many country villages have much better monu- ments than the Perry statue, though none could commemorate more splendid bravery than does his.
" The Square has not a single metropolitan feature in the way of ornament or artistic character, and yet the city, no longer a village, is destined soon to become the metropolitan city of the State. The Monument would supply that need, and give the Square a character suited to the growth and wealth of the city. Another class object to
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the location because, as they claim, it may be necessary at sollie future time to run Euclid Avenue, with the street railway, down through that section of the Square to the west side of the Square, and cutting off a corner of the southwest section. The entire street railway interest, as well as the property owners on Euclid Avenue, are directly interested in that project, for the street railway compa- nies are preparing to combine.
"These two powerful interests have had a large share in the agi- tation against that location ; and it has even been said, that witli such powerful interests, the Monument, even if erected there, might be removed at some future time to carry out that plan, and yet many of the same people are denouncing the idea of removing the Perry statue, even to another location on the same section of the Square
"I do not believe the time will ever come when it will be neces- sary to run Euclid Avenue through the Square. It has two outlets -one direct to Superior and the other round the Square, either of which is equal to the capacity of Euclid Avenue itself; and the street cars can carry as many passengers on the present line as they could if run through the Square. I doubt very much if a street, and especially a street railway, can legally be run through any section of the Square, but I will not discuss that here.
"But I am perfectly clear that if any street is to be run through any section of the Square, it should be through the southwest sec- tion, so as to relieve and accommodate Ontario Street as well as Euclid Avenue, which needs it much more than does that avenue. With Superior and Ontario Streets and the streets around the Square, I am confident the public will never need a street through any section of the Square; and, iu any point of view, neither the interests of property holders on Euclid Avenue nor the private interests of street railways should be allowed to stand in the way of the location of this splendid Monument on the southeast section of the Square. The majority of the people do their own thinking, and when they understand this matter, they will, I believe, decide with no uncertain voice in favor of the present site.
"Fifth. Since writing the above, it is said that the City authori- ties and the Board of Trade Committee are willing that the Monu- ment should be located on the northeast section, and the question is, therefore, narrowed down to the comparative merits of the two locations. There are legal points, however, to be carefully consid- ered before any final action can safely be taken by the Monument Commissioners, if a change of sites should be deemed advisable. One City Council unanimously gave consent to the present site, but after a little more than four years, through the influence of a new administration, that consent was withdrawn. The right of the
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Monument Commission to the present site is fully settled and established under direct grant from the Legislature, with which the City cannot interfere, and a certainty should not be changed for an uncertainty. As to the merits of the two locations, they are both of the same size, which clearly disposes of the objection as to the Monument being too large for the present site. It may be that there are not as many people" passing through the northeast as the southeast section, but the opportunity to make the distance from Euclid Avenue shorter than it is now by the diagonal walk as those explained does not exist as to the northeast section, and it is not, therefore, true that the Monument would be more in the way in the southeast than in the northeast section. The walks and spaces around the Monument can be made as broad and convenient in the southeast as in the northeast section. Why, then, this persistent objection to the present site? Is there anything substantial left of it except the supposed, but to my mind mistaken, interest of Euclid Avenue property owners and the large private interest of the street railway companies ?
"It is said the public prejudice against the present site, whether well founded or unfounded, should decide in favor of the new site proposed ; but a mistaken or unfounded public sentiment might in the near future be changed into a permanent public regret. We are, therefore, brought to the final, the one decisive question, which is the best site ?
"The objections to the northeast section are :
"First. It is merely a corner-shut in with comparatively no view from the east.
"Second. It is low, and the Society for Savings building is higher than the shaft of the Monument, and the large new building opposite the Postoffice may be nearly as high.
"Third. The moving wagons standing around there might move over on to the other side of the street, next to the Postoffice, and remain under the generous leniency of the Postoffice and Custom House officials.
"I know that Mr. Scofield's opinion is decidedly against that location, and his views are entitled to great weight. He has photo- graphis or pictures of all the principal Monuments, both in Europe and this country, with their locations and surroundings, and has made the subject a careful study for a great many years, and no man is more interested and devoted to the interests of the Monument, now and in the future, than he. Such experience and judgment are of the highest value, and should not be disregarded without ;the most clear and satisfactory reasons.
"The defects in the proposed site which I have pointed lout
CAPTAIN LEVI T. SCOFIELD.
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clearly show by contrast the superior advantages of the present location :
"First. It is not shut in, but has a splendid view from Euclid Avenue on the east.
" Second. It is high and sightly, which will give it an important advantage in relation to buildings around the Square.
" Third. A large amount of work has already been done on the present site, and, as I have shown, the objections to it are not founded on facts or valid reasons.
"Fourth. It is the best site for the Monument, and the Motill- ment should have the best site.
"L. PRENTISS."
Action was taken by the City Council, at its meeting held on September 12th, relative to the "bait" cast before them by the Commission on September 9th, as follows :
" The City Council last evening decided, by a vote of fourteen to five, that the northeast section of the Public Square may be used as a site for the Soldiers' Monument. Last week an intimation was given that the Monument Commissioners might agree to change from the south- east to the northeast section if the Council would con- sent. In order that there might be nothing to interfere with a change of site if the Monument Commissioners would agree to it, the following resolution was intro- duced last evening :
"WHEREAS, The Monumental Commissioners of Cuyahoga County have notified this Council under date of September 9, 1892, that said Commissioners did, on said last mentioned date, unani- mously adopt the following resolution :
"Resolved, That if the City Council at its next meeting should take favorable action towards giving the Monument Commission the northeast section of the Public Square as a site for the Monu- ment, as contemplated in the proposition submitted by the Board of Control, we will recommend that work be suspended within the enclosure of the southeast section of the Public Square until the matter can be considered by the entire Commission, and the meet- ing of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Union, to be called next week, with a view of securing their acceptance of the change. Now, therefore, for the purpose of securing a settlement by compromise of the existing controversy in regard to the use of
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the southeast section of the Public Square of this city as a site for the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and to prevent the removal of the monument of Commodore Perry now upon said site, be it resolved by this Council that the consent of the City be and it is hereby given to said Commissioners to take, use, and occupy the northeast section of the Public Square as a site for said Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument upon condition that the said Commissioners shall suspend all work on said southeast section of said Public Square, remove the fence therefrom, and relinquish all claims thereto, and shall file in the office of the City Clerk within five days from and after the adoption hereof their written acceptance of said last stated site upon the terms and conditions of this resolution ; and that upon the filing in the office of the City Clerk by the said Commissioners of their acceptance, as herein provided, the Corpora- tion Counsel be and he is hereby authorized and instructed to with- draw and dismiss all pending proceedings instituted by the City to prevent the location of said Monument on the southeast section of said Square ; and that thereupon this Council will heartily co. operate with said Commissioners in the erection and preserving of said Monument.
" There was no discussion upon the resolution until the roll was being called. Mr. Angell led off by voting against the resolution. Mr. McKenney, in explaining his vote, said :
"'I am not in favor of the Public Square as a site for the Monument, and I therefore vote no.'
"'Neither am I in favor of the Public Square,' said Mr. Bole.
"' I cannot see any difference between sections,' said Mr. Wilhelmn. ‘I have been told that the vacation of the southeast section is in favor of the street railways, but I do not know that that is so.'
" Mr. O'Brien could not see what earthly use there was in passing a resolution granting the Commission the right to occupy the northeast section of the Square when the Supreme Court had decided that the City has no authority over the Square. He, however, voted for the resolution. The measure was adopted by a vote of fourteen ayes against five nays, Messrs. Angell, McKen- ney, Bole, Wilhelm and Skyrm voting no."
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Backward, turn backward, oh Time, in your flight, The Council is anxious to give up the fight ;
"providing the Commissioners will stop work, remove the fence, relinquish all claims to the southeast section of the Square, accept the northeast section," ad nauseam. Back again to the original proposition of the defunct Park Commissioners. These latter day City officials would give the Monument Commission any place-with a string to it-except the place they desired and were entitled to. The brazen effrontery of these City officials was only equalled by their imbecility. They were soon to have an emphatic answer.
The "reserves" were ordered up, and right gallantly they advanced to the front. Their timely appearance on the field of action completely demoralized the enemy. The decisive charge of the reserves was reported in the Leader of September 13th, as follows :
"There will be no more delay or parley about the location of the Soldiers' Monument-at least such was the decision of the ex-Soldiers and Sailors and the Monument Commission yesterday. A special meeting of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Associa- tion was held in Army and Navy Hall yesterday after- noon. Captain J. C. Shields, President of the Associa- tion, called the meeting to order, but as he was unable to remain, Hon. W. D. Pudney was called to the chair. Mr. Pudney stated the object of the meeting to be the discussion of the Monument site. Over five years ago, he said, the Soldiers and Sailors of the county had chosen the southeast corner of the Square. Now it was desired to ascertain whether the Veterans had changed their minds. G. J. McKnight moved that the meeting reaffirm their decision that the southeast section of the Square be used. It was decided to limit speeches on this motion to five minutes each.
"The first speaker was Joseph Evans. He said the
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recent meetings on the Public Square were disgusting, and that the sentiments there expressed were not those of the people but of a howling mnob. He thought that if the Square could be given up as a storage place for cable machinery it could be used for a Monument.
" Henry Wood next spoke, and he said that while he was no orator he was a Soldier from the word go. He said that now, as in 1862, he favored no compromise with the copperheads.
"Captain M. B. Gary asked if a communication from the City Council and the Board of Control was not to be presented to the meeting. In reply, Major Gleason read the Council resolution, passed Monday evening, offering the northeast section of the Square as a com- promise site. Major Gleason went on to say that the . members of the Commission were present to hear the will of the Soldiers of the county.
"Dr. W. A. Knowlton, who has all along been op- posed to the present site, offered a set of resolutions, which met with an icy reception and were defeated with a shout. The Doctor said that for a long time the people were with this plan ; they furnished money and aided the project. But of late opposition had grown up, and the Soldiers must respect the wishes of the great public as soon as they were expressed. His reso- lutions were intended to submit the matter to a vote at the coming election, and to have the City and the Com- mission abide by the decision thus made. It was moved to refer the resolutions to a committee, but not a single "aye" was heard, so the motion was lost, and the Doc- tor's resolutions were not even received.
"Colonel C. C. Dewstoe said that he was a member of the Commission, and had not attended the meeting for the purpose of saying anything but to listen.
"At this point the opinion of the counsel for the Commission, Judge J. M. Jones, Loren Prentiss and
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Colonel Allan T. Brinsmade, was read. Two questions had been submitted to them-first, whether or not, if the present site were given up and another section of the Square taken, the judicial decisions already given would apply, and whether new complications might arise ; and, second, if the present site were given up for the northeast section, and then that be found unten- able, the southeast section could be reclaimed. The attorneys said that not only might all the questions now decided be raised, but new ones might arise in case of a change. They also said that if the present site should be given up it could not be'reclaimed. They went on to say that title was now held under the act of the Leg- islature, but another section would be held by sanction of the City Council alone and subject to their pleasure. This statement from the attorneys practically settled the question of compromise.
"After the reading of the attorneys' decision, Captain M. B. Gary took the floor and made a vigorous speech against the occupation of the southeast section. He said: 'I think that the responsibility resting now on the Soldiers and Sailors of the county is a very serious one. The people of this county are our friends, and no people ever treated Soldiers better than we have been treated.'
"'I deny that! I deny that !' shouted James Hayr, jumping to his feet, and a chorus of 'Sit down,' 'Shut up,' greeted Captain Gary.
"Chairman Pudney succeeded in quieting all but Mr. Hayr, who said that he would not be quiet as long as 'slurs were being cast.' At last, order was restored and Captain Gary continued : 'If we would stand by our friends, the people, the copperheads would not dare say a word.'
"A strong speech in favor of the present site was made by John F. Weh. He said that as ' All roads lead
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to Rome,' so all roads in this county lead to the Public Square. Therefore, he thought it was the best place for the Monument. George A. Groot introduced sub- stitute resolutions, and Mr. McKnight withdrew his. The substitute called upon the Monument Commission to stand steadfast in their work, and emphatically pro- tested against any change of location.
"The next speaker, L. B. Fisli, expressed the hope that the people could be educated to see that the Square is the best place for the Monument. He was much afraid that the present agitation and excitement would lead to trouble, and he said that he 'would rather see the Monument broken to pieces or cast into the lake than to have a drop of blood shed.'
" Major Gleason said it was clear that the Monument was a desirable thing, since citizens of all parts of the city were clamoring for its location in their vicinity. In the Public Square it would benefit all, and the desire to have it there was not prompted by persons or corpora- tions with axes to grind. He opposed the City's propo- sition to compromise, and said it was not a fair or a manly one.
"George A. Groot said: 'In the words of Perry, 'Don't give up the ship.' We are standing on land wrested from the enemy, and we should not give up an inch. A mob has been stirred up by the editor of a local paper, but we shall not yield a particle. The people who are doing the objecting have been imported from Europe, and Tuckerman is a sample.'
"Rev. Dr. John Mitchell said he was proud of the Soldiers, and proud to see how they stood under the fire of adverse criticism. He said that he attended the meeting of the Board of Trade when the matter was discussed there, and went away disgusted. Instead of its being a meeting of business men, he thought it was that of a hired crowd of men. 'I only want to say,' he
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continued, 'if you give up your rights and accept an- other section of the Square, the Monument will never go in the Public Square at all. If you take the other section of the Square, you will deprive the people of their only public meeting place, and will jump from the frying-pan into the fire.'
"The question was then put upon the adoption of the resolutions and they were carried with enthusiasm.
"The meeting adjourned with three rousing cheers for the Monument."
A meeting of the Commission was at once called in Captain Scofield's office. Eleven members were pres- ent, the absent one being Dr. Walters. The proposi- tion from the City for a compromise on the northeast section of the Square was presented. The action of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Union was also communicated. The opinions of the Commission's counsel were also read. General Leggett then offered a resolution which recited that in view of the action of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Union, and acting upon the advice of their at- torneys, the Commission must and would respectfully decline to entertain the compromise. The resolution stated that in the opinion of the Commission the peo- ple were in favor of the present site, and that further discussion of the matter be dispensed with. It was also advised to push the work as rapidly as possible. The resolution was adopted unanimously. It was or- dered to send copies of the following resolution to the City Council, the Board of Control and the Board of Trade Committee :
"GENTLEMEN: WHEREAS, The City of Cleveland has by reso- lution of its Council and the action of its other officials refused to remove the Perry statue, or change the water main, or remove other obstructions from the southeast section of the Public Square, prepar- atory to the erection of the Monument thereon, which is provided for by the act of April 16th, 1888, and the acts supplementary and amendatory thereto, it is hereby
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" Resolved, That the Executive Committee of this Board is here- by authorized, on behalf of this Board, to take all necessary steps, and make all necessary contracts, for the removal of the said Perry statue and other obstructions, and to change the water main so as not in any way to interfere with the erection of the Monument, at the expense of this Board, and to accomplish the work of such removal and change at as early a time as practicable, and that the Committee confer with the proper City officials, with the view of securing their friendly co-operation in this matter. Adopted."
The Commission then adjourned, subject to the call of the President.
The truce was ended. The battle must now be fought to a finislı.
The Cleveland World, of the 15th, had the following :
" Major Gleason said Wednesday that the Monument Commission will consider no further proposals to com- promise on any other site than the southeast corner.
"'The Soldiers of the county have declared theill- selves,' said he, 'and we now propose to abide by their decision. The members of the Commission, with the exception of two or three, have left the city.'
" Mayor Rose said he was surprised at the action of the County Soldiers' and Sailors' Union. The case, so far as the City was concerned, was entirely in General Meyer's hands, he continued.
" The Law Director stated emphatically that he did not intend to let the matter drop.
"'We shall prosecute the case in Court to the end,' said he. 'When the Circuit Court opens in October we will be there, and if the decision is against us, it will be carried to the Supreme Court of the State.'"
Brave words, wordy General. Great Caesar's ghost ! He will see us again ; aye, at Philippi! "The Ides of October " have come and gone, and the grim General is still in hiding.
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CAPTAIN W. H. HUTCHINSON.
XVIII.
F OR some time past hints had been frequently made that Judge Williamson would appeal his case to the United States Court. It was several times alleged, in print, that this action would be taken, the wish be- ing father to the thought. These fairy tales did not at all frighten the Commission. When these rumors were first set afloat, the junior counsel of Judge Williamson, William F. Carr, Esq., met the President of the Com- mission and said to him :
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