<P> No members of the general public were permitted on the island during the ceremonies, which were reserved entirely for dignitaries . The only females granted access were Bartholdi's wife and de Lesseps's granddaughter; officials stated that they feared women might be injured in the crush of people . The restriction offended area suffragists, who chartered a boat and got as close as they could to the island . The group's leaders made speeches applauding the embodiment of Liberty as a woman and advocating women's right to vote . A scheduled fireworks display was postponed until November 1 because of poor weather . </P> <P> Shortly after the dedication, The Cleveland Gazette, an African American newspaper, suggested that the statue's torch not be lit until the United States became a free nation "in reality": </P> <P> "Liberty enlightening the world," indeed! The expression makes us sick . This government is a howling farce . It cannot or rather does not protect its citizens within its own borders . Shove the Bartholdi statue, torch and all, into the ocean until the "liberty" of this country is such as to make it possible for an inoffensive and industrious colored man to earn a respectable living for himself and family, without being ku - kluxed, perhaps murdered, his daughter and wife outraged, and his property destroyed . The idea of the "liberty" of this country "enlightening the world," or even Patagonia, is ridiculous in the extreme . </P> <P> When the torch was illuminated on the evening of the statue's dedication, it produced only a faint gleam, barely visible from Manhattan . The World characterized it as "more like a glowworm than a beacon ." Bartholdi suggested gilding the statue to increase its ability to reflect light, but this proved too expensive . The United States Lighthouse Board took over the Statue of Liberty in 1887 and pledged to install equipment to enhance the torch's effect; in spite of its efforts, the statue remained virtually invisible at night . When Bartholdi returned to the United States in 1893, he made additional suggestions, all of which proved ineffective . He did successfully lobby for improved lighting within the statue, allowing visitors to better appreciate Eiffel's design . In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt, once a member of the New York committee, ordered the statue's transfer to the War Department, as it had proved useless as a lighthouse . A unit of the Army Signal Corps was stationed on Bedloe's Island until 1923, after which military police remained there while the island was under military jurisdiction . </P>

Statue of liberty not a gift from france