Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-06-30
ADDRESS
OfThe Centennial Executive Commit
tee For East Tennessee.

tiers, asking for information as to the
mode of procedure that should be
adopted to collect and prepare mate
rails for exhibition at Philadelphia,
deem it best to make their reply pub
lie.
We take it for granted that Centen-
nial Associations will be organized in
every county ih East Tennessee, on the
LIST Monday, being the 5th day of July
next. These Associations of course
will consist of the usual officers of sim
liar organizations President, Score
tary and Treasurer. 1t will probably
be better to empower the Presidents of
the different Associations to make the
appointments of Committees at their
convenience, but the appointments
should be made as soon as practicable.
We would suggest at least the follow
ing Committees to consist of three per-
sons; Committees on Minerals, Com
mites on Agricultural Products, Com
mittees on Woods and Forests, an Ex-
ecutive Committee, a Descriptive Com
mittee and Committee on Finance.
In some counties where minerals
are abundant there should be
several committees, so as to in
sure that there would be samples
or specimens collected of every variety.
The same remark may be made in ref
erence to Agricultural Committees,
and Committees on Woods aud Forests.
81
are very plain. They are to collect
specimens of minerals, agricultural
products, and of the variety of lumber
that can be obtained from our woods
and forests. To put the latter into
portable form and an attractive shape
will probably require some reflection
and exercise of Judgment. The Exec
utive Committee will act in aid of all
the other committees, have a general
superintendent and make appropria-
tons of moneys for necessary ex.
penses in collecting materials, trans
porting and storing them. All the
members of this committee, to be eff
cient, ought, probably, to reside at the
county-seat, or some central or promi-
nent commercial point, of the county.
The duties of the Descriptive Com
mittee will be to prepare as briefly as
possible for publication description
of the county. Describing its geOgra-
ply, water courses, woods and forests,
| minerals, agricultural and other re-
sources. 1t is in contemplation to pub
lish general description of East Ten
nessee, and more detailed description
of each county in pamphlet, or
book form, in one volume, and circu-
late a large number of copies at the
| Centennial exhibition at Philadelphia
| They may also be circulated prior and
subsequent to the exhibition. 1t is
very important that the descriptions
of the different counties should be as
accurate, graphicRnd brief as they can
be made. While the descriptions
should be as perfect as possible, they
should not be so long as to be weari-
some to the reader, or deter any one
from their perusal.
A Finance Committee should be APP
pointed for each civil district.
We presume all of our citizens are
aware of the fact that the last Legis-
lature made no appropriation to deiray
the expenses of collecting, preparing
and transporting materials for the
| Centennial Exposition at Philadel-
phia. The means therefore for this
purpose must be raised in some man
ner by the people.
Some have suggested that the money
be appropriated by the County Courts
of the respective counties. If the
County Courts have the power this
would certainly be the easiest and
most equitable way of raising the
means TO defray the expenses Qf the
respective counties. But if they have
not the power to make the appropria-
ton, or do not choose to exercise
it, then we know of no other mode to
raise the money except from individ-
ual citizens of each county. The
amount from each individual, that will
be necessary to defray the expenses
of county, will be very small. Eff
ty cents from each voter of county,
we presume, will be ample to pay the
expenses of the county. Take for in
stance county having twelve hun
bred voters-tifty cents to each voter
would aggregate six hundred dollars,
which we suppose would be ample to
defray the expenses of the county. If
some voter may not choose to pay this
average, we have no doubt the def
cheney will be made up by other citi-
Zens of the county. We have been as
sured by citizens of several of the
counties that they will have no diff
Guilty in raising an ample fund in this
| way.
Each county will be expected to APP
prOpriate an amount to general fund
that will be sufficient to pay the ex-
penses of transporting the materials of
that county to Philadelphia, and pre-
senting them to the public in the
most attractive form. For this pur-
pose it will require one or more agents
to reside in Philadelphia from the
commencement of receiving materials,
in January next, until the close of the
exhibition, in the fall. 1t may prob
ably be more economical and quite as
expedient to employ an agent or
agents for this purpose residing in
Philadelphia.
1t is impossible to say, With any de-
gree Of certainty, what amount should
be contributed by each county to the
general fund. We think it probable
that q hundred dollars from each OF
the smallest counties and proper
tional amount from the larger ones
would be sufficient.
What we have said in this address is
/ 4 l.. 4. 80