An interesting sidelight in the history of the Statue of Liberty is that its designers ncver intended the landmark as a monument to immigration – a symbolism often applied. The century-old Lady Liberty. of course. was a gift from the I-‘ratch Republic to the United States. As she retumed to duty. July 4 after ta two-year restorative project. it is well to-review the purposestt? that motivated the sponsors ‘ N ” Truef the statue has been the first to “greet” millions of immigrants to America. but the symbolism of “Mother of Exiles portrayed in Emma Lazarus famous sonnet. “The New Colossus.” apparently is something the French planners never had in mind. History has it that Edouard de Laboulayc, French law professor and ardent champion of the United States. first proposed in ltitis that his country present a suitable memorial to the people of America on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As Iaboulaye and others agreed. the monument would commemorate American independence. the Revolutionary War alltance between France and the U.S.. the long friendship of the two nations, and the faith of the French people in the principles ‘ of freedom fostered in America, The Franco-Prussian War and other problems delayed action. But in I874 artist=sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdt , visited New York to sound out American authorities. As his ship sailed into the harbor, Bartholdi envisioned a colossal goddess of liberty at this gateway to the New World. Money fur the project was raised through public subscription. The l-‘rench financed the statue and the Americans its pedestal. Work proceeded and the 151-foot statue tofticially named “Liberty Enlightening the World”t temporarily was assembled in Parts where it was presented to the Unitcd States at ceremonies July 4. lim. Afterward dismantled, it was shipped to the U S, in more than 200 large crates and te-erected on Bedloe’s Island, N,Y. tre named Liberty Island). President Grover Cleveland dedicated it at a gigantic celebratton Oct. 26. ISHS. Back to purposes of the memorial: I checked a history textbook by Allen C. Thomas published in 1901, just I5 years after me dedication. Its account of the Fraich gilt made no mention of immigratton. An article in the currs-it Readers Digest notes that neither Baltholdi nor Laboulaye ever “suggested associating the statue with the American promise of a new life for the downtrodden – only to liberty as an idea and historic force.” And Roger Conner. executive director of the Federation for American Immigration. stresses in the July American Legion Magzine that the statue wasn’t designed to memorialize immigration However. Emma Lazarus, a champion of the oppresed everywhere. saw the monument as the beacon of hope for all hungering to be free. Many applauded her interpretation. By 1903 a steady tide of migration was flowing past Iady Liberty. .That year a tablet containing. the last five lines of Lazarus sonnet was mounted on the statue’s pedestal; ”Give me your tired, ycurlgioort Your huddled masses yea ing to be frec The wretched refuse of your teeming shore Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost. to me: I lift my lamp buide the golden door.” l-fave such moving words influenced the U.S. toward its extremely generous immigration policies? Just recently Colo. Gov. Ridiard Lamm. in testimony at a Washington hearing. called for tighter controls at the nations borders and charged that Americans have been “blinded” to the problem of uncontrolled immigration by the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty. “I never did believe in that ‘Gtve me your tired, your poorj ” he said. ‘ Conner, in his article, made the startling statement that today the United States accepts “twice as many legal immigrants and refugees for permanent resettlement as the rest of the world combined.” Legal immigration has enriched and inspired generations of Americans but “immigration out of control could destroy the tabric that holds the nation together, ‘ he warned. Controversy on this issue isn’t new and there are serious problems to solve. But I hope we will never fail to appreciate tlte ideals of freedom and international friendships personified by the cherished statue that is a center of attenhon Independence Day t986.