Have Been Following With Considerable Interest Various Statements

Report of .; ~bt :.minne~ota ~tatt

:.memorial .ctCommt~~ion

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State of Minnesota, Executive Department

PROCLAMATION Whereas, It is appropriate that there be established in Minnesota a State Memorial in honor of those who have struggled so courageously to prevent the military aggression of the Central Powers of Europe and to maintain and extend freedom among all nations of the earth, and, Whereas, The people of our commonwealth ought fittingly to commemorate the great victory of justice and liberty for which our soldiers and sailors have patriotically striven and the heroic sacrifice5 which so many of Minnesota's sons and daughters have unselfishly made in behalf of humanity. Therefore, I, Joseph A. A. Burnquist, Governor of this State, feeling that the suggestions as to a memorial should be centralized and properly considered, do hereby request the persons hereinafter named to receive and collect information with reference thereto, and after due consideration and investigation to recommend what, in their opinion, will be the most fitting manner in which to show to this and future generations Minnesota's deep apreciation of the brave services of its citizens who in th'i s grave period have so gallantly fought for the nation and its most righteous cause. For the purposes hereinabove set forth the following are hereby appointed a Memorial Commission: O. B. McClintock, Minneapolis, Chairman. A. E. Rice, Willmar. C. F. McDonald, St. Cloud. W. H. Hoyt, Duluth. Theodore H. Beanlien, White Earth. F. A. Fogg, St. Paul. L. E. Potter, Springfield. Clarence H. Johnston, St. Paul. E. B. Johnson, Minneapolis. Geo. H. Winter, Winona. Dr. Christopher Graham, Rochester. In· testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the great seal of the state to be hereto affixed this 3rd day of December, 1918. Attest:

JOSEPH A. A. BURNQUIST, Governor of Minnesota. JULIUS A. SCHMAHL, Secretary· of State.

THE CAMPANILE

REPORT OF THE MINNESOTA STATE MEMORIAL COMMISSION Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 24th, 1919. To His Excellency, J. A. A. Burnquist, Governor of the State of Minnesota. Sir: Your Commission appointed to consider and report to you plans and locations for a State Memorial to be erected in honor and memory of the Minnesota me.n and women who served in our Country's Viars, begs to submit the following report: The Commission has held three meetings, January 31st at the State Capitol Building, February 14th at the State Capitol Building, and February 22nd at the Athletic Club in Minneapolis. At the first meeting the following Commissioners were present: Dr. Christopher Graham of Rochester, L. E. Potter, Springfield, Clarence H. Johnston, St. Paul. E. B. Johnson, Minneapolis, O. B. McClintock, Minneapolis.

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At this first meeting the Commission passed a resolution defining its ideas of a proper Memorial, and decided upon the next date of meeting, February 14th. At the meeting held on the 14th inst., the following Commissioners were present: . Dr. Christopher Graham of Rochester, Geo. H. vVinter, Winona, Theo. H. Beaulieu, White Earth. F. A. Fogg, St. Paul. Clarence H. Johnston, St. Paul, L. E . Potter, Springfield, W. H. Hoyt, Duluth, E. B. Johnson, Minneapolis. O. B. McClintock, Minneapolis. At this meeting suggestions by letter and in person were offered by a number of citizens, and a formal-motion passed "That the proposed Memorial should take the form of a building with accessories." At the meeting held February 22nd the following Commissioners were present: C. F. MacDonald, St. Cloud, W. H. Hoyt, Duluth, Theo. H. Beaulieu, White Earth, F. A. Fogg, St. Paul, L. E. Potter, Springfield, Clarence H. Johnston, St. Paul, E. B. J ohnso11, Minneapolis, Geo. H. Winter, Winona, Dr. Christopher Graham, Rochester, O. B. McClintock, Minneapolis,

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A large number of letters, telegrams and petitions from all parts of the State were received, and several citizens appeared before the Commission. As you will see by the original records we are handing you with this report, a great preponderance of opinion favored the adoption of the plans eventually approved by the Commission. Besides a Memorial on the State University Campus and a Memorial on the State Capitol grounds, there were also proposed, Memorial Highways, Memorial Fountains, a Pyramid and an Americanization House, also the planting throughout all state parkings and waste and vacant lots, the seed of the poppy. These were individual propositions, and no proposition received the support of any number of citizens except the State U niversity and the Capitol Grounds plans. At this meeting the following motions were offered: Moved by Commissioner MacDonald of St. Cloud: "That the Minnesota State Me.morial, in whatever shape it may take, or wherever it may be placed, shall commemorate the valor and deeds of those who served in the Civil War of '61 and '63, the Spanish War of 1898, as

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well as those who served, and those who are still serving in the present \i\f orld \i\f ar." This motion was carried unanimously. Resolution offered by Commi ssioner L. E. P otter: "Resolved, That it is the sense of the Commission that the Memorial to the men and women of the State of Minnesota who participated in the various wars in which the United States of America has been engaged, should take the form of a Me"morial Building to be erected on th e grounds of the State Capitol , or on ground in the immediate vicinity thereof, said building to be purely an expression of the appreciation, on the part of the people of Minnesota, of the heroism displayed and sacrifices made by sons and daughters and to serve no other purpose." Commissioners Potter, Fogg, J oh i1ston and MacDonald voted for the above motion, and Commissioners Graham, Johnson: Beaulieu, vVinter, Hoyt and McClintock voted against it. Resolution not adopted. 8

Moved by Commissioner E. B. Johnson: "That this Commission recommend to the Governor of the State, as a proper memorial, the adoption of the plans submitted to the Commission by the Alumni of the State University with the approval of the Regents of the University." Commissioners Hoyt, Beaulieu, Johnson, Winter, Graham and McClintock voted for the above motion. Commissioners Potter, Johnston, MacDonald and Fogg voted against it. Motion carried. A letter from Commissioner Rice favoring the plan adopted, is a part of the record. Moved by Commissioner Fogg: "That the Chairman makes a report to the Governor giving the result of our deliberations, and giving the names of the Commissioners voting for and the Commissioners voting against the resolution that has been carried." Motion was unanimously carried. While a large number of people appeared before the Commission and spoke in favor of the University plan, but one person each appeared and spoke for any other planMr. Dolan, of St . Paul, speaking for the 9

Fountain Memorial plan and Mr. Ames, of St. Paul, speaking for the Memorial on the State Capitol grounds. Among others, Senators Adams and Palmer, and former Senators Elwell and Dwinnell appeared before the Commission fa voring the plan adopted. Senator Dwinnell-"\lVhat could be more uplifting than a Memorial pointing to Heaven, lifting the thought of the student higher and higher. \IV e want the uplift among the young men of the State, among those who are going to be leaders. The people of the State should raise the money in one great voluntary offering to put this beautiful Memorial on the State University Grounds where it will be for all time an inspiration to the youth of the State." Private Bowman of the 151st F. A.-"I represent a family of ten native sons of Minnesota, none of whom have ever attended the University, seven of whom are still 'over there.' On behalf of this family I beg leave to recommend the State University site for the Memorial." Lieutenant Hubachek-"I served in the French army, before we entered the war, with the French Flying Corps, and then with the American Flying Corps. This Memorial will represent the men who died in the service." (Here he presenteO d to the Commission a petition signed by returned soldiers, sailors and marines.) 10

Captain Jenkins-"In looking into this proposition for a Memorial, and from what I have heard the boys say in expressing themselves iri regard to Memorials and buildings and things of this nature, they want something which is going to be a live factor in the lives of men who are to come, and the general opinion is that it should go in connection with some of the working institutions of the country to reach the class of people that have to be reached in time of war, and there is no better place than at the State University." I

Geo. H. Winter, of Winona-"My son took his non-commission work. N ow he writes home that he wants to -go to college. Weare working for a Memorial for our soldiers. Our University ground is just as much a state ground as the State Capitol ground. Maybe our younger blood will know more about the State University than they do the State Capitol." Theo. H . Beaulieu of White Earth-"My idea is this-let us give them the best. There is nothing that we can do for our heroes that will adequately pay them for sacrifices they made-Minnesota has the money-I want to go on record in making a recommendation to Governor Burnquist to give them the best that can be gotten. The University is in the State of Minnesota and belongs to the people of Minnesota." 11

DESCRIPTION OF MEMORIAL RECOMMENDED. The Memorial Plans adopted by your Commission comprehend the creation of a beautiful Mall upon the Campus of the State University with a magnificent Memorial Auditorium at the northern end, which will have a seating capacity of from six to eight thousand and will have several rooms suitable for meetings of veterans. Proper space and place will be arranged in the Auditorium Building for relics and documents of the wars. The names of the men and women of Minnesota, who have served, will appear on bronze tablets in the Rotunda of the Auditorium. At the southern 'end of the Mall on the banks of the Mississippi will be erected stately Campanile, 225 feet in height, in the tower of which will be chimes that will carry the message of those who have made the great sacrifice.

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On this Campanile will appear the names of every Minnesota man and woman who has died in the service of our country. The Commission herewith submits for your consideration a separate brief summary of the chief reasons for arriving at its decision, also all of the correspondence, minutes of meetings, newspaper clippings, petitions, etc. 12

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regret that we are una,b le to present to you in writing all of the earnest and eloquent pleas made by many of the citizens of the state in favor of the plan adopted, The Commission presents its compliments to you and wishes to thank you for the opportunity you have given it to serve in this matter of great importance. Minnesota State Memorial Commission. O. B. McCLINTOCK, Chairman.

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MINNESOTA STATE MEMORIAL COMMISSION SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT FEBRUARY

1919

In making the recommendations we have, . it seems desirable that we should also state what led us to take such action. Hence, • this brief is submitted. All Were There were a number of points upon which Agreed all members of the commission were agreed:

First, that the Memorial should be dedicated to the men of 1861 and 1898 as well as to the men and women of 1917-18. Second. It should be of a character to express the feelings of appreciation of the people of the State for the services of those in whose honor it is erected, and be worthy of the great State of Minnesota . . It should have dignity and beauty and be so imposing that it will impress even the casual visitor. Third. It should be located where it will exert its influence upon the greatest po?sible number of individuals.

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It should take -the form of a building or buildings in appropriate setting. Difference of opinion arose upon two points: First. Whether the structure to be erect- Points of ed should serve a purely ornamental and Difference aesthetic purpose or should, in addition serve a useful function as well. Second. Whether it should be located upon the State University Campus or upon the State Capitol grounds. The plans approved by the Commission were adopted by a vote of six to four. Governor Rice, a member of the Commission, who was unable to be present at any of the meetings, also expressed himself as favoring the adoption of the plans adopted. The reasons which led to such decision Reasons for may be briefly stated: Decision The plans approved were incomparably superior to any other offered or of which the Commission could conceive. No other idea suggested even approximated our ideals of what such a Memorial should be. The University Campus-which is State A Proper property-furnishes a rare opportunity to se- Setting cure a proper setting for such a memorial. We propose to place the Memorial upon one of the most sightly and strategic locations in the State of Minnesota-on the main

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thorofare between Minneapolis and St. Paul, a distance of not more than seven miles from the State Capitol. Along this roadway more people pass each year than along any similar thorofare in the State. The University campus includes one hundred ten acres under State control. The site is adjacent to the Mississippi River and a park system through which runs a parkway connecting the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This, in effect, adds several hundred acres more. Such surroundings give assurance that nothing undesirable can ever encroach upon or mar the beauty of this .setting. No place could be more fitting for such a Memorial than the banks of "The Father of Waters" in full view of the magnificen t scene which its lofty, wooded, and parked shores afford. ComprehenThe simplicity, completeness and gransiveness of deur of conception exhibited by the plans Plans

appealed irresistibly to the commission.

An Auditorium lends itself admirably to use as a Memorial. There is nothing in the use of such a building for educational and patriotic purposes that could mar its sanctity as a Memorial to those who served in our country's wars. The plans approved by the commission are a rare combination of the sentimental : the 16

,;. , a·esthetic and e9ucatiGnal, and, at the same time differentiate cleanly between these varying elements. The Memorial Auditorium-without sacrificing the beautiful or the aesthetic-serves an educational purpose . The Campanile represents pure sentiment and aesthetic beauty. The Mall as a whole will satisfy the most critical artistic taste. The proposed structure is to be erect ed, not only in memory of those who have di ed, but also in honor of the greater number wh o are still living. Petitions that came to us from hundreds Approved by of soldiers and citizens from all parts of the Citizens state,. and a large number of returned soldiers who appeared in person before th e Commission urged that the memorial tak e the form as finally recommended by the Commission. We are fully of the opinion that those who gave their lives for their country, would, if they were living today, prefer to see their deeds and services remembered by the sam e kind of Memorial. If carried out as proposed, this Memorial, Inspiring for all time to come, will be a constant inspiration to thousands of young men and women who having attended our State University, go out into the various communities of the State with the training to make them useful citizens of our great commonwealth .

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Soldiers Captain Williams, a soldier who fought Approve through the entire war, said: "I am not an Idea

elocutionist, but I tried hard to be a soldier. I have known of this question for some time, in fact we talked of it just before I was in the hospital at Camp Grant, and 6n behalf of a regiment that fought in every battle the Americans fought, I ask that the Memorial be placed at the State University." Bishop Remington, who served a year in France, said: "I want to tell you that it was not so much our government that was put to the test in this war, as it was our educational institutions-our distinctive contribution t o western civilization is our public school system, at the top of which stands our State University. Our men fought and died so well because of what the United States has contributed to th em throug h our universlttes. Put your Memorials in the place where democracy is born and bredin the schools and universities." Practically the unanimous sentiment of th e people of all parts of the state, as it was made known to the commission, was favorable to the State University site-only one person appearing to argue in favor of any other proposition.

ArtThe Memorial M all with its Auditorium Sentimentand Campanile will for centuries to come, be InspirationService th e ce nter and heart of the State University,

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and will leave its ineffable impress upon generations yet unborn for better living and loftier thinking. To the memory of those who gave "the last full measure of devotion" there stands the Campanile in its wonderful lines and setting. This tower is conceded by every member of the commission to be a masterpiece of beauty and sentiment. Its chimes will speak th eir m essage to the hearts of those who are receiving their training at the University, and to the thousands more who come here from all over the land to see this monument which the grateful people of Minnesota will erect to,..their soldiers- men and women. It is our judgment that when these plans have been carried out they will help to make Minnesota's University foremost among such institutions in the country,- and will assist materially in promoting its influence in favor of the high standards and ideals for which our soldiers fought. These plans, seem to 'the commission, to Worthy of be comprehensive and worthy of the- great Minnesota State of Minnesota and its people. Anything less would be insignificant. Even this, the best we can conceive, scarcely ad equate.

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Other considerations that influenced the members of the commission, in coming to 19

Why the University Campus

To Serve the Soldier

their decision , was the fact th a t the University has played a noble part in the great war. About nine thousand men and women who were or had been students at the University, served in the great war. The colleges of the country saved the day at the beginning of the war, and the country accomplished in three months what would have taken many more months had it not been for their trained product. We hope that there may be no more wars, but no true American will ever again conse nt to being in such a state of unpreparedness as the present war found us. The colleges of the country will be the organizations to which · the people will look for trained men to officer its armies should they be needed again. Then, too, the men coming back from -the army are going to form their organizations of veterans and will want meeting places. This building will provide such places. It will also provide for large gatherings of veterans who will meet in reunions-what could be more fitting than that they should meet at the place made sacred by its dedication to their valor. There will be so much space available in the great proposed Memorial Auditorium that as the years pass it will be possible to install any additional fea tures that may seem desirable.

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The plans also make it pos'sible to provide for special memorials to large groups or organizations of state troops, which of course, would be kept in harmony with the general scheme of development. The State of Minnesota has never had a For the fitting Memorial for the men of 1861. This Heroes of '61 proposition is the first that has ever been made to honor them in anything like a fitting way. This feature of the Memorial is one that we feel should be emphasized . There should be a separate and distinct feature added for these men who saved the nation in those dark days when the fate of freedom hung in the balance. Just what this should be we are not prepared to say- but it should be something that will let these men know that we have not forgotten them in honoring the younger heroes of this day. In addition to these reasons the commission' was influenced by the great preponderance of public opinion favoring the plans adopted. O. B. McCLINTOCK, Chairman.

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General View of the Proposed Memorial Mall with Auditorium at Upper End and Campanile at Lower End, Overlooking the River.

PRESIDENT BURTON'S LETTER March 1, 1919. His Excellency Governor J. A. A. Burnquist, Executive Chambers, State Capitol, St. Paul, Minnesota. ~VIy dear Governor Burnquist : I have been following with considerable interest various statements and editorials in the daily press in regard to the proposed memorial to the soldiers, sailors and marines who fought in the great war. There seems; to be some misunderstanding in regard to the relationship of the University of Minnesota to this discussion. I beg the privilege therefore of making the following official statements which I sincerely hope may be given wide pUblicity. L The biennial estimates of the Board of Regents, submitted to you on December 1st, 1918, and by you transmitted with your approval to the Legislature on February 1, 1919, make no reference to the proposed "Minnesota Memorial Mall." Our total request for $5,499,000 for the coming biennium therefore must not be confused in any way with the memorial proposition. 2. The plan for the "Minnesota Memorial Mall" to be located upon the University Campus is not a University proposition. It was first put forward by the' Board of Di23

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rectors of the Alumni Association. The Board of Regents had nothing whatsoever to do with ' its .initiation. The Board did express its approval of the plan and indicated its willingness to have the Alumni go forward with it. 3. As you know, neither the Board of Regents nor I , as president, had the slightest part in the establishment of the Commission to consider the various proposals for memorials. We first learned of it on the day that the matter was announced in the papers, giving the names of the members of the Commission.

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4. Finally, it must be stated with the greatest possible clearness and emphasis that from the very first, when ' the Regents gave their consent and approval to the plan, it was distinctly understood that funds for erecting the memorial would be raised by private subscription and that the Legislature would not be asked to make an appropriation for this purpose. This was the original understanding and is still the definite and official proposal of the Alumni. Any further confusion of this issue therefore is unnecessary. Anyone who states that the University is asking for $5,499,000 plus $1,500,000 for a memorial does an in·· justice both to his own cause and to the University. 24

I have confidence to believe that these statements will make it impossible for misunderstanding to continue and I trust will clarify the situation so far as the University is concerned. I have intentionally avoided any reference to the relative merits of the various proposals for the memorial. The decision of that question rests with the duly constituted authorities for dealing with such matters. I have felt that it was my duty as' President of the University to make certain that the actual facts regarding the position of the institution were set before the public. Believe me, sir, with high esteem, , Very sincerely yours, (Signed) M. L. BURTON .

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THE MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM