Lincoln Chafee: “this weekend while we are away from the Capitol, an unusual event will occur here. Areas in the Capitol rotunda and the…”

“this weekend while we are away from the Capitol, an unusual event will occur here. Areas in the Capitol rotunda and the small rotunda, which are ordinarily open to the public, will be closed to visitors, as will the passageway to the majority leader's office. And starting tomorrow, temporary structures will be constructed in these areas. Under the able supervision of the Architect of the Capitol's office, steps are underway to move the statue of Roger Williams, which stands in the rotunda, to the second floor hallway outside of the majority leader's office. In February, Senator Warner, chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, notified me that the statue of Roger Williams would be moved from the rotunda in order to accommodate the so-called portrait monument of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott in accordance with a concurrent resolution approved by both houses during the last Congress. While I have no objection to moving the portrait monument to the rotunda, I was disappointed to learn that it would result in the dislocation of the statue of Roger Williams. Senator Warner assured me that the Roger Williams statue would receive an excellent new location and that none of the alternatives--namely in the rotunda--were available. Senator Warner certainly kept his word. The new location is very satisfactory.…”