Omaha daily bee., 1890-05-17
FIGHTING FOR THE FAIR SITE.
The Columbian Exhibition Causing
Strife in Chicago.

CHICAGO, May 16.-TSpecial Telegram to
THE BEE The bitter war over the site of
the worlds fair continues with increasing
vehcmence and threatens to seriously impair
the success of Chicagos great undertaking.
There are three factions on the board OF
directors working for as many different sites,
and as good feeling has never existed in the
directory from the start, sort of cat-and-
parrot time is being INDUCED in. The papers
of the city are divided upon the question: but
most of them oppose Lake Front park, the
site for which the Illinois Central is eXerting
its great cooperative influence. AS IT was
freely admitted before the congressional COM
mitteeS months and months ago by the Chi
cago delegation that Lake Front park was not
contemplated, but much larger and more
commodious site would be selected, the pres
ent boom for this mere handful of ground is
almost inexplicable.
Mr. Warren Leland voices the views of the
opposition. He says that if the fair is held
on the lake front Chicago will be the laugh
ing stock of the world. The site in his
opinion is not half large enough.
Added to all this discord the Evening Mail
this afternoon created a vertable sensation
by the following article which appears under
flaming hcadlincs 'Trouble is brewing
among the stockholders of the local worlds
fair corporation. Dissatisfaction widespread
and intense has already obtained strong
footing and will assume visible shape within
a demand will be made on the board
of directors to call IA special meeting of the
stockholders to discuss the position in which
the corporation has been placed by the action
or rather the inaCtion of the directors and the
men who have forced themselves to the front
in the enterprise The chief cause of the
complaint of the stockholders is that the di-
rectory election was the result of a caucus of
clique headed by men who expected their
personal ACKNOWLEDGMENT to follow the selec-
tOn of certain men directors. The SDlrlt
of the opposition to the caucus rule which so
boisterOusly manifested itself during the
voting for the directors, is yet alive and active
and threatens to become aggressive
The charge is made by the disgruntled
ones that the most of the directors
are but tigureheads whose private business
will prevent their giving proper attention to
their duties as directors of the worlds fair
One of the directors, who holds an official
position under the city, was asked if he in
tended resigning as a director. His reply
was: mo; the other directors seem to be con
tinuing at their private business and | con-
slider that | can do the same.n The result of
this policy, the directors assert, is the relega-
tion of the active work of providing for the
worlds fair to the care or carclcSsneSS of Il
few men. The directory has already dele
gated most of its power to an executive com
mittee of thirteen, and this committee has in
turn left everything in the hands of
still smaller committee, Special Objec-
ton to the directory is urged on the
ground that it is not truly representative of
Chicago the stockholders of the west division
being inadequately represented, considering
the Importance of the district the number of
stockholders resi- lent there and the aggregate
of the subscriptions.n
"There is one satisfactory thought con-
nected with the directory said large stock
holder today. 1t can only last one year at
most. BY that time the incapabcs will have
demonstrated their weakness and their
places will be filled by ADLER men. The
a. ne tnS I'm ln foo hot hiy
rectory must deal with two of the most i'm
portant factors in the success of the fair,
viz: site and finance A suitable
EPd@ place Geo must be selected eet6, and SlQI,-
when the executive committee comes to deal
with the national commissioners that its lack
of ability will be shown. That work of the
magnitude required can be done by them or
Bryan to whom it seems to have been re-
linquished, does not seem probable Mr.,
Bryan ran for mayor Of Chicago before the
war and was defeated A few years later he
went to Europe and lived some time under
the muniticent reign of Napoleon |. Then he
held small government job at Washington
and finally drifted back to Chicago, He tried
law and real estate and finally became pro-
moter of elevated railroad schemes, Mr.,
Bryan has always had vaulting ambition,
which, however did ne'er DER leap itself, be
cause it never got close enough TO
anything to make the jump If the
success of the fair is to be
rcclIoned by the measure of Mr. Bryan's sue
cess in his career nothing can be predicted
but failure. MIR, Gage of course is president,
but the fact that his salary is $1,000 a year
and Mr. Bryan's $4,000 indicates their rela-
tive importance. The hope Of Chicago if Mr..
Bryan is to be the head and front of the local
end of the worlds fair is in thcunlimitCd power
and the reasonable ability of the federal COM
misSioncrs, who will have the right to veto
any action taken by the local corporation.
You will see some great changes in the man
agement of the worlds fair before tho end of
the year.n