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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1905)
30 THEcSUXDY OKlCG.ONiAN. ,I!ORTIiAB.,. IJECUvALBER 31. 1905. SPLENDID MEMORIAL TO VOLUNTEER DEAD OREGON'S TRIBUTE TO GALLANT SECOND REGIMENT SOON TO BE UNVEILED 1 ' . , l PSIsfi i Colonel C. TT. Ganteabrln, Secretary. General Owen SvmRirn. IF. W. Scotf. rrIaat. Celeael James JackMa. Her. W. S. Gilbert. fj 1L S. Kowr. General Charles Y. Beebe. Liiii U A. I- Barbur. ir. C. Campbell. I). Soli Cohen. Major Charles E. McDeae!!. Charle E. Ladd. Ben Selling. , MONUMENT TO DEAD OF SECOND OREGON VOLUNTEERS AS IT WILL APPEAR WHEN UNVEILED, AND MEMBERS OF THE MONUMENT COMMITTEE Not alone with idle tears -will Oregon remember her brave soldiers who fell in the Philippines: nor will the passing years blot out the memory o their gallantry. A proud and grateful commonwealth has erected a monument to perpetuate their fame, and as her people gather around the huge block of granite in future years, it will be a memorial to those who died for their country In a foreign land, among alien people. Children of the years to come will gather around tho shaft rising into the blue, and to them it will be an inspiration, and an object lesson in patriotism. To tboce who fought In the same campaigns the monument will be a memory of those who are cone, and to comrades gathered there it will be as a handclasp with the men with whom they marched and fought. Granite and bronze, most enduring of all materials, will be the symbols of their memory who. al though dead, shall always live In the lov ing hearts of the people of Oregon. Uuvelllnp Exercises Planned. It is planned to unveil the monument and hold appropriate exercises ot dedica tion on February 4. when the Monument Association will se Its plans realized. This date has been chosen, as it Is the anniversary of the outbreak of Umj Phil ippine insurrection. On that dale. 15S9. the revolutionists first took up arms against the United States. Too few. it Is said, of monuments and historic memorials are to be found in the West, where history is yet in the making. Not enough of permanence and tradition ha been established here, where all are busy with today and take little time to look back at yesterday. But with the splendid shaft of granite to be raised in the Plaza blocks between Salmon and Main streets, in honor of the dead of the Second Oregon Volunteers, Portland and the whole state will gain loving memories of the recent past, and a splendid -addition to the monuments so far raised to be milestones in the history of the West. Citizen-soldiers, skilled alike In the arts of war and peace, have, been the pride and reliance of the country, but never has any commonwealth been more justified in its confidence In its regiments, raised in time of stress and sent into tho field when a. crisis called, than Oregon. From no state In the Union, it is said, did there come a more complete regiment than that sent out by this state when the first call was made by President McKinley in April In -officers, men and equipment, tho Second Oregon had tjo mipcrior among th gallant -volunteer regiments llwt took part In the Spanish-American "War, say thoe who wrote the Ustory f tie conflict- la everj" part of the service required of the men. the regiment came through with credit to itself and to the state it repre sented. An Imposing Structure. State pride In the work of the regiment finds a natural expression In building a memorial to those men who fell, thereby placing emphasis upon the work done by those who survived the conflict. The monument itself, a 30-foot shaft of Barre granite, quarried at Barre. Vt.. sad superior to rock found at other places In the United States, say experts. Is a splen did piece of work. The shaft Is sur mounted by the bronze figure of an Ameri can volunteer soldier In action. The work Is that of Dougtas Tllden. the well known sculptor of San Francisco. The figure is eight feet high, making the total height of the monument, from the crown of the soldier's hat' to the cement founda tion, 90 feet. The shaft is roughly square, with concave surfaces of the four sides. The lowest of the three steps at the base has a diameter of 22 feet fix Inches. The steps decrease in size and the shaft has a. diameter at the base of 5 feet, grad ually tapering to A feet .2 Inches, at the base of the cornice at the top. The monument faces to the west, and on the stef at the base, also of gray granite, is lascrtca "First In Guam. "First in the Philippines. "First In Manila." thus recording In brief the history of the Second Oregon. On the face of the shaft is Inscribed the dedication, as follows: "Erected by the citizens of Oregon to the dead of the Second Oregon United States Volunteer Infantry. Anno Domini, iirxciv." Eight granite posts surround the shaft, and on these are engraved the names of the principal engagements In which the Second Oregon participated- Tlie-e will appear on the posts as follows: "Bocave Arlgat. Mallnta-Marllao. Pasig-Laguna de Bay. Mariquina-Guadalupe. Paeo-Tondb. Battle Manila. Tat ay -Malabo n. San II d Gonso-San Isldro. The monument will be a splendid addi tion to the city, and although there are other similar statues, raised by other commonwealths in tribute "to the bravery of her soldiery. It is said there is none other In the United States resembling the one that U to speak to the future of the brave- deeds of the Second Oregon. It is regarded as entirely new In dealyn- SpICRdld Work In Action. The movement for a monument to the soldier of the Secoad Oregon who feU on the fteM of battle date- tack before the regiaMBt retwnml -ftm tfcc UU. Oa March 21 and 23. 1S59, occurred the hard fought batttle of-Malabon, an event that will always be remembered In connection with the Philippine Insurrection, for It was then that the Oregon troops made a splendid record and sustained their se verest losses In the field, line after line of entrenchment were carried by the Oregon troops, which swept steadily for ward, taking everything before them. "While the Twenty-second Infantry co operated in the movement, the Oregon men had the moat of the fighting. Noth ing could stop them, and they received commands repeatedly to go slower. In making the report of the operations of his brigade. Brigadier-General Lord Wheaton spoke of this action as follows: "The rebels were found In their en trenchments in great force, and line after line of their works were carried with the utmost gallantry. The .roll of Infantry fire was now continuous and Intense, the heaviest fighting at this time falling on the Second Oregon Volunteer Infantry and two companies of the Third United States Infantry." The German Consul In Manila visited the field two days latr. and when hft saw the formidable trencHee from which the" Filipinos had Veen driven, fed asked what troops did the work. d itpen being told, he jafci: "1 tax eC my hl 19 tke American volunteer." The Malabon fight lasted two days. "When news of this battle and the splen did conduct of the Oregon troops, together with the names of the killed, reached Portland. In April. 1S39. there was much feeling aroused throughout the state, and leading citizens expressed themselves In favor of a suitable memorial for the brave men who had met death under the flag of the Oregon regiment. The Oregonian brought the matter before the people in tangible shape by suggesting the building of a. monument by popular subscription. The idea met with popular favor, and the gathering of money for the project was begun and prosecuted with a consid erable degree of success. Monument Fund Completed. It was not until February, 1202, how ever, that enough money had been- raised to make the success of the project as sured, and then organization was per fected. Meetings were held In the old rooms of the Chamber of Commerce at 2iS "Washington street where citizens Inter ested lrt the movement were called to gether by announcement? printed in The Oreoian. H. W. Scott presided at the first meeting' held, and he was elected chairman ef the Monument Association, with Cm1 C IT. GaRtenbein as secre tary. A peOeral committee wac appoint ed, as follows- H. "W. Scott. ' Colonel James Jackson. Dr. S. E. Joseph!, Major C. E. McDoncll. General O. Summers. C. E. Ladd. Colonel C. U. Gantenbein. H. S. Rowe. H. VT. Campbell. A. I Barbur. Ben Selling. Rev"W. S. Gilbert. D. Soils Cohen. At a later meeting, in consideration of their work in connection with the Red Cros movement for the relief of the wounded In the Philippine campaign, Mrs. H. E. Jones and Mrs. "William Alvord were add ed to the general committee. The money subscribed amounted to about J13.S0O. and a substantial addition later by the local camps ot the "Woodmen of the World augmented that figure con siderably. This sum was placed in bank and the interest received has now swelled the total until It amounts to about $13,. Plans for the monument anticipated ah expense of $15,000. and this sum will be sufficient to meet all demands made upon It Committees on site and design were ap pointed early In 1002 and were directed to choo3e a suitable site for the monu ment and to select an appropriate col umn to commemorate the deeds of Ore gon's citizen-soldiery abroad. The com mittee on site was named s follows:, H. 8. Rowe, General O. Summers. Hv C. (CoacluC oa Tage 3 .), HI '