New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-08
TgE PROPOSED WORLDS E4IR.

THE PROPOSED W OHLD . H-iIH.
Tup TR1B1yNE is rs DESTROYS as any one can
he that there should be an international Expo
sjtjon in this city in 1888. But it is more
DESTROYS that the management be such as 10
assure success for the undertaking. and that
there be no chance for its turning out either
tuppanny affair or land speculation, fzzie
mr. q farce And we make bold to say, as repre-
scpting a portion of the press to which the
gentlemen thus far conspicuous in the enter
nlise are good enough to say they are
looking for cooperation aud support,
that the management up to the present time
has not been such as TO awaken enthusiasm
The controversy over the question OF site
did not exhibit the persons engaged IN 1t III
very favorable light to the community which
is looked to to give it cOuntenance aud sup
port, aud make it a success. TO Insist so
stubbornly as they did upon the Central Park
site. in the face of LOUD and general OPPOSE
ton from the press and public, was not Il
mark of wisdom or good sense, and GER
tainly was not calculated to beSet conf
dence in the scheme Nor is 1t by
any means certain that the mistake then
made has been retrieved by the action taken
upon that subject since the Central Park
proposition was abandoned.
We hear complaints, too, of other details OF
management; of the lack OF IN administrative
head the absence OF wel-knOwn names mat
are essential to command confidence and in
sure success and the want OF coherent plan
or system for raising che necessary funds anu
pushing the business forward. The selection
of General Grant'as president of the Commits
sion was undoubtedly Intended to meet in some
degree these objections. But General Grant,
it is wei understood, Is not going to concern
himself with details, or do anything more than
lend his name to the enterprise to give ii
dignity and re,pectabiliy. Indeed his ac-
crptance OF the position Is understood to he
conditioned upn the raising of sufficient
sum of money by subscIiptiOns-1nd that
very large sum-to put the enterprise upon
an Enthusiastically Sound financial basis. His
connection with it j. PROFESSIONALLY Il very
substantial aid. But the simple prestige of
hs.name will not do for the proposed Exposi-
ton what the energy aud enthusiasm, the
persistent watchfuness and care. and the
constant attention to the mnutcst particulars
of General Hawiey and his associates, did Tor
the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia. He
is not the man for that kind of work, and 1t
cannot be expected OF him.
1t is probably due in a large measure to
General Grants connection with it that the
meeting OF business mn at DemOnlco's Satur-
day evening resulted in IN increase, though
comparatively small, in the subscriptions 10
the stock. But in view of tho large amount
necessary to he raised, and the need of in
tercsting the whole community, especially bust
ness men and capitalists, III 1t, that
meeting can hardly be called Il success. The
sum requisite to be raised runs up into mil
lions. The steps taken toward accomplishing
il are thus far feeble aud inadequate, and it
looks very much ~ though an enterprise that
if undertaken at all should be on Il somewhat
magnificent scale had fallen into hands not
cu:rcly competent If tins thing is worth
doing at all it is worth doing not merely well.
but IN such a way as to make il a credit to this
City aud State aud to the Nation. 1t must be
backed by public enthusiasm as well as by liberal
subscriptions. Ii saying that it has up to this
point neither awakened the one nor attracted
the other, we must be understood not as
Throwing cold water upon the scheme, but
simply as telling the cold, plain truth.
What ought to be done in this state of facts
we do not pretend TO say. We presume the
active promoters of the enterprise are very
much in earnest about it, and we have 10
reason to doubt that their zeal il honest and
unsclSh. But all this being granted, it re-
mains true that if they cannot infuse the
public with their confidence and enthusiasm
the whole effort must be failure. Aud
if it should be, it IS not necessarily
through any fault of theirs. They at least
have shown willing dispositions and praise
worthy zeal. And there IL this thing. too
to be considered: that failure to begin will
not be half 80 bad as a iizzle at the end. If
the proposed Worlds Fair is to take place it
is time something serious was done about it
and the business put IN the way of compile
ton. II it is not, it had better be dropped at
once