Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-17
A SCHEME TO SHUT CALIFORNIA OUT
OF THE FAIR.

If the proposition to Departmental the
exhibits at the Chicago Worlds Fair, for
all States and countries, is adopted, Cali
fornia might as well step out of the pro-
cession. She cannot make showing cred
liable to her unless she can group her ex-
hlbits. The same may be said of all the
new Western States. The idea is to have
sixteen grand departments, and to distrib-
ute all the exhibits according to the char
acter of the respective departments. If
that is done California will simply be lost
In the fair. She might be prominent as to
her wines. and possibly as to her fruits.
under the department plan, but beyond
thatit would be like looking for needle
in haystack to find her exhibits among
those of forty-two other States and as
many other countries.
As California is young State, indeed
but upon the border land of development,
she ought to be privileged to exhibit in
one building and group The Centennial
Fair at Philadelphia was notable for the
State buildings erected upon the grounds
and the State exhibits. At the Paris
Exposition of 1878 States and nations
were permitted to put up special struct-
ures, and many did so. There is no good
reason why California should not be given
leave to do so for the Chicago Fair The
United States Government itself is TO have
ITS exhibits grouped and in an independ-
ent building. 1t might be found feasible
for the Pacific States to occupy one build
ing jointly, to be provided by them, thus
forming the Pacific group, and making it a
distinctive feature of the fair. This
would probably be better plan than for
California to erect her own building.
Something ample for the purpose, tasty
and attractive, but not necessarily of great
cost, ought to be put up by the Pacific
States. Into that construction their woods
might largely enter in the trimmings and
form special features of the exhibit. But
if the Pacific building cannot be secured,
California can better afford to erect her
own and group her exhibits, than to have
them divided among sixteen grand depart
ments, some of them separated by miles of
space. In short, if the segregation scheme
is to apply to us, the game will not be
worth the candle
We are promoting fair at Chicago for
two purposes-to contribute our quota to
the general success and the commemora-
ton of notable anniversary; to advertise
the resources of this State and invite in
telligent inquiry into our claims for
greater desirable population. This later
purpose more nearly concerns us. 1t may
be said to be the motive power behind our
scheme Of exhibition. If that is defeated
by segregation of our exhibits, the vital
character of the enterprise, so far as we
are concerned, is taken out of it as COM
pletely as if the heart were removed from
the body of human being. Rather than
submit to the "scatteration" process, we
could afford to take separate quarters in
Chicago, and run an exhibition of our own
squarely upon the basis of advertising the
State. Moreover, there is no good reason
for the department system. 1t was not a
success at the late Paris Exposition; its
adoption there reduced the United States
exhibition to such diminutive Importance,
that most Americans were heartily
ashamed of it. Precisely that would hap
pen to the California exhibit at Chicago if
divided into sixteen parts, and placed In
separate buildings and departments. 1t
would be lost If we stand out firmly in
this matter we will win. The managers
of the fair will not consent to California
being shut out, for with her would GER
tainly go Oregon, Nevada, Washington
and probably Idaho, which States would
suffer by the segregation scheme even
more than California.