Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-06-16
THE COMING EXPOSITION,

IN preparing IOr the exposition OF the
"Three Americas" to be held in Washing
ton in 1892 Indeed, Central and South
America are in advance of the United
States in preparation. Spain and Italy,
though not contemplated as contributors,
have notified the United States that they
wish to be represented. 1t is possible that
both these countries fear the loss of trade
as result of the exposition, and the fear
is not groundless. When the representa-
tiveS of the three Americas are assembled
in the great exposition, it is very likely
that South and Central America will dis
cover new reasons why they should trade
with US more and with the old world less
However that may be, it is certain that
the Madrid and Genoa committees are this
early diligently engaged in the work of
preparation.
No steps have as yet been taken by any
of the States of our own Union for repre-
sentation in the exposition. If they now
had commissions at work, they would not
have too much spare time, for the exposi-
tion is to be no hasty and pickup" affair.
High excellence will be the only key for
admission. National pride will not sub
NIT to any mediocre State or district ex-
hibitS. Pride, however, not less than in
tereSt, should spur our commercial and
manufacturing powers to the activity of
preparation. 1t will take year to lay out
and plan and put in operation the scheme
any State may adopt, for everything is to
be upon a colossal scale, and nothing of
the exposition order in our past history
will compare with this, either in magni-
tude or in quality and exhaustiveness.
1t is anticipated that Congress will set
apart between S3,O00,0OO and 100000
to insure the proper representation of the
country at large at the Exposition, and
as the sum is to be wholly expended at
home, there will be little or no objection
raised to the outlay. Besides, the mo-
mentuous Importance of cultivating closer
relations with the Southern Americas is
scarcely to..b be measured in money. 1t has
been estimated by cool-headed and ex-
perienced men that fully 100000 peo-
pie will visit Washington during the Ex-
position, and that the great mass of them
will be good many degrees above the
level of the mere curiosity-seeker. There
will go to the Exposition the men who
are most interested in changing the con-
ditions that now limit our expectation to
the States of the southern part of the
hemisphere, and they will not fail to i'm
prove the occasion to the utmost.
The foreign commerce of the Americas
south Of our own is in excess of 81, ,0OO. .OOO.-
600 annually. but of all the imports of
those countries we supply less than one
sixth, while England, Germany and
France have the larger shares. Spain and
Italy have limited trade with the Cen
tral and Southern Americas, but are very
solicitous to enlarge it; and, so far as di-
verting the English and German trade
from the South is concerned, they will
labor abreast with US, but beyond that are
our contestants. In whatever light
viewed, the coming Exposition will
be the most vitality important of any
ever held in the western hemisphere
and while 1t will bring into Washington
sums variously estimated at from So OOO,-
100000 to S4,0O0,0OO,0OO, on the basis of
100000 visitors; and while quite as
much more will be expended in the coun-
try at large as incidental to the Exposi-
tion, the mere putting into circulation of
such sums is secondary to the Importance
of the permanent enlargement of our trade
with the other Americas, that it is conf
IDENTIFY believed by cool-headed commercial
men will result from this first effort of the
countries named to unite for common
purpose. In that effort California must
not play an insignificant part Our rela-
tiOn to the Isthmian and Pacific South
American States is such that we have A
vital commercial interest in the Exposi-
ton. The occasion will also be one of
Importance to this State as means of its
development and advancement, from the
attention that can be directed to it. Forty
three States and leading cities have al
ready Joined the membership of the Board
of Promotion, and next year the note of
preparation will be sounding throughout
the land. So far as any legislative action
is concerned California can do nothing un-
til the winter of 1890, and it may be we'll
on to 1891 before any official body the
State may erect will be able to cooperate
with commercial and industrial organiza-
tions that will probably be effected earlier.
Since there can be no question whatever
of the important part the Pacific coast
must play in the Exposition scheme, the
thought of our people should from this
time forward be directed to it. that our
plans may be formed with expedition
when the communities of the State are
fully informed upon the scope and full
purpose of the great occasion.