Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-25

Philadelphia and Lewis Thompson from Will
mington have been in Dover waiting upon the
members Of the Legislature individually, and
representing to them the claims of the Centen-
NAL Exhibition to he held in Philadelphia in
1876.
In order to lay the question before the Legis-
lature collectively an informal meeting of the
members of both Houses was held III the Rep
resentatives chamber ut two o'clock this after
noon At the appointed hour, Speaker Stockey
| of the Senate took the chair and introduced as
the first speaker Mr.. Joseph c. Grubb. That
| gentleman spoke in substance as follows
Gentlomen of the Delaware Legislature At
the request Of the Centennial Commits
tioners, appear before you in their
behalf. am not an officer of the Exposition.
| but as native Delawarean, | have been re-
quested by Mr.. John Welsh Chairman of the
Finance Committee to confor with the Legisla-
tiire OF my native State, and to lay before you,
| as best can, few facts in relation to the Cen
| tennial Exposition. Mr.. Welsh il devoting his
whole time to the subject and is in charge of
the finances. am not speaker but business
man, and as such am desirous of laying before
you the business aspects of the Centennial in 10
far as they refer TO the State of Delaware.
Mr.. Grubb then read from letter from MIR.
Welsh, as follows.
| "Can you not get some of your leading men
| to write to members of tho Legislature that it
would be very appropriate in the State of Della
ware to aid the Centennialp Pennsylvania, you
know, has given 10000 GOO, New Jersey $780,
900, and if the Blue Hens Chickens would help,
you may depend upon it. Now York. and the 9TH
er old thirteen will fall into line. We are work.
/ ing hard, and we deserve help"
The speaker then read from another letter
| from MIR. Welsh
II hope for an appropriation of 49,, 400,
which would not be too much for your native
State, but we must take what they will give.
Have you thought OF the advantage Delaware is
| to get from the Centennial5 Do you know that
| | think all yon have will in 1876 be eaten up2
| The peach crop will bring double price You
| are too experienced a merchant not to'know the
| effect of a demand five per centn excess of and
| beyond the supply, but when it comes up to
| twenty-five per cent. the advance is enormous.
| In conversation with Governor Parker of New
Jersey, found that he had thought much on
the material interests of his State in this connec-
| ton.
| Every day brings to liz additional evidence
OF the enormous Dimensions which the Exhibi-
| tion will assume. To-day the Honorable Mr..
Perrault is here representing the Canada Com
mission. He says their part of the exhibition
viii embrace their products, including horses,
| cattle, &c, and that the Canadian Government
will appropriate 5250,00O to cover tho expense.
| lie wants now to get all the details so az to
| have perfect preparations made in good time.
| He intends that that their shelving and cases
| shall be an exhibit Of the wood Of their country
| in all it's Variety
| From Cracow, continued Mr.. Grubb, comes
the astonishing intelligence of proposition to
carry on restaurant atte nded by circasan
women, but suppose it to be the opnion--of
very many-that American ladies would do fully
as well AZ circasians.
| 1t s fit and appropriate that Delaware should
| take an active part in the Exposition. Most
| persons coming to the Centennial will have vs-
| tied the djacent States but few will know much
about our Peninsula between the two bays. 1t
| is terra ,ncog'iitd, the unknown land, If Della
| ware would fill up her department with her nat
| ural products it would compare fayorably with
other States, and bring visitors to the Perinsu-
| la. 1t is proper for Delaware to help, for the
| Exposition will materially help her.
There are substantial reasons why Phadel-
| phia, apart from her being the birthplace of our
| independence presents a distinct and certain
| fitness for the ground of the Exhibition. She
| is, as some traveller has declared, the paradise
| of small house keepers. is the city where the
| day laborer lives in his own marble-stepped
dwelling. with bath, gas, and water and the fat
of the land, in meats aud vegetables at his COM
| mand, and it offers fairer idea of the comfort
and cheapness of general American life than
| more metropolitan cities. Philadelphia has no.
| bly, sustained this enterprise. She has borne all
| the labor, and most of the cost, more nded than
will probably be returned. She has contributed
| ~ 500 900 towards the Exhibition building, aud
| the State of Pennsylvania has given 81 ,000, O00
| 1t is Estimated that S5,920,0OO will yet be re-
qured for all other purposes of this $4,000 goo
4 have already been secured by subscriptions
| to the Centennial stock, and it is ex-
pected that further subscriptions from
other sources will increase this sum TO
.4320, 900, which leaves 81 100000 still unpro-
vided. 1t is urged by the Commission, which
| was, as you know, created by the government,
and it is urged with great force and justice, that
this sum should be contributed by the General
Government or it $1,000 are for the ex-
penses of the United States Centennial Com
MISSION s500,0 900 for the awards to be given by
| the Commission, and SG00.000 for the protection
by police of the Exposition The Centen-
NAL Commission states that Great Brit
| ain Germany, France, Spain. Sweden,
Norway, the Netherlands. Belgium, Aus
| tra, and Hungary are actively engaged in pre-
pairing for the Exhibition and also all of the
| South American States. Japan, Mexico, Libe-
| ria, the Orange Tree State in South Africa, and
the Sandwich Islands will be fully represented.
| / ask for no special amount but leave that en-
\ tirely with yourselves. If you oan give the sum
of S32, 400, which is your share on the basis n
great boon indeed and will be gladly accepted by
| the Commissioners The amount could be paid
| in three equal instruments the first on the first
of July 1875, the second on January 1st 1876,
and the third July 1st, 1876.
| Now, gentlemen, II you can give tile whole
| amount, l say as native Delawarean, and one
having considerable property in the State, that
you will not have given too much, and l shall be
heartily glad of the action which may bring
about such result. 1t will be an incentive to
other States, it will rally your people to the
cause, it will be spur towards developing every
material interest within your borders
| hon. Cnhb, BfOWn tnen rOse anu halu ne hhu
been written to by Mr.. Welsh, a valued friend
and member of the Centennial Commission,
about this matter. He answered that but little
had been said in Delaware about it, but thought
that as We approached that great event in our
history a warm feeling and decided interest in it
would be manifested by our people. We are not
rich, but should give literally in pro-
portion to our means towards the
celebration of the Centennial Of the nations in
dependence. The people from abroad who will
visit Philadelphia during the progress OF the
exhibition will overrun that city and many OF
them will doubtless be compelled to seek ac-
commodatons in Wilmington. When they ar
rive there their attention will be called to our
State and Peninsula the garden spot the Par
adise of this Union-of which so much has been
said which foreign vi.itors will want to see. AS
a tax payer he was willing that the Legislature
should appropriate liberal sum
towards making the exhibition a
success In the time of the Revolution our
forefathers were not slow in responding as de-
Tenders what would the world think OF their
sons should they refuse to do something toward
| celebrating the Centennial of their mighty
achievements? We shall display our products
in Philadelphia in 1876 and he wanted those who
visited that place to see what our incompatible
soil produces aud thus become interested in this
Paradise of ours. The speaker said he was get
ting old and took but LITTLE part in public affairs
unw Int he Thought the Legislature should con-