No. 105.
Mr. Morton
to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Legation of
the United States,
Paris, July 5, 1884.
(Received July 29.)
No. 582.]
Sir: Mr. Bartholdi, the eminent French sculptor,
author of the statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World,” called upon me
some weeks ago to say that the statue was now complete, and that, as the
labor of taking it down for shipment to America would require at least three
months, it was the intention of the committee of the Franco-American Union
to present it at once to me, as the representative of the Government and
people of the United States. Mr. Bartholdi added that Mr. Jules Ferry would
seize this occasion to associate the French Government with the undertaking
of the Franco-American Union, and that he (Mr. Ferry) and other members of
the Government would officially take part in the ceremony of
presentation.
A few days later Mr. Ferry himself confirmed this statement at my house. He
said that the statue of Liberty was not only wonderful as a work of art, but
as a work entirely due to the individual initiative of Frenchmen friendly to
America, and that it was the first time such an undertaking had been
successfully carried out without Government aid. The Government, however,
did not wish to stand aloof from this great manifestation. It wanted to show
publicly that it shared the sentiments which had inspired Mr. Bartholdi, and
with this view the minister of the navy, Admiral Peyron, would place a state
vessel at the disposition of the committee for the transportation of the
statue to New York.
This information having reached me too late to be made the object of a
written communication to the Department, I briefly stated the facts in my
telegram of the 28th of June, to which I duly received your telegraphic
reply of July 1, and also one from the Hon. William M. Evarts, chairman of
the Franco-American Committee of New York, requesting me to represent and
speak for the New York committee.
The statue was formally presented to me on the morning of the 4th of July,
and I accepted it in the name of the President of the United States and the
American people.
The ceremony was an interesting and imposing one. It took place in the
foundry yard of Messrs. Gaget & Gauthier where the monument has been
made, and in presence of a large audience of distinguished guests. Upon a
tribune erected in front of the colossal bronze sat the Franco-American
Union Committee with its president, M. F. de Lesseps, [Page 159] with the author of the monument, Mr.
Bartholdi, and members of the Government, among whom were conspicuous the
president of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Brisson, the president of the
supreme court, Mr. Cazot, Admiral Peyron, minister of marine, Mr. Herisson,
minister of Commerce, Mr. Faillières, minister of public instruction, and
Colonel Lichtenstein, representative of the President. The prefect of the
Seine, the president of the city council, Senator de Lafayette, and many
other high officials and distinguished gentlemen, well known for their
Franco-American sympathies, were also present.
The yard, which was appropriately decorated with French and American flags,
was filled by a large number of citizens of both countries. A band of music
played alternately the French and American national airs.
Unfortunately, the president of the council, who had been ill for two or
three days, could not attend the ceremony, but in the morning he wrote me to
explain and apologize for his absence, and at my request M. de Lesseps read
his note, which was warmly applauded for its sentiments of interest and
sympathy. M. de Lesseps then, speaking in the name of the Union, presented
to me the great statue—the eighth wonder of the world, as he called it. His
remarks, partly foreign to the object, were, nevertheless, greeted with
cheers; for they expressed in warm terms the generous feeling which had
inspired this spontaneous manifestation of friendship on the part of the
French people. I responded by reading your telegram directing me to accept
the statue and by explaining the action of the President and of Congress in
the matter.
At the close of these addresses the official deed of presentation was signed
by the president of the Chamber of Deputies and M. Jules Ferry, in the name
of France (it was taken to the house of the latter for that purpose); by me,
in the name of the United States; by M. de Lesseps and M. de Lafayette, in
the name of the committee of the Franco-American Union; and as witnesses, by
many of the assistants.
I inclose herewith, with the original deed of presentation and a translation
of the same (which are to be preserved in the national archives), the
following papers:
- 1.
- Translation of the invitation received from M. de Lesseps.
- 2.
- Copy of a telegram from Messrs. Evarts and Spaulding.
- 3.
- Translation of M. Jules Ferry’s note.
- 4.
- Copy of remarks made by M. de Lesseps.
- 5.
- Copy of my remarks.
- 6.
- Translation of the deed of presentation.
- 7.
- Extract from the Morning News, giving account of the
ceremony.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
582.—Translation.]
M. de Lesseps to
Mr. Morton.
Comité
de l’Union Franco-Américaine,
Paris, June 25,
1884.
Monsieur le Ministre: I have the honor to
inform you that agreeably to the understanding with the president of the
council, we have taken the necessary measures for the organization of
our ceremony of presentation of the statue for Friday, the 4th of July,
at 11 o’clock a. m.
In the name of the committee I come, therefore, to renew, officially, our
invitation [Page 160] that you kindly
receive the homage of the work addressed to the great American sister
Republic by the Franco-American Union.
Please receive, &c.
In the name of the Franco-American Union,
The president of the committee,
[Inclosure 2 in No.
582.—Telegram]
From Messrs. Evarts and Spaulding.
Hon. L. P. Morton,
American Legation, Paris:
Kindly represent and speak for American Committee Statue Liberty
ceremonies, July 4. Concrete base completed, 52 feet high. Granite
begun.
[Inclosure 3 in No.
582.—Translation.]
Mr. Ferry to Mr.
Morton.
My Dear Mr. Morton: As you may be aware, I have
been seriously indisposed, and in order properly to fulfil all my duties
I have to take certain precautions to which I am little accustomed.
The work of yesterday was very fatiguing for me, and I have, therefore,
been ordered complete rest to-day.
The Government of the Republic will be represented upon the occasion by
several ministers. Above all others, I shall feel regret at my inability
to personally attend this fete of the fraternity of the two great
Republics; but you know that I shall be there in the spirit, in heart,
and in soul.
Believe, my dear Mr. Morton, in my entire devotion.
[Inclosure 4 in No.
582.—Translation.]
Synopsis of remarks made by M. de
Lesseps.
France, monarchical, imperial, or republican, has ever been the friend
and ally of the United States of America.
Our work of to-day, which is in no wise political, is the work of a
hundred thousand subscribers—one hundred and eighty towns have
participated therein; a great number of general councils, chambers of
commerce, societies of every description. The thought which has inspired
France upon this occasion was that of consecrating and cementing the
centenarian friendship that unites the two great nations, which the
breadth of the ocean cannot separate because there is between the two
peoples such a connection of sentiment, that even when an unforeseen
difference arises between them, circumstances quickly bring them back to
a community of views and of action.
Upon the occasion of the excavating of the canal of Panama, for instance,
after a moment’s hesitation the United States understood that this work,
executed in a free state, should be of universal interest and completed
by the common effort of the two friendly nations.
The powerful American industry came forward, in fact, to offer its
co-operation to the French workmen.
It will assure the success of this great enterprise; it will be one more
tie between us; it will be the success of the union of the powers of
that great American nation with those of France, her old and trusted
friend.
This union of the genius of the two countries has already produced the
greatest movements which have been effected amongst modern nations.
We trust that it will beam for a long time to come upon humanity, as the
light or our colossal statue emitting its rays at the entrance of the
vast continent, the converging points of the whole world.
[Page 161]
I have to thank the generous donators, through whom the work has been
brought to completion.
I render homage to our collaborators:
To Mr. Bartholdi, who has created a colossal work, the eighth wonder of
the world.
To Mr. Gaget, the engineer, who, in the material execution of the work,
has brought to bear indefatigable zeal and intelligence.
To Mr. Eiffel, the great constructor, who has given the guarantee of all
his science to the iron-work of the colossus.
I must also bring to notice the participation, so important, though
modest in appearance, of the heads of the workshops that have conducted
these works, Messrs. Bugeret and Baron.
Finally, I particularly wish to join in the sentiments of Mr. Bartholdi
and of all the collaborators, in thanking his respectable and valiant
assistant, Mr. Simon, that courageous sculptor, who, although a
septuagenarian, has been the youngest and most indefatigable at work by
several years; we all of us would have wished, to see him honored, as he
merits, by an official distinction.
This work, Mr. Minister, is the production of the enthusiasm of devotion,
of the intelligence, of the most noble sentiments that dominate man.
It is grand in its conception and realization, it is grand by its
proportions; we trust that it will add, by its moral value, to the
souvenirs and sentiments that it is to perpetuate.
We deliver it into your charge, Mr. Minister, in order that it may ever
remain the pledge of the ties which should unite France and the great
American nation.
[Inclosure 5 in No. 582.]
Remarks made by Mr. Morton.
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Committee: I
am directed by the President of the United States to accept this
colossal statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World,” and to express the
thanks of the Government and people of the United States for the statue,
as a work of art and as a monument of the abiding friendship of the I
people of France, and to assure the committee of the Franco-American
Union, the president of the council, and the citizens of the French
Republic, that the American people return most heartily the friendly
sentiments which prompted this noble gift to America.
It is proper that I should recall on this occasion the action of the
Government of the United States with regard to the statue of Liberty,
the completion of which we witness to-day.
When the American Congress was advised that the citizens of France
proposed to erect on one of the islands in the harbor of New York the
colossal statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World,” it authorized, by a
unanimous vote, the President to accept the gift, and to set apart a
suitable site for its erection.
The President was also directed to cause the statue to be inaugurated,
when completed, with such ceremonies as would serve to testily the
gratitude of the people of the United States for the monument so
felicitously expressive of the sympathy of her sister Republic.
The American Congress also ordered provision to be made for its future
maintenance as a beacon, and for its preservation and permanent care as
a monument of art, and of the continued good will of the great nation
which aided her in her struggle for freedom.
The President of the United States set apart Bedloe’s Island for the
erection of the statue, and I have received a telegram from Messrs.
Evarts and Spaulding, of the New York committee, stating that the
concrete base, 52 feet high, has been completed and the laying of the
granite for the pedestal commenced.
The thought which inspired M. Bartholdi, the eminent author of this
triumph of art; the participation in this gift of Senators Oscar and
Edmond de Lafayette, the Marquis de Rochambeau, and other descendants of
the sons of France who fought by the side of Washington; the
participation also of M. de Lesseps, the illustrious president of the
Franco-American Union, of his distinguished predecessor, Senator
Laboulaye, the French interpreter of the American Constitution, of
Senator Henri Martin, the great historian, and their distinguished
associates; the presence on this occasion Qf several members of the
Government and the representative of the President of this great
Republic; the proposal of the French Government, through the minister of
marine, to transport this statue to New York in a Government frigate,
and the selection of the anniversary day of American Independence for
this ceremony, [Page 162] will all only
deepen the grateful appreciation with which your friendly gift will be
received by the Government and people of the United States.
It was my good fortune, as the representative of my country, to drive the
first rivet in this great statue, as it is now to accept it, complete in
all its grand proportions, on behalf of the President and people of the
United States.
The committee of the Franco-American Union of New York, which was
organized to provide the foundations for the statue, will receive it on
its arrival with the same feeling of gratitude and emotion which your
friendly action has evoked in the heart of every American, and assume
the agreeable task of its erection upon the pedestal on Bedloe’s
Island.
God grant that it may stand until the end of time, as an emblem of
imperishable sympathy and affection between the Republics of France and
the United States.
[Inclosure 6 in No.
582.—Translation.]
Deed of presentation.
The
4th of July, 1884 (anniversary day of American
Independence).
In the presence of M. Jules Ferry, minister of foreign
affairs of France, and president of the council of ministers.
Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, in the name of the committee of the
Franco-American Union, and of the national manifestation of which that
committee has been the organ, has presented the colossal statue of
“Liberty Enlightening the World,” the work of the sculptor Bartholdi, to
his excellency Mr. Morton, United States Minister at Paris, praying him
to be the interpreter of the national sentiment of which this work is
the expression.
Mr. Morton, in the name of his compatriots, thanks the Franco-American
Union for this testimony of sympathy from the French people; he declares
that in virtue of the powers conferred upon him by the President of the
United States, and the committee of the work in America, represented by
its honorable president, Mr. William M. Evarts, he accepts the statue,
and that it shall be erected in conformity with the vote of Congress of
the 22d of February, 1877, in the harbor of New York as a souvenir of
the unalterable friendship of two nations.
In faith of which there have signed—
In the name of France:
- JULES BRISSON,
President of the
Chamber.
- JULES FERRY,
Minister of Foreign
Affairs.
In the name of the United States:
LEVI P.
MORTON,
Minister of the United
States.
In the name of the French-American
Committee:
- FERDINAND DE LESSEPS.
- E. DE LAFAYETTE.
[Inclosure 7 in No. 582.]
Extract from the Morning News, giving account of the
ceremony.
the fourth—how independence day was
celebrated in paris—the presentation of the bartholdi
statue—speeches by m. de lesseps and mr. morton—reception at the
american legation.
The biggest statue in creation was duly inaugurated yesterday—so far as
this side of the water is concerned—on the biggest day of the American
year. Of course there is much more to come on the American side, when
the statue shall be finally set up on the pedestal on Bedloe’s Island,
for the President of the United States, as we know, has been duly
authorized by Congress to order such ceremonial as he may deem fitting
for the occasion.
Yesterday’s fête was of an altogether familiar character, as best suited
the circumstances [Page 163] and the
situation, for it took place in the yard of a workshop. It was the mere
formal handing over of the statue by the representative of the French
republic to the representative of the American Republic. If anything
could have unbent the impassive features of the statue, it would be the
thought of her being “handed over” by any of the pigmies at her feet.
She towered above the yard, and the workshops, and the people, and
dwarfed everything into absolute insignificance; even the American flag,
proudly flying from the torch at the end of her outstretched arm, seemed
a mere ornament of a bride-cake. It was impossible to give one’s self
airs in such a presence, and the managers of the fete seemed to have
felt this, and to have arranged everything on a becoming scale of
modesty of pretense. The ceremony took place in a kind of shed run up in
the yard, and it derived its sole importance from the character and
quality of the people who took part in it.
the company.
There was a distinguished crowd, both of Americans and Frenchmen. In the
latter quite a group of ministers and high officials: the president of
the Chamber; the minister of agriculture, M. Herisson; the minister of
finance, M. Tirard; the minister of marine, Admiral Peyron; M. de
Failières, minister of public instruction; Colonel Lichtenstein,
representing the President of the Republic, with two officers
representing the minister of war; M. Oscar de Lafayette; Baronne de
Pages, grandneice of the hero Montcalm; the prefect of the Seine; the
vice-president of the municipal council, M. Antonin Proust; Senators
Noblot, Millaud, and Oudet; M. Caudet; M. Philippe Burty, the eminent
critic; M. Dietz-Monin, president of the chamber of commerce; M. Henner
and M. Armand Dumaresq, the painters; and Dr. Ricord, of Baltimore.
Among the Americans were Consul-General Walker and Messrs. Brulatour and
Vignaud, who accompanied their chief; ex-Senator Baldwin, of Michigan;
Governor Cheney; Senator James B. Eustis, Louisiana; General Draper, of
Boston; Judge Batchelor; Dr. Howard; Dr. Wixom; Messrs. Reinhart,
Dannat, Mosler, Bacon; Dr. Evans; Mr. Munroe; Mr. Harjes; Mr. Gillig;
Mr. Roberts and Mr. Hobson; Mr. King; Dr. Chapman; Professor Yeatman;
Dr. Nachtel; Mr. Fettridge; Mr. Theo. Stanton; and Maj. R. N. Brown, a
nephew of Major-General Brown, Commanding General of the United States
Army, and brother of the late Maj T. S. Brown, consulting engineer to
the Czar Nicholas.
The costumes were, in most instances, suited to the time of day and the
weather; but a few devoted Frenchmen, out of reverence to the statue,
had donned full evening dress. They formed, as has been said, a crowd of
pigmies; but the people in the houses overlooking the founder’s yard, in
the Rue de Chazelles, carried the view at least up to the waist of the
colossus, and so served a little to fill in the composition in an
artistic sense.
At about half-past eleven M. de Lesseps arrived, and took up his position
on the platform as chairman of the celebration. He was followed by Mr.
Morton, and the proceedings immediately commenced by the reading of the
letter from M. Ferry, excusing himself from attendance on account of ill
health, but saying, and saying truly, that the Government of the
Republic would be represented by more than one minister.
* * * * * * *
When Mr. Morton had read his reply, he invited all present to sign the
procès verbal of the ceremony, and set the
example himself. Then came the president of the Chamber to sign, with a
shaking hand, in the name of France; then the ministers, in their turn;
and finally, the rank and file. The signing was done with a goose-quill,
prettily tied with emblematic colors; and it was worn out long before
the end of the proceedings. The paper was covered with names, north and
south, east and west; dozens signed sideways on the margin, and at last
it became a piece of positive ill breeding to those who were to follow
to write one’s signature large.
After this, the illustrious company, with M. Bartholdi leading the way,
went to see the statue, entering by the door in the sole of the uplifted
foot, and toiling steadily up the double staircase, with nothing to
guide their steps but the ten thousand little eyelets of sunlight that
came through the rivet holes. Only a few persevered to the summit; most
of them gave up half way, and, confounding the two staircases for the
ascent and descent, were for some time lost to the world. It was the
fancy of Rabelais again—with his pigmies wandering about in the interior
of the monster. The president of the Chamber went gallantly to the top,
and saw Paris from the opening in the coronet, but he did not wait while
the man went to fetch the key to the staircase in the arm, which towered
up into a first story at the elbow and a second at the hand. While this
was going on, the people below took modest refreshments at the buffet at
the back of the platform, and after them came, very fittingly, the
workmen who had built up the thing piece by piece. This, with the
distribution of the commemorative medal, closed the proceedings in the
yard; and all that remains to be [Page 164] said about the statue is that it will stand in its place until the
end of the month, and will then be taken down for transport in a French
ship of war to its destination.
After the ceremony, the high officials present, to the number of some
twenty-five, went to breakfast with M. le Senateur Arbel, in the Rue de
Courcelles. Mme. Arbel and Mme. Bartholdi were the only ladies present,
M. de Lesseps, Mr. Morton, and M. Bartholdi made short speeches, and the
work, the committee, and the artist received their fair share of
praise.
* * * * * * *
english appreciation of the french offering to
america.
[From the London Daily News.]
We publish in another column this morning a full description of the
gigantic statue which M. Ferry, on behalf of the French, will to-morrow
present to the American people, through the United States minister in
Paris. The statue is the fit successor in these modern times of the
colossus which was in ancient days one of the world’s seven wonders. It
is to stand on one of the islands in the magnificent bay of New York, as
a sort of vast light-house, or light-bearer, welcoming the traveler from
the Old World as he enters the New World. The project and execution are
characteristic of the French people. There is an air of romance about it
which touches the fancy of an imaginative nation. It is a kind of
celebration of the Republic, a declaration of friendship and sympathy
from one republican people to another. It is the more remarkable, too,
because the legend which most astonished M. Guizot when he read it on
some of our great charitable institutions in London might, with a slight
change, be inscribed on M. Bartholdi’s colossus. It has originated in a
popular movement, and has been paid for by voluntary subscriptions. It
is literally the spontaneous gift of the French people to the Americans,
a testimony of their hearty admiration of American freedom.
The colossal size of the statue is appropriate to a country where
everything is on a gigantic scale. On its pedestal, and with its
outstretched hand, this huge figure is higher than any light-house on
our own coasts or than any mere monument in this capital. It is most
ingeniously constructed, and is, even in that respect, the most striking
work of the statuary’s art ever produced. It will, no doubt, be accepted
by the Americans in the cordial spirit in which it is offered, and it
may be hoped that it may long stand in its commanding position at the
beautiful entrance to New York bay as a material embodiment and token of
the cordial feeling of two great peoples who are mutually indebted to
each other.
the minister’s reception.
Later in the afternoon, the usual Fourth of July reception was held at
Mr. Morton’s, and many of those present at the ceremony of the morning
met one another once more.
