National Republican., 1885-02-12
COMMISSIONERS TO CONGRESS.


New Orleans exposition, Whon mas bcen |
handed to the President for transmission to |
congress:
10 ruE CoyGREss or THE UNrED STATES |
Tho undersigned, your petitioners, are com |
mittce appointed by the commissioners repre-
scuting iOrty.six states and territories OF the |
United states In the Worlds Exposition ~ |
New Orleans Wearo authorized by the uunnl. |
NOUS vote Of said commissioners To lay before /
your honorable body, by petition, certain ihcts !
which burden the EXPOSITION with difficulties |
beyond the power of the management 70 over
come, and to ask for such rcltci for the EN. /
position, In money, rs may In the Judgment Of |
your honorable body ba necessary TO iulhll IN |
good faith the promise made to the world IN !
the act of congress creating the Exposition /
aud repeated In the subsequent act loHning 1
Il sum Of money, that II was To be
an Exposition under the auspices OF the Jnlled |
states of America. Your petitioners humDly
rests upon the United states, for that was eA-
prcssy provided against by the acts them
selves; but as the invitations were Issued WIN
the pledge of some form of government ald OF
auspices, which must be fairly construed rs
meaning sufficient aid TO protect the govern |
ment itself from any just ground oil complaint
Mt least from foreign nations as to the failure
on the part the United States to make itS
auspices reasonably advantageous 10 lhNlteu
exhibitors, and as with full declaration OF us
original purpose in relation TO these auspices;
congress granted the Exposition the aforesaid
loan to augment and maintain It's cNhlblts,
aud ~ the invitations were then reissued bytne
government, your petitioners do most earnestly
claim that such further aid as may be necessary
TO secure the Exposition from failure and 10
maintain II til the close OF It's allotted period,
that exhibitors may ENJOY tue Dencht que 10
their acceptance Of these invitations anu 70
their outlay of time and money in bringing
their exhibits to this country, Is proper TO pc
rendered aud necessary TO maintain tho
friendly relations that should exist and DC eN-
tended between our government ana iis peo-
pic, and the governments abroad ana ther
people. A.. ...,,.
honorable body statement Oi the DOaru OF
managers of the Exposition, showing what
has been done With the money in the cNccu-
ton of the trust committed TO them by thcir
appointment rs such managers by the irtsl-
dent of the United States, and further showing
that the sum appropriated (and, rs your
committee believe, well eHpcnlgdi IN
the main, ana not misuppied IN
any respect so far rs we who have been IA az
| tendance ut the Exposition have been aDle 10
discover, is not sufficient TO carry out lho pui
| poses OF the Exposition rs defined and declared
/ by the act Of congress. Your petitioners are
| not prepared to analyze this financial state
mcnt In close detail, but we can state IN gen
| erul the results accomplished, and we declare,
with n full sense OF our responsibility IN 20
| doing, that these results us Wholc are crcult-
! able TO the management, and We nave NOT Deen
| able to see how, under the conditions thnJ
| lMyC surrounded them and in the .rlet time ia
| which they have been accomplished, they
| could have been exceeded.
This is what they have accomplished: They
| have converted neglected plantation OF
nearly 800 acres into beautiful park the
ground has been graded, drained, and pro,
! yidcd with ample asphalt walks, artllClhl
| lakes, and water supplies; unoCCupied places
| turicd and planted with trees, shrubs ana
| flowers and nearly 100 acres covered with at
| traCtivc buildings, and filled with wonderfully
| useful exhibits and machinery and other
means to make them effective, besides ample
accommodations now substantially completed
for public comfort to enable visitors to remain
Fls..fE tHHtFl4 las y
| hibits and the attractions that accompany
| worlds fair. The management was compelled
by the necessities of It's treasury TO open the
/ exposition before these accommodations could
by lis contractors within a few days thereafter;
but unprecedented rains came on, jams on
railroad tracks involving thousands of car
loads of freight occurred, hOlulng DaCk
materials necessary to finish these rs.
seutals to the peoples comiort aud
visitors not knowing the causes OF incomplete
ness aud delay flooded the mails, the telc-
graph, aud the press Of the country with OK
prGssiOns Of their discomfort and disappolnt.
ment, and the tide of public support needed
to swell the gate receipts was held back ioT
over forty days. Another cause for decreased
attendance was the lack of means to com.
plo,e machinery for an adequate number Of
electric lights to keep the exposition open IN
the evcnings-un important feature in New
Orleans, Unexpected increase Of cNpcndi-
lures OF necessity grew out of all these en-
, barrassments, the current expenses OF Keeping
the Exposition alive meanwhile going on,
till debts accumulated which the manage
nent were unable 10 pay; their credit became
impaired bringing new difficulties, and still
added delays and cost Of work and materials,
until now, when with its grand exhibits N
good order TO be seen, with all c0ndi
tons favorable within its buildings aud
grounds for successful continuance
, of the Exposition, the management mas ltsel
confronted on the Ong hand with an unjust pub
lie sentiment holding visitors away, and on the
, other hand in the position of Il business firm
with abundant unavailable assets ani most o
needy creditors who must have their pay, ant
I liable 10 wind up it. affairs ut any moment by
| legal process Your petitioners VIII take ln'
liberty of saying In Justice TO the people
5 | New Orleans, that by the general testimony o
citizens Of our respective states and territories
! | Of whom we have carefully inquired concern
! ing these things, visitors TO the Exposition
, have been treated with courtesy and liberalit!
. | In reference to living accommodations, an,
/ have obtained comfortable board and lodginl
| without difficulty at reasonable rates. Adle,
e TO the debts Of the Exposition for material
and labor in It's preparations there now cam
on premiums awarded by Its jurors on NV
5 stock, agricultural and dairy products (ant
n more are awaitingaward whose nOn'paymen
: forwant Oflunds caused still further complaint
and public disailGCtiOn, to keep visitors away
o The spring weather delightful in tine south
has now come with help from congress I
raise the Exposition out of present diulCulte
n by the prompt payment of its debts and by th
n restoration OF public favor resulting from IN
knowledge that congress comes to its reliG
n the Exposition can DO turned from tl,reatenc
a disaster to maturcd success. The gate receipt
are now slightly above current expenses, an
IS can be greatly increased If the Exposition
n permitted 10 go on under public favor. Ever
dollar of its surplus over actual running cN
i pcnses is secured By law to the goyernmen
"a toward repayment to its loan. All is lost
present difficulties arc not remOycd-stOcR
n subscriptions, donations, government LOAF
V and Hll-except what might be realized by IN
:. sale of buildings. The continuation OF govern
In
in whole or in part for its advances.
We, therefore, In the name of the states an
territories we represent, with their half mi
lion of dollars of expenses Mt stake, In appr(
priations Of their own for the collection an
mauthlnauce Of their eXhibits-tOr the COY
N ernment itself in the protection of It's own d'
n partment exhibits already costing the specii
II united appropriations of S.DOOOO lin ndditiO
+; to the million loan TO place them there an
4 maintain them--eNhibits priceless in the
value, perhaps imperlled and impossible
rcplace-for the thousands of private cxh
biturs from our own country and from foreig
r lands with property values in exhibits est
y. mated at SiO,OODOO, and for the honor OF OF
~ :, country, appeal TO congress To- come to q
~ rescue Of this Exposition with the monC
needed
lg No resort TO technicalltics no proof,
49, brought that the government was not legal
" bound, would be able to cOunleract the dan
" aging impression which would prevail
y foreign countries who have accepted the Inv
We tatOn, should the United States gOyernmol
~ allow the exposition to lunrush and die b
70 fore It's allotted time, II the go crnmcnt by ~
IL reasonable means within II. power could hay
intcrpOsed TO save II, our country would
Justly accused Of Offering for u comparison
products ana capabilities with foreign land
ahOspltality that was not hOpitable and q
"a same principle would apply 10 tho widely d
w tributed interests Of home exhibitors, stat
territorial, and individual.
@. We present the appeal Of these commissio
40 ers and exhibitors to congress with full con
~ dence that your honorable body will not sun
the exposition to perish and that our COVER
IN m0nt VIII render such aid rs may be neC0ssa
,o 70 enable the Exposition 10 be maintained
Nv the close of the period liked by law aud pl
claimed 10 the world by the President of t
or | United States
n And your petitioners will ever pray, &c.
- FRANK BACON, for Kansas,
OLIVER GIBBS JR, tor Minnesota,