Public Memorial at Canton
McKinley National Association Wants Popular Monument
There.
CONGRESS CAN LOOK AFTER WASHINGTON
General Subscriptions Should All Be Turned in for the One Object,
the
Tomb at His Old Home.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7.—The board of
trustees of the McKinley National Memorial association is in session
here today, Judge William R. Day of Canton presiding. Among those
present were Cornelius M. Bliss, New Yor [sic]; Senator Hanna,
Ohio; Henry C. Payne, Milwaukee; Myron T. Herrick, Cleveland; Alexander
H. Revell, Chicago; General Henry M. Duffield, Detroit; George B.
Cortelyou, John G. Milburn, Buffalo; Senator Fairbanks, Indianapolis;
Henry J. Lowery, Atlanta, and Henry T. Scott, San Francisco.
Ryerson Ritchie, the secretary, reported
that the work of organization had so far advanced that within ten
days the whole country will be covered by the state and local committees.
From Hawaii Governor Sanford Dole, who has accepted an honorary
membership of the board of trustees, writes that he expects a most
satisfactory contribution, as the people of Hawaii thought a great
deal of President McKinley. Governor Hunt of Porto Rico is equally
sanguine and from Alaska the thousands who have gone to the gold
fields assure the association their hearty co-operation. From New
England the people have already responded generously. Similar assurances
come from many other quarters. Many of the schools have taken up
the plan enthusiastically. In Minnesota Governor Van Sant has given
assurances of $20,000 from the school children alone. Governor Hunt
of Idaho has set apart a special day for school contribution. Arrangements
will be made today for harmonizing the work at Canton and at Washington.
Arch Association Proposes Division.
A deputation from the William McKinley
Memorial Arch association formally proposed to the meeting a co-operation
of the two memorial associations in the collection of funds and
that the total thus collected should be divided, one-third to go
to the construction of a tomb at Canton and two-thirds to the construction
of an arch at Washington. A sub-committee met late this afternoon
to take action on the proposition.
Later in the afternoon and after a
full discussion of the proposition the McKinley National Memorial
association decided not to accept it, and adopted the following
resolution:
Resolved, That it is the sense
of the trustees of the McKinley National Memorial association
that the field of popular subscription should be left to it
for raising the sum necessary to provide a suitable memorial
to the late president at Canton, where his body lies, and that
this association should join with the William McKinley Memorial
Arch association of Washington in memorializing congress to
erect a national memorial at the capital of our country to commemorate
his services to the nation.
It was insisted by Judge Day, Senator
Hanna and others that all popular subscriptions should be applied
to the erection of a memorial at Canton, where the late president
lived for so many years and where he lies buried and where Mrs.
McKinley will eventually rest beside him. While it was hoped that
congress would take the matter in hand an erect in the national
capital some fitting memorial to the martyred president the opinion
was general that the people of the nation would prefer that their
contributions should be used to suitably mark his tomb in Canton.
The resolution will be presented to
the Memorial Arch association at a meeting to be held next Monday
afternoon.
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