European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes tuesday july 10,1990 some Lorton a. Apr admirers of George Mason say he gets no respect despite serving alongside Thomas left arson George Washington and James Madison As architects of the Constitution. Unlike his fellow virginians Mason never became president and no National Monument was Ever raised to his memory. Mason fans arc working to redress what they say is a nearly 200-Ycar-Otd wrong by erecting a memorial to him perhaps fittingly in the Shade Jefferson memorial in Washington . Masons refusal to sign the Constitution he helped create vexed his contemporaries so much that he was nearly written out of the history books. Quot George Masion has been the forgotten Patriot All along Quot said Donald a Taylor director of Gunston Hall masons meticulously restored Plantation on the Potomac River near Washington a mount Vernon Home. A it seems that although Mason played a very Central role in Ere rating what resulted in our Federal form of government he has gotten bad press because he refused to sign the completed document a Taylor said. Masons main beef with the Constitution it contained no Bili of rights. Mason believed there had to be a provision of the new nations government protecting its citizens should that government turn hostile Tayjor said. He also raised a few hackles in a losing Battle to ban further imports of slaves. Quot he really was ahead of his time in Many respects Quot Taylor said. An anti federalist Mason tangled frequently with Madison and Jefferson Over the key Issue of local control versus centralized Power. On most Points Mason lost. In the end he was one of Only three delegates to the 1787 constitutional convention who refused to sign. Mason died in 1792, one year after the Bill of rights was added to the Constitution. The 10 amendments closely resemble a Bill of rights for Virginia that Mason drafted in 1776. George Mason Taylor would like to install the modest sculpture honouring Mason next year the Bicentennial of the Bill of rights. The site selected by Taylor a group is a somewhat Remote plot near the tidal Basin. A bed of Flowers and Small Stone Fountain now occupy it. . Joseph v. Gartlan or. Provided the legislature to contribute $100,000 to build the memorial. Another $150,000 is being raised by the Gunston Hall Board of regents. A Virginia sculptors blueprints Call for a pair of 15-foot Bronze pyramids mounted inside the Fountain. Quotes from Mason and a carving of him would be in the Motif surrounding the Pool. Quot it is Low key but very sym Botic a Taylor said. One Pyramid would have 16 striations representing the 16 articles of the Virginia declaration of rights. The other would have 10, for the 10 amendments in the Bill of rights he said. A previous Effort to Honor Mason did Little to Rescue him from obscurity. In the 1950s, a Span of the 14th Street Bridge Over the Potomac was renamed for Mason. An unofficial Survey of Virginia commuters who use the Bridge daily shows the nomenclature is almost universally ignored. A a it a named for who a asked one woman. Taylor has heard this before. A there Are plenty of people in Virginia and elsewhere who have never heard of him a Taylor said. That a despite the growing pres ence of George Mason univer sity a state University in Fairfax county. The memorial project has cleared most official hurdles although Congress still must approve the plan. Sen. Charles s. Robb d-va., is leading that Effort which has attracted no opposition. If Congress misses next years Date the installation could be keyed to the 200th anniversary of Mason s death Taylor said. The anniversary is in 1992. A Donald Trump right and George Meyer of galleries Lafayette announce their agreement  sign valued in millions the lease to create the first galleries Lafayette Branch in the United states should increase Trump Tower s value and strengthen the financially troubled developers credit standing. The new York times reported that the lease is for 25 years. Trump and be Trees Meyer chairman of the department store declined at a news conference to comment on the terms or Price of the agreement. Trump Tower is on fashionable fifth Avenue. Galleries Lafayette is second Only to harrods of London among Europe a largest department stores. The store is expected to open in tall 1991. Soviet threat a greatly diminished a report says by the los Angeles times Washington a a key House armed services committee panel divided along parly lines concluded sunday that the threat to the United states and nato by soviet conventional forces a is greatly diminished and cannot be  the assessment prompted chairman Les Aspin d-wis., to reiterate Calls for selective cuts in the . Defense budget. The report said that president Bush a $306.9 billion defense request for next year assumes the soviet threat could be restored. Such assumptions Aspin said in a statement Quot done to jibe with reality anymore. Many of the changes Are irreversible and that Means we can Cut selectively without jeopardizing our  but the conclusion was dismissed As far too optimistic by rep. William a Dickinson r-ala., the committees ranking Republican. Quot endorsing this report is tantamount to believing that the soviet Union is already militarily impotent and not a global Power to be reckoned with Quot he said. Quot such a View is More Wishful think a Many of the changes in the soviet threat Are irreversible and that Means we can Cut . A Les Aspin ing than a reflection of  Aspin did not estimate the size of the cuts that he believes could be made on the basis of the report. In the past however he has adv caled a Cut of 20 percent spread Over five years. The report itself issued by the committee s defense policy panel did not explicitly Call for budget cuts. But it did say that the debate Over its conclusions Quot will determine what we do in the fiscal year 1991 defense  a the worst thing we can do is spend too Little on defense Quot the panel said. A the next worst thing we can do is spend too  the conclusions were endorsed by All 17 democratic members of the panel. All 15 Republican members dissented. Throughout its report the panel appeared to lean heavily on Many of the assessments of Cia director William h. Webster who has been much More optimistic about the irreversibility of the declining soviet threat than Secretary of defense Dick Cheney. The panel said that a the likelihood of a Bolt out of the Blue soviet strategic attack has always been Small a since any soviet nuclear attack on the United states would trigger a terrifying retaliation. A the most Likely scenario leading to nuclear War has always been escalation from a conflict in Europe Quot the panel said adding that with the breakup of the Warsaw pact the possibility of this risk has declined. The report said 50 percent to 60 per cent of . Defense spending still goes to maintaining the ability to mobilize 10 divisions in 10 Days against a Warsaw pact invasion of Western Europe. The panel also concluded that a the soviet conventional threat elsewhere has also declined a although not As precipitously As in Europe and a Large scale soviet military interventions outside of soviet territory seem beyond the red army a Powers no matter who rules in  a a while the soviet Union continues to modernize its strategic forces the risk of nuclear War has  a soviet military spending is clearly on the decline. A the growing economic crisis in the soviet Union raises serious doubt the soviets can maintain their current Pace of weapons modernization and adds significant uncertainty about what the soviet threat will look like in the  the Senate armed services committee begins work on Bush a defense request this week. But Aspin has not scheduled House armed services committee action because Bush and congressional leaders have not yet negotiated a budget Compromise including a lower defense budget for next year