Part 2

The progress of the Society was at first slow, and in 1836 only about $28,000 had been collected. This fund was placed in the hands of Gen. Nathan Towson, Samuel H. Smith, and Thomas Munroe, gentlemen of the highest respectability, members of the Society. Under their faithful and judicious management this fund was invested, as also the interest accruing on it, in good stocks or securities. This fund was from time to time augmented by small amounts raised on special occasions by churches, organizations, and meetings of the citizens and collections by agents. The financial difficulties of the Union arising in 1837 operated largely to suspend collections for the monument for several years despite frequent addresses to the people and urgent appeals for funds by the Society and activity by its agents.

In this year, 1836, advertisements were published by order of the Society inviting designs from American artists, but no limitation was placed upon the form of the design. It was determined by the Society, and so recommended, that any plans submitted should "harmoniously blend durability, simplicity, and grandeur." The estimated cost for the proposed monument was not less than one million dollars.

A great many designs were submitted, but the one selected among the number was that of Mr. Robert Mills, a well known and eminent architect of the times.

This plan, as published to the country, was described in the following language:

_Description of the Design of the Washington National Monument, to be erected at the seat of the General Government of the United States of America, in honor of "the Father of his Country," and the worthy compatriots of the Revolution._

This design embraces the idea of a grand circular colonnaded building, 250 feet in diameter and 100 feet high, from which springs a obelisk shaft 70 feet at the base and 500 feet high, making a total elevation of 600 feet.

This vast rotunda, forming the grand base of the Monument, is surrounded by 30 columns of massive proportions, being 12 feet in diameter and 45 feet high, elevated upon a lofty base or stylobate of 20 feet elevation and 300 feet square, surmounted by an entablature 20 feet high, and crowned by a massive balustrade 15 feet in height.

The terrace outside of the colonnade is 25 feet wide, and the pronaos or walk within the colonnade, including the column space, 25 feet. The walks enclosing the cella, or gallery within, are fretted with 30 massive antæ (pilasters) 10 feet wide, 45 feet high, and 7½ feet projection, answering to the columns in front, surmounted by their appropriate architrave. The deep recesses formed by the projection of the antæ provide suitable niches for the reception of statues.

A tetrastyle portico (4 columns in front) in triple rows of the same proportions and order with the columns of the colonnade, distinguishes the entrance to the Monument, and serves as a pedestal for the triumphal car and statue of the illustrious Chief; the steps of this portico are flanked by massive blockings, surmounted by appropriate figures and trophies.

Over each column, in the great frieze of the entablatures around the entire building, are sculptured escutcheons (coats of arms of each State in the Union), surrounded by bronze civic wreaths, banded together by festoons of oak leaves, &c., all of which spring (each way) from the centre of the portico, where the coat of arms of the United States are emblazoned.

The statues surrounding the rotunda outside, under the colonnade, are all elevated upon pedestals, and will be those of the glorious signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Ascending the portico outside to the terrace level a lofty vomitoria (door way) 30 feet high leads into the cella (rotundo gallery) 50 feet wide, 500 feet in circumference and 60 feet high, with a colossal pillar in the centre 70 feet in diameter, around which the gallery sweeps. This pillar forms the foundation of the obelisk column above.

Both sides of the gallery are divided into spaces by pilasters, elevated on a continued zocle or base 5 feet high, forming an order with its entablature 40 feet high, crowned by a vaulted ceiling 20 feet high, divided by radiating archevaults, corresponding with the relative positions of the opposing pilasters, and enclosing deep sunken coffers enriched with paintings.

The spaces between the pilasters are sunk into niches for the reception of the statues of the fathers of the Revolution, contemporary with the immortal WASHINGTON; over which are large tablets to receive the National Paintings commemorative of the battle and other scenes of that memorable period. Opposite to the entrance of this gallery, at the extremity of the great circular wall, is the grand niche for the reception of the statue of the "Father of his Country"--elevated on its appropriate pedestal, and designated as _principal_ in the group by its colossal proportions.

This spacious Gallery and Rotunda, which properly may be denominated the "National Pantheon," is lighted in four grand divisions from above, and by its circular form presents each subject decorating it walls in an interesting point of view and with proper effect, as the curiosity is kept up every moment, from the whole room not being presented to the eye at one glance, as in the case of a straight gallery.

Entering the centre pier through an arched way, you pass into a spacious circular area, and ascend with an easy grade, by a railway, to the grand terrace, 75 feet above the base of the Monument. This terrace is 700 feet in circumference, 180 feet wide, enclosed by a colonnaded balustrade, 15 feet high with its base and capping. The circuit of this grand terrace is studded with small temple-formed structures, constituting the cupolas of the lanterns, lighting the Pantheon gallery below; by means of these little temples, from a gallery within, a bird's eye view is had of the statues, &c., below.

Through the base of the great circle of the balustrade are four apertures at the four cardinal points, leading _outside_ of the balustrade, upon the top of the main cornice, where a gallery 6 feet wide and 750 feet in circumference encircles the whole, enclosed by an ornamental guard, forming the crowning member on the top of the tholus of the main cornice of the grand colonnade. Within the thickness of this wall, staircases descend to a lower gallery over the plafond of the proanos of the colonnade lighted from above. This gallery, which extends all round the colonnade, is 20 feet wide--divided into rooms for the records of the monument, works of art, or studios for artists engaged in the service of the Monument. Two other ways communicate with this gallery from below.

In the centre of the grand terrace above described, rises the lofty obelisk shaft of the Monument, 50 feet square at the base, and 500 feet high, diminishing as it rises to its apex, where it is 40 feet square; at the foot of this shaft and on each face project four massive zocles 25 feet high, supporting so many colossal symbolic tripods of victory 20 feet high, surmounted by fascial columns with their symbols of authority. These zocle faces are embellished with inscriptions, which are continued around the entire base of the shaft, and occupy the surface of that part of the shaft between the tripods. On each face of the shaft above this is sculptured the four leading events in General Washington's eventful career, _in basso relievo_, and above this the shaft is perfectly plain to within 50 feet of its summit, where a simple star is placed, emblematic of the glory which the name of WASHINGTON has attained.

To ascend to the summit of the column, the same facilities as below are provided within the shaft, by an easy graded gallery, which may be traversed by a railway, terminating in a circular observatory 20 feet in diameter, around which at the top is a look-out gallery, which opens a prospect all around the horizon.

With reference to the area embraced by the foundations and basement of the Monument and the uses to which they may be applied, the underspace outwards, occupied by the lower terrace and colonnade, may be appropriated to the accommodation of the keepers of the Monument, or those having charge of it and attending on visitors.

These apartments, which are arched, are well lighted and aired, as they are all above ground, the light being disposed in the sunk panels of the stylobate (base). The principal entrance to all these apartments will be from the rear, or opposite side of the portico entrance. The _inner_ space, or that under the grand gallery or Rotundo, may be appropriated to catacombs for the reception of the remains of such distinguished men as the Nation may honor with interment here. This subterranean gallery is so large and lofty that it would accommodate many catacombs.

In the centre of the Monument is placed the tomb of WASHINGTON, to receive his remains, should they be removed thither, the descent to which is by a broad flight of steps lighted by the same light which illuminates his statue.

The feature of the pantheon surrounding the shaft was never formally and finally adopted by the Society as a part of the Monument. The first purpose was to erect the shaft and to secure funds to that end.

In this year (1838) the Society addressed a memorial to Congress praying that a site be accorded the Monument on the public mall. For this purpose a bill was reported in the Senate, which, being under consideration in that body, June 15th, caused much debate and adverse criticism of the Society and its work.

Mr. Roane, replying to an inquiry of Mr. Allen (Ohio), stated that the sum collected by the Society was about $30,000 which was put out at interest.

To this Mr. Allen answered that he believed they had collected more than that sum in his own State.

Mr. Bayard thought that to erect the Monument on the place proposed would be to destroy the whole plan of the mall, and that as far as the prospect was concerned, nothing could be more unfortunate. Besides the means of the Society were very insignificant compared with the object in view, for as they had agents all over the United States collecting simultaneously it was to be presumed they had collected all they were to get.

Mr. Norvell was satisfied that they (the Society) were incapable of meriting the imputation impliedly, he hoped not intentionally, cast upon them by the Senator from Ohio. He presumed extensive subscriptions had been made to the work, but not yet collected, and that considerable expense must have been incurred in the employment of agents. As to the location of the site he could say nothing, but he was certain that such a monument as proposed ought long since to have been erected to the memory of the illustrious Chief under whose guidance this Nation had been led to victory, liberty, and independence.

Mr. Hubbard thought the original plan of building the Monument by the voluntary contributions of the people ought to be carried out, and that the President and the Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds ought to have nothing to do with it. As to the expense, he said, judging from the cost of the Bunker Hill Monument, the $30,000 of the Society would not be enough to lay the foundations.

Mr. Morris (Ohio) thought the public ought to be informed why so paltry a sum had been contributed; his own county had contributed over $1,000. There was a sort of enthusiasm on the subject in Ohio. The Governor had issued his proclamation in favor of it, and the _sheriffs_ VOLUNTEERED to act as collectors, and judging from _these tokens_ the sum collected could not fall short of $30,000 (in Ohio). He also thought the work should go on without aid by Congress, and hoped the bill would be laid on the table. Mr. Allen, in further remarks said, in substance, he did not believe the story that only $30,000 had been collected. He considered it a reproach to the liberality of the country. He would vote with the boldest to erect a suitable monument to the memory of the Father of his country; he would vote a million of dollars, but he considered it a reproach to the country to commence work with the paltry sum the Society say they had in hand.

On motion of Mr. Morris, the bill was indefinitely postponed.

These proceedings appearing in the daily press, the Society adopted and presented the following memorial:

"_To the Senate of the United States_:

"The Board of Managers of the Washington National Monument Society, having seen in the public prints a statement that representations have been made in your body derogatory to their character, consider it their duty to lay before you an official account of their receipts and expenditures. They hope that the alleged statement is erroneous in ascribing to honorable members of your body imputations on private character which would not, without proof of their correctness, have been hazarded. The respect we entertain for the Senate restrains the expression of feelings which are not, however, the less indignant for this forbearance.

"We make this communication in the confidence that it will be the means of correcting any honest misapprehensions that may have existed; that it will be gratifying to a body distinguished for its justice to shield honesty from wanton aspersion within its own walls; that it will afford an opportunity to men of honorable feelings, who may be conscious of having cast unmerited reproach on characters, we flatter ourselves, unsullied, to retract them; that more especially, in case the charges be not retracted, it may be lodged among the public archives as evidence as well of their unfounded nature as of the fidelity with which we have discharged duties of a disinterested and elevated nature; and that, if it be deemed expedient, it be printed by your order by such publicity challenging any detection of the slightest departure from truth. We indeed not only hold ourselves amenable to the public, but are ready at any moment to submit our proceedings to the most rigid examination which either House of Congress may see fit to institute.

"By order of the Board of Managers:

"PETER FORCE, "_Second Vice-President_.

"GEORGE WATTERSTON, "_Secretary_."

The statement of receipts and _expenditures_ exhibited showed the following collections:

Maine, $1,600.00 Vermont, 31.95 Connecticut, 1,438.61 New York, 1,167.21 New Jersey, 1,491.61 Pennsylvania, 2,102.85 Delaware, 361.98 Maryland, 3,057.99 Virginia, 1,500.00 South Carolina, 570.00 Kentucky, 1,610.00 Ohio, 6,391.19 Louisiana, 701.26 Indiana, 340.00 Illinois, 700.00 Mississippi, 2,120.00 District of Columbia, 836.36 Florida, 227.00 Army, 565.89 Navy, 228.25

Interest on stocks, in which net collections were invested, $1,608.73, all of which sums, except $476.67, cash in hand, and the _necessary_ expenses of the Society, amounting to _only_ $465.56, had been invested in productive stocks.

June 19, 1838, Mr. Morris (Ohio) arose in the Senate to a question of privilege. He found in a morning paper of the city an editorial censuring the course which his colleague and himself had deemed it their duty to take with regard to the bill to grant leave to a Society or company of gentlemen who have united together to erect a monument to the memory of Washington upon a portion of the public grounds in this city. * * * The object of his colleague and himself had been to obtain information on the subject, and he stated expressly, if in error, he wished the error to be corrected by authentic documents, and on that account he objected to the bill until it was clearly shown what money had been taken up and to what use it had been applied. * * * He was not willing to attach the honor of his country to a scheme which, for aught he knew, might have been carried on by means of fraud and deception. Yet this reasonable _request_ had been trumped up by the morning papers as making a grave charge, or at least casting imputations. * * * He said it was evident to his mind that the object and design of this publication was to produce political effect. It was well known that a majority of the Senate were the friends of the administration, and if this article could impress the public mind with the belief that those who sustained the administration had no regard for the memory of Washington, he had no doubt it was expected it would tend to promote individual and _party_ views. It was a kind of left-handed blow to injure the administration and its friends in the Senate by charging them with meanness in refusing to accede to the wishes of the Society. But he feared there was another motive beside veneration for the name of Washington that prompted the agents and managers of this project to be so ardent in their endeavor to link themselves and scheme to the public concerns of the country. They were reported as having about $30,000. This sum they could easily expend on the foundation, or even the first corner-stone of the Monument. They could devise a plan for the superstructure that would cost millions of dollars, and if they could make this affair a government concern, they would insist, no doubt, that the country would be disgraced if the building was not completed, and Congress would be solicited and urged to appropriate for the purpose with all the force of speech and the _blandishments of parties_. Millions would be thus called for, and, in his opinion, appropriated if the scheme now in operation can succeed, to be expended by a private corporation, whose dependent friends and followers would grow rich in the progress of the work. He was totally averse to the Government having anything to do in this matter or any other in which individuals were also to be concerned. It was this that induced him to move postponement of the bill.

Mr. Allen concurred with his colleague. He objected to the bill because it placed the construction under the Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds, and being upon public ground, Congress must appropriate any deficiency or the people must be again visited by hosts of traveling agents. * * * These he thought sufficient reasons for rejecting the bill without division.

Mr. Clay deprecated the irregular discussion, and said that no newspaper in the country was conducted with more regard to propriety, decorum, truth, and _faithfulness_ of report than the "National Intelligencer," and he could wish that the other journals of this city, and particularly the one connected with the Government, would look more to this point for example.

Notwithstanding the Society by its memorial had furnished the information _requested_ by Mr. Morris, and stood ready for investigation of its affairs, the memorial was ultimately laid on the table and the matter was dropped.

This debate was noticed in the public press, local and elsewhere. It cannot be known what, if any, influence it had throughout the country to impair the efforts of the Society in the collection of funds or to weaken confidence in the enterprise. Such a result was not improbable.

December 10, 1818, the Society adopted and issued in pamphlet form--

"AN ADDRESS OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT SOCIETY, WITH A STATEMENT OF THE RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES."

This address was sent to the Society's agents and friends of the Monument in all parts of the country, which address they were "requested," in an accompanying letter, "to diffuse as widely as may be without incurring expense."

The measure of the result of the Society's efforts at this period, the discouragement met with, and its faith in the work it had undertaken, is evidenced by language in this address, which recited, in part:

"The annexed statement of the sums received and accounted for by them (the agents) shows the measure of their success. This, though various, has, in no instance, equalled the least sanguine expectations. This may be ascribed in some degree to the fundamental feature of the plan itself, which, in limiting the individual subscriptions to one dollar, has been found, excepting in towns, to have involved an expense to the agent nearly, if not quite, equal to the amount collected; while in the larger towns the abortion heretofore of schemes for a like purpose has produced a general impression that this plan would share the same fate. Other causes, some of a temporary, others of a permanent nature, co-operated in leading to this result, of which, perhaps, the most powerful was the general derangement of the currency, and the real or apprehended evils that followed in its train, with the impression that it was the duty of the General Government, out of the vast resources at its command, to effect the object.

"In reviewing the course of measures pursued, the Board of Managers have satisfaction in perceiving no neglect or omission on their part in discharging the duties assigned them. If an assiduity proportioned to the dignity of the object, a devotion seeking no reward but in the gratification of honest feelings, and an economy attested by the small expenditures for contingent expenses, are the truest evidences of fidelity, they trust that they may, without unworthy imputations, lay claim to this humble virtue. * * * Upon the whole, however great the disappointment of the Board of Managers, they have not abandoned the hope that a plan which, at its inception, was hailed with universal approbation, may yet, with proper modifications, be effected."

It is shown by this address that the amount collected and interest accrued on stocks in this year was $30,779.84.

The restriction of a contribution to the sum of one dollar appears to have been removed on one occasion in 1839. A committee of the Society, having been appointed for the purpose on November 13, 1839, prepared and issued a special circular letter, to be sent to the deputy marshals of the United States, who shortly were to begin taking the census of the country. This appeal recited in part:

"The measures incident to the approaching census present an opportunity of overcoming this last difficulty (the former limitation of subscriptions). It will be the duty of the deputies of the marshals to see the head of every family; and as the greater portion of their time will be consumed in traveling from one dwelling to another, it is thought that but little additional time will be occupied in submitting a subscription paper for this object at each dwelling and receiving the sums that may be subscribed, whereby an opportunity will be offered to every individual in the United States to promote it by contributions corresponding to their means. There being no limitation in the amount, every man, woman, and child will be enabled to enroll their names by subscriptions according to their ability. The rich will, it is hoped, be munificent in their donations, while from those in inferior circumstances any sum will be thankfully received."