The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 17, 1898, Page 10

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1898, 9 'FAVOR THE PROPOSED EXPOSITION. The Governors of California, Washington and Montana Strongly Indorse a Fitting Exhibition of Pacific Coast Resources. Mayor Phelan, M. H. De Young and Leading Commercial Bodies at One---President McKinley May Participate---A Christian Anniversary. cordial and approving es to the suggestion that the semi-centen- on of California to St Union, should be cele- in n Francisco an order of magni- the Governors surrounding States v with the project, the strong ground Form mo. s THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY. ————— INCORPORATED 21,000 CFFICES IN AMERIC ceremonial From what has been ac- compli: 1 at these two festivals we can draw auguries of a genuine tri- umph if we begin at once to prepare for the proposed exposition of 1900. With two years of time to arrange for the exposition, with all the States of the great V interested in it, with the trend of v ern travel augmented by the n gold ind which by tha will be yield a flood tide of revenues to the cities of the coast, and in fact to the nation gen- erally, there can be no doubt that the ABLE SERVICE TO ALL THE WORLD. which hate heen assented to by thesender of the f¢ 13 the Compaay willaotbold el lisbl £ ures to be presented. The President of the United States can be secured to de- liver an address on the 9th of Septem- ber, 1900, on the fiftieth anmversary of the admission of California as a State, and that fact alone would call to the fair a large concourse of people. With no counter attraction, the peo- ple of California will spend two or three milllons of dollars in visiting the World's Exposition at Paris, and while 1 have been zealous in securing a proper representation for California at the Paris Exposition, in common with other citizens of the State, I would be willing to forego that undertaking in 5 Dot preseated w writi RECEIVED at san Francisco, Cala W. S. Leake, San Francisco: Olympia, Wash., Feb. 16, '98. Telegram received. The people of the Pacific Coast look to California with affectionate regard as the pioneers of American civilization upon the Pacific. No doubt they will be interested and will assist, to some extent at least, in the semi-centennial celebration proposed in 1900. I may, however, be permitted to suggest that the national campaign of that year may be expected to very seriously interfere in the popular success of the movement, which might otherwise hope toreceive large attention from the people of Washington. that it ap- All who are e eiseo move fo the front rank all who are dvancement of n interest in g the prestige of the Pacific ic desire’ to aug- f the peor r nd in and help the ng tone of pu nded in th ish on the subj ght and influenc n should be read. N ggestions of ct, and n of ori pproval of w be con- From this 11d move steadily for- terprise in which the c Coast and all the rich of the great West can and ought tc rk together with har- mony and with resolution to succeed. The s tained by the Midwin- ter Fair, so 1 , shows what can be accompl: terprises on this coast even under the adverse circumstances of hard times and little opportunity for preparation. The recent brilliant parade in celebra- tion of Jubilee day is a proof of the interest Californians take in grand 1 e San Francisco Exposition of 1900 will hold a position inferior to none in this country except the marvel at Chicago. The inducements are many and the promises are well founded. We invite to the subject the attention of the whole coast. The following letters from other Governors, Mayor Phelan and persons of position and power in the community show with what force the movement starts and clear before it is the avenue to success and triumph. A VALUABLE .SUGGESTION. An Attractive Exposition Would Bring Many Visitors to the State. H. Mills—The suggestion made by Call relating to a proper obser of the semi-centennial anniver- sary of the admission of this State into the Union of States is timely and valuable. In the fifty years of its his- tory ifornia has not projected or to successful completion a international exposition. The rest approach to this was the Mid- winter Fair, an occasion which con- w ferred the highest benefit upon the State. That fair would have been wholly impracticable but for the fact that it was held immediately after the the great World's Fair in Chi- and was in gome respects an echo of that greatest of all world's ex- positions. California expended on the World's Fair at Chicago over $700,000 to make an exhibit. This = sum included 1 that was expended by the State, counties and by individual ex- hibitors. But California expended, ac- cording to some intelligent estimates, nearly $10,000,000 in visiting the fair. If this be exaggerated, let it be assumed that the State spent $5,000,000, and the net cost of the exhibit at Chicago was from six to seven millions of dollars. This expenditure abroad reduced the. cash capital of the State by six or seven millions. If an attractive exposition was pro- jected and proved a financial failure it would not cost this commonwealth anything like the sums which will be expended in attending expositions else- where. The success of the undertaking of course will depend largely upon the attractiveness and value of the feat- P R RN NN NER RN RRNRRRRRRRRRRNY b 3 ¢ ] e 4 e means. convinced others. If we deniably possess. year in Paris. INNRRNVARNINRNN @ @ @ 3 2 I I @ 2 tion. However, | may be MAYOR PHELAN IN HEARTY ACCORD. A celebration should be held by all I am always in favor of exhibit- ing San Francisco and California to the people of other States, because I know we gain by such contact. ognize the merits of our State and city, we have not yet to any great extent may hold by merit, and certainly expositions are the best means of manifesting the merits which we un- The only practical objection I see to an exposi- tion is the overshadowing one to be held in that California must be represented there, and the United States will endeavor to eclipse the world. I feel confident that we will succeed in the endeavor, and our State must do her share to achieve success in the exhibition. The Native Sons have decided to hold a grand celebration in this city in our jubilee year, and the event will be well taken care of by the new genera- of the project, and earnestly hope for it a complete ‘measure of success. JAMES D. PHELAN, Mayor. PerEnuEEEEREEREEEE ARG NNRENY While we all rec- attract by expositions we quoted as being in favor e R R LRy J. R. ROGERS, Governor. the interest of a great exposition at home. The year 1900 is the centennial of the Christian Era. It will be emphasized by observances in all parts of Chris- tendom. The year has, therefore, a double significance to the people of this State, and the fiftieth anniversary of the admissjon of the State has sympa- thetic significance at least to all the from such an exposition as the one proposed. It would be well worth to California every cent it might cost many times over. Indeed, it would be hard to estimate the benefit likely to accrue. 1 am satisfied that if the en- terprise should be properly started the State Board of Trade would back it up in good shape. It will be a very good thing to agitate the matter, and if Cali- fornia undertakes the thing it should be and could be made the biggest un- dertaking of the kind ever made by this or any other State in the Union— for we ought to be able to make a bet- ter exhibit than all the other States put together, by reason of the fact that there is hardly a natural product of commercial value in America which cannot be found in this State, and we have several not found in any other State. I sincerely hope that the plan may thrive.” . WILL HELP OUR STATE. Supervisor Britt Says It Will Reflect Great Credit on California. Supervisor Britt—The Call's sugges- tion to have an exposition in 1900 is de- cidedly a happy one. It is a commend- able and praiseworthy object, and ev- ery man who has the interests of the city at heart should have no hesitancy in supporting it. I have always been in favor of anything that will adver- tise this State, and there is no doubt in my mind that the projected exposi- tion could be made to eclipse all former efforts in that regard. Of course it will take time and money, but there is plenty of the first article and the sec- ond should be forthcoming in large quantities, for everyone in this city will be benefited by the exposition, In regard to an appropriation from the city and county by the Supervisors, 1 belleve that could be easily arranged, but of course it would be a matter for the consideration of the next Board of Supervisors, for an appropriation of that kind by tax levy must be spent within the fiscal year, and the present era of ideas—the commencement of do- ing business on a broader and more en- ergetic basis. WARM WORDS FOR THE PLAN. Commendation From the Acting President of the Merchants’ Association. A. S. Baldwin, acting president of the Merchants’ Association, expressed him- self enthusiastically in favor of the plan. “I must say,” he declared, “that The Call deserves great credit for so Worm Xo. 168, will insure its complete success. The Native Sons are already making prepa- rations for an elaborate celebration of Admission day in that year, and I am sure that they will heartily co-operate and aid in every way possible to make the exposition a grand affair and one worthy of our glorious State. Paris will have an exposition in 1900, and if we were to make ours cf sufficient in- terest who knowg but many people who intend going to Paris might be induced to remain right here with us and enjoy our own exposition. I am in favor of any proposition that will bring people to this Coast, and an exposition of the kind contemplated by The Call will bring more people here than ever before in our history. It will profit to our State. So let us hold an exposition in 1900—one that will bring us still greater results. — “A GOOD IDEA,” SAYS H. D. KEIL. Possibilities for Good Far Be- yond Those of the Mid- winter Fair. Hugo D. Keil, chairman of the Com- mittee of Publicity and Promotion of the Merchants’ Association, was asked his opinion of the proposition. “I like the idea,” said he. “It is a particu= THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY. 21,000 OFFICES IN AMERICA. ‘This Company TRANSMITS and DELIVERS, INCORPORATED [Errors can be SR “This 's an nr:flxfi'@“ N posigeion. 3 for A&L and is delivered by request of the sender. under the conditibns named above. b ‘THOS.,T. ECKERT, President and Genéral Manager. RECEIVED o san Francisco, Cala. W. S. Leake, Manager of The Call, S. F.: feel great interest in California and all its achievements, and I be- lieve our people will cheerfully assist in the celebration in nineteen hundred of the admission of your State into the Union. good a suggestion. We have recently had a gratifying spectacle in the in- terest taken in the semi-centennial of the discovery of gold in California, and, notwithstanding the very short notice and the necessarily limited work of preparation, our recent jubilee was a marked success. That undertaking was, by comparison with this new proposition, a trivial matter, engi- THE EXPOSITION WOULD BE COMMEMORATIVE AS WELL AS EDUCATIONAL. By all means we should have a semi-centennial exposition. Call’s idea is a fine one. The This exposition should be of all the Pacific and Western States ad- mitted during the fifty years. The idea will strike with peculiar force those familiar with the efforts to open up this territory, and the then apparent hopelessness of such efforts. Within two years hundreds ot thousands of persons from all parts of the world, representing the bone and sinew of their respective countries, will go to the far north in search of gold. These leave behind them families and friends, so that in reality the “eyes of .the world” will be gazing intently westward. Whether success or failure come to the gold-seeker he will not make a home in the frozen north. He will seek some more favored land. Where will it be? Where will he locate with his family and induce his friends to come ? Where will he spend the money he takes away from Alaska? These are questions that the great exposition would settle, and these are the prizes, as it were, for which each State would strive with an effort that would make the exposi- tion second to none that has taken place in the United States. The exposition: would not only be commemorative; it would be educational and inducive as well To the end that we receive the aid of others, we should aid them. lead us to give support to the Omaha Exposition. This would By all means let us celebrate our semi-centennial by an exposition. sisterhood of States west of the Rocky Mountains. But little difficulty would be expe- rienced in exciting the largest interest in such an event in the minds of the people of the Orient, especially the people of Japan. Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand are countries which, like our- selves, have their future greatness in- terwoven with the development of the Pacific Ocean commerce, and their sympathy in a great exposition on this Coast could be easily enlisted. The practical methods necessary to the accomplishment of such an under- taking should be left to the future con- sideration. But one general underlying consideration must not be overlooked, and that is that a really great occa- sion is more easy of accomplisnment than an inconsiderable undertaking. If a proper celebration of the nineteenth centennlal of the Christian era and of the semi-centennial of the statehood of California is projected its success will depend largely on the adequacy of its original conception, the breadth of the undertaking and the energy of its exe- cution. It should start upon the finan- cial basis of at least $2,000,000, and in my opinfon it would be easier to raise that sum than to raise $100,000. An exposition i8 well worthy the con- sideration of our people. IT WOULD DO GREAT GOOD. Secretary Filcher of the State Board of Trade Approves the Idea. J. A. Filcher, secretary of the State Board of Trade, had a meed of ap- proval for the idea, as he naturally has for every plan which has for its main- spring the weal of California. He sald: “While I have an idea that the money spent in such an enterprise might pro- duce better results if expended in main- taining Californian exhibits in the ‘Bastern and foreign cities, yet I have no doubt ‘that much good would come G board could only appropriate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1899. As the money would not be needed until 1900, the next board no doubt could be pre- vailed upon to include in the tax levy of 'that year sufficient for the purpose. I say by all means let us have the ex- position, and let it be. a magnificent affair and one that will reflect credit on our fair State and outshine as the day does the night any former attempt of a similar nature. TO BE GRAND IN ITS SCOPE. No One-Man Fair—Site for Build- ings Should Be Secured at Once. J. W. Raphael, of Raphael Bros.—I belleve it is eminently fit and proper that the semi-centennial of the admis- sfon of California into the Union should be celebrated in some striking way, and I heartily indorse the movement ir- augurated by The Call. Let us have an exposition that will, by its greatness, attract to our State many who had anticipated going to Paris in 1900. Make it broad and grand, no one man's fair, but bring together the whole business community, let each individual enter into the proposition with his or her whole heart, and let us for once throw aside all petty jealousies that may exist and work for the com- mon good. Ban Francisco is a great city, but her natural adyantages as a business center have not been fully de- veloped. It will require a unity of ac- tion on the part of our business men. ‘We are ready to go right ahead. No time should be lost in securing a site for the buildings, which, in my judg- ment, should be the handsomest possi- ble; entirely mew in architectural de- sign. Let us break away from the 'teréoty e style in vogue so many years. ] it {e the beginning of a new neered on the spur of the moment, and carried out with a rush, and while it reflected great honor upon the city and State the net result would be as noth- ing to the influence for good which might be secured through so great an enterprise as the one in contemplation, if efficiently managed. It is a broad, comprehensive plan—one in which there may be no end of permanent ben- efit to the material interests of Califor- nia. I sincerely hope that the idea may be acted upon, and have no hesitancy in expressing the opinion that the Mer- chants’ Association would heartily sup- port such an enterprise, It is right in our line of business, and I am sure that if the plan can be set on its feet the association will be found eager to help it along.” IS THE BEST PROPOSITION. It Should and Will Receive the Indorsement of All Busi- ness Men. Raphael Weill—I am in favor of any legitimate means of bringing our city to the attention of the outside world, and feel that the proposition presented by The Call is the best of any. It should and undoubtedly will, receive the in- dorsement of the business community. I am sorry that I cannot be here to give it my personal attention, but T will do all in my power to make the movement a success. LET IT BE A BIG AFFAIR. Co-operation of the Native Sons Suggested by Supervisor Haskins. Supevisor Haskins—I am glad that The Call has been the first to take hold of the proposition to have a Midsum- mer Exposition in 1800, for that af itself CABLE SERVICE TO ALL THE WORLD. messages only on conditions Himiting its liability, which have been amented to by the sender of the e 1e8sage back to the sending station for comparison. and the Company will Dot holdHtsel? liable yond the amount of tolls paid thereon, nor iuany case where the 8t 5 0ot presonted 1o writ Helena, Mont., Feb. 16, '98. ROBT .B. be necessary for every man to work and work hard in order to assure the successful consummation of the pro- posed venture, but we should all make it our duty to put our shoulder to the wheel, and I am positive that in 1900 we will have an exposition that will excite the admiration of the world. WILL GIVE HIS SUPPORT. Supervisor Delany Wants the Exposition to Excel the Midwinter Fair. Supervisor Delany—I voice my ap- proval of The Call's proposition to cele- brate the semi-centennial of Califor- nia!s admission to the Union as a State by a midsummer exposition in 1900. I am positively in favor of this celebra- tion and will do all in my power as an individual and as an official of this city to carry the idea to a successful issue. It is in line with The Call's progressive policy to suggest the idea, and it should be the desire of every citizen of this community to lend not only his moral but his financial support to the affair and I, for one, am perfectly willing to do both. Let it be an exposition that will sur- pass in magnitude our late Midwinter Fair, for it will attract thousands of people, and as a result business will improve, and I am in favor of any thing that will bring about a better- ment of trade. Tt is none too early to begin preparations, for it will require a mountain of work to assure complete success. STAND READY TO ASSIST. They Believe the Idea to Be the Best That Could Possibly Be Presented. Shreve & Co.—We will do all in our power to make the proposition a suc- cess and stand ready to assist in any way possible. The idea is the best that could possibly be presented and will unquestionably meet with enthusiastic indorsement from every business man in this city. The benefit to our city from a busi- ness standpoint can best be judged by the results of the Midwinter Fair, which, though held during a period of business depression, resulted in great 2900002000606 00000000000000900000000000 MARK THE MILESTONES. ple. ing fifty years of our Statehood. Golden State. be done by an unusual celebration. from anything we have had. ~ labor. (R A A R R R R R L R R R R ORORORORCIRCRCRORORORROROR Y I am heartily in favor of any celebration or any- thing that contributes to the amusement of our peo- 1 believe In marking the milestones of our pros- perity as ‘we reach them, especially the milestone mark- State in the Union thatcanshow such a record asourown Statistics show that the percapita proft last yearof eachindividual in the State of California is greater than that of any State in the entire Union. ‘When an unsettled wildcrness like California is taken possession of by the Americans and in fifty years made to produce an income of $250,000,000 in one year, it is a re- cord that we can be proud of, and one to which we might be willing to emphasize and attract the attention of our entire country. To emphasize and attract the attention of the street ornamentation and arches is too commonplace. made by The Call of the exposition, first by a reproduction of the first mission in California, and then by installing in that building, and, I hope, in many other buildings which ought to be erected, a good ex- hibit of our natural resources to iilustrate that progress, would carry out my ideas of something unusual. 7 I would suggest, in addition to the erection of unusual fetes of a character that would suit our climate, but different I do not care at present to go into de- tails, but if these ever materialize into anything and I, have more time, I would make the suggestions. every county should be interested. a group of their own, then the various agricultural counties, then the great metropolises and seaports ghould prepare commercial then our manufacturing interests should have meetings and combine to advance the exhibits of the products of the machines and the skilled Yes, I heartily approve of The €Call's suggestion and hope it will con- tinue its efforts until they are crowned with success. 08000000000 0000000900000000000000CORS The people of Montana SMITH, Governor Montana. larly good one, and it could not have been sprung at a better time. Business is reviving in all lines and all sides, and now is the time to outline plans for future successes—for an individual or a State. ' The proposed exposition would be of inestimable benefit to this city and to the whole State, and I hope that the plan will be carried out as suggested by The Call. The recent Midwinter Fair was of enormous bene- fit to California, and that enterprise was conducted in a “hard times” peri- od. Then, too, it was our initial effort in matters of this kind, and our next endeavor in this way should be some- thing to excite the admiration of the world. We now have a ten-fold greater opportunity than the Midwinter Fair gave us, and I hope it will be taken advantage of as The Call suggests. MANY WOULD VISIT HERE. The Resources of the State Would Be Advertised by an Exposition. Harry T. Creswell—The Midwinter Fair was of great benefit to the State. An exposition, such as sug- gested by The Call, would undoubtedly attract many, thousands of people here. It would be an advertisement of the re- sources and greatness of California. The benefits derived to the entire Pa- cific Coast from it would far exceed the expense to citizens attending a credit- able exposition. The exposition should be had. NATIVE SONS INTERESTED, It Will Advertise to the World the Great Resources of Our State. H. M. Holbrook of Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson—The proposition is a good one, and will undoubtedly receive the indorsement of every one having the interest of the city at heart. The benefits to be derived from such an exposition as The Call announces.is, to my mind, far greater than many people realize. It will advertise to ghe world the great resources of our State and show the remarkable advancement made in our industries during the past fifty vears. The movement should in- terest our Native Sons, who can b their usual indomitable push do muc! toward making the exposition a suc- cess. I don’t know of a world can only The ordinary way of processions, The suggestion these buildings, To properly carry these out Our mining counties ought to form exhibits, » M. H. DE YOUNG. P29000900900090000900990000000000000000000000009