Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-08
TlE WORLDS FAIR.
HOW CALIFORNIA SHOULD BE REPRE-
sENTED AT CHICAGO.
Interviews With VIM. h. Mills, Ex-Goy-
ernor George c. Perkins and Cap
tain W. L. Merry.

interviews With VIM. II. Mills, Ex-Gov-
ernor George c. Perkins and Cap
tain W. L. Merry.
From the S. F. Post. May IT'LL
A formal application for space at the
Worlds Fair has been made on behalf OF
the State of California. At the meeting Of
the State Board of Trade on the 10th ult
the kind and character of the exhibit which
should be made and the measures to be
taken to raise the money will come up fol-
consideration, and it is probable that formal
recommendations to the Legislature will be
| made.
w. II. Mills, the Land Agent of the
Southern Pacific and one of the moving
spirits in the State Board of Trade, is one
of the most ardent supporters of the pro.
position to have distinctly California ex.
hibit in Chicago, large and varied enough
to command the attention of every one Of
the two or three million people whom it is
estimated will visit the fair.
California should be represented by q
display of the highest order or else not at
all, said Mr.. Mills to Post reporter to day,
sand l do not thing there is single man
in the State who will argue that we should
| have no exhibit. The fair is one which
will attract attention from the whole world.
1t celebrates the fourth centennial of the
discovery of America, an event which has
| had more influence in the history of the
| world than any other in the Christian era.
| Columbus voyage marked an era in science.
in the manners of men. in the social sys.
tenn and in all political systems, and natu-
rally the celebration of so great an event
will attract the attention of all civilized
people.
Chicago is by long odds the best place
for the fair as far as CALIFORNIA; interests
are concerned. Not for fifty years will we
| have another worlds fair so near US, nor
SO many visitors within reaching distance
of US. 1t may be taken for granted at the
| outset that the fair will be a success be.
| yond the expectations of the promoters.
Our opportunity is two. fold. We can
not only make such display as will draw
| to us and our resources the attention of all
| people, but We can bring to the State vas.
number of visitors, many of whom will
| remain with US. We can have every one
at the fair asking about the State, its re-.
sources, its climate and its natural attrac-
tons, and gain thereby position among
the States of the Union which cannot
otherwise be had.
"fhe opportunity of bringing visitors to
the State is by all means the best we will
ever have. 1t is necessary that our exhibit
be distinctive, that it be first-class in every
! respect and that in some OF its features it
be absolutely unique. Above all we must
be by ourselves.
Take for instance the Paris Exposition.
There were in all some sixteen general
classiications of exhibits, and everything
that was sent from the United States or
any other country was duly assigned to
the proper class. Now, if everything we
send on to Chicago is to be cut up in this
manner we practically dilute the effect of
our show by sixteen, and have our goods
buried in the mass of things coming from
elsewhere. l do not wish to have it under.
stood that / am at all opposed to going into
the general exhibition; not at all. We
should have full representation there with
all our varied products, and we should be
well represented. too.
But what is of more Importance to us,
we should have separate space set apart
for us, wherein a distinctive California
building could be erected and in which we
could make display unrivaled in the en-
tire fair. By doing this we will have every
one at the fair talking about our display
and asking about the State, which will in
evitably result in bringing visitors by the
tens of thousands.
II have already thought of some things
we should havein our building. We should
have first of all a relief map of the State,
made on papier mache, showing the val.
leys, the location of the cities. the water
courses and all on such large scale that
the visitors could be conducted through
the State, as it were, on foot
I'VE should have model of the Yo.
semitic made in papier mache with the
sides at least forty or fifty feet high, and
with the falls of running water This would
enable US to conduct our visitors through
the miniature valley and Undue them with
desire. TO see the real valley in all its
subli'nity.
I'VE should have big tree on the
grounds, set up SO that it will tower above
everything in the vicinity. It is entirely
possible to cut one of these monster trees in
to sections, splitting it wherever necessary.
rather than saving it. The tree can be set
up on the fair grounds in all its grandeur
and it will do more toward convincing the
world of the magnitude of these forest
giants than all the figures in Christendom.
Near this tree we should set up nina
ture forest, in which the highest of the
trees should be, say % feet high. They
should be made of papier mache and
should show the relative nights of the
great redwood and the ordinary forest trees
of the East, such as the maple, elm, hick-
DRY, beach and Others
1--WE should have a superb display of
historic relics. showing the stages of the
grswih of the State from the time of the
visit of Sir Francis Drake to the discovery
of gold, giving particular attention to relics
of the old Mission days. Our display of
relics from Marshal.'s time should be large
and varied.
I'VE should have an unapproachable dis
play of horticultural products. We can
show the finest. largest and most varied
fruits in America. We can make dis
play of green fruit which will simply as
found the visitors, and the supply should
be renewed every day from the fresh fruit
shipments that will go East during the
fruit season. There is no reason why this
should not be done with little or no ex-
pense, for we should not want any green
fruit to remain longer than twenty.f four
hours in the building. The exhibit of
dried and preserved fruits ehould be ex-
tensive, and represent every product we
have which is marketable.
we should have display of wines and
brandies which will vie with those from
abroad. Our success in winning medals at
the Paris Exposition has greatly encour.
aged and stimulated the wine producers.
They can do infinitely better at Chicago
than they did at Paris.
I'VE want mining display which will
beat that of Colorado out of sight. What
| we do not want is to send on few two and
| four bit pieces of mineral and put them
under glass. / recollect at one Worlds
Fair l attended Colorado had grotto made
entirely of ores. The idea was unique,
and We want something that will be still
| more striking. / would suggest that we
set up small stamp mill and extract gold
then and there from ores which could be
supplied. We should set up silver mill
and extract the metal before the eyes of
| the visitors
1--WE should have display of agricultu.
raj products such as was never before COL
| lected
I'VE want a large aquarium in which
salmon and trout and other distinctively
California fishes should swim.
''onr floral display can be made one of
the most attractive on the grounds. Not
only can the exhibit of flowers be magnifi-
cent beyond description, but we can show
our palms and dates and other floral pro.
~ .a.ya ~