Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-06
COLUMBIAN FAIR.
Orator Depew Speaks in
Chicago.
He Wants to See a Great Inter-
national Exhibition.
New YOrk's Heartiest Cooperation
is Assured.
The Success of the Enterprise Greatly
Dependent on the Attitude of the
Press of the Country.
Associated Press Dispatches.


to a speech by Chauncey M. Depew, of
New York, the noted orator, on the
|'Worid's Fair" the occasion being the
annual address to the Press Club. His
speech was interesting, and punctuated
with witty points, and was greeted with
applause by the audience. The orator
urged that every effort be made by the
people OF the country to make the COM
ing exposition a great international
success.
After few Introductory remarks, Mr..
Depew said, referring to newspapers
For 365 days they oracularly direct us
in our opinions, walk in our converse
tions; they give us our politics, our
estimates of public men and our views
upon all current questions. The Amer
lean people are eminently practical,
their wits are sharpened in their own
affairs and their thoughts concentrated
and intent upon that which immediately
interests them. As a result the larger part
OF every community have no opinions
until they have read their party and re-
1glous papers. For a man like myself
who reads them all, the most curious of
studies is to gather the reflex of the ed
1tor's views in the confident expressions
OF my friends. Whatever responsible
lty-and it is great-may rest upon the
lawyer with the liberal latitude allowed
him under his retainer, upon the
preacher with his unrestrained oppor-
tunlty to speak, upon the teacher in
moulding the minds of his students, the
largest responsibility OF all rests upon
the journalist"
The Worlds Fair
Concerning the worlds fair, he said in
part: "The success or the failure of this
great enterprise will be dependent in a
great measure upon the view which is
taken OF it by The press of the country
Ii there be not general agreement
among the newspapers of the republic,
as to the character and extent of this
exhibition and the support which it
should receive, it had better be aban-
doned at the start.
Il did all that could and exhausted
every legitimate resource to carry this
great fair to New York. New York has
no animosities, no jealousies, no enmi-
ties, and | am here to say that all that it
is in her power to do will be done for
the exhibition in Chicago. No question
more important and none affecting more
nearly their prosperity and their pride
has been presented to the American
people in quarter OF a century. The
occasion is at once our opportunity and
our necessity-our opportunity to show
to the nations of the world our marvel
GUS growth in population, in settlement,
in cities, in. railroads, our development
in agricultural, mineral and manufactur
ing resources; our necessity, in present
ing to commercial peoples of all races
and climes a view of our surplus in the
products OF mine and mill, of farm and
factory which will furnish the incen-
marts OF the world, which, by absorbing
that which we can produce beyond our
needs in almost infinite volume, shall
burden the ocean with our freights,
shall re-create for us a merchant marine,
shall carry our flag once more upon
every sea and into every harbor, and
employ and enrich our own people.
Past Exhibitions.
"Our first exhibition in New York, in
1858, was managedIby private corpora
ton and not properly supported by the
government. was opened by the presi-
dent of the United States and closed by
the sheriff Of the county. Foreign
exhibits were seized for its obligations,
and Horace Greeley, one of its managers,
was imprisoned in Paris for its debts.
Our second exhibition, the Centennial
one of 1876, at Philadelphia, was every
thing that city and state and the in
telligent endeavor of patriotic citizens
could create, but it lacked the cordial
cooperation of the government to make
it all that it might have been.
''The grandest and most satisfactory
display of the products and the
civilization of the world ever gathered
was the exhibition in Paris
during the last summer Its
splendor and completeness filled the OBJ
server with the proudest comprehension
of the products, the development and
the progress of mankind. The visitor
was lost in wonder at the artistic and
mechanical perfection and resources, not
only of the countries of Europe, but o.
those OF Asia and Africa, and the conti
mental islands Of the South Seas.
Our Disgrace at Paris.
Itwas only when an American came
to the limited space, but partly filled
assigned to the United States, and saw
now utterly inadequate was the eXhlpl
as representation or even suggestion
of our advancement and achievement
in the arts, in mechanics, in in
dustries and inventions, that witt
the blood mantling his cheeks witt
modification, he felt that our credit ant
our reputation could only be established
among trading and commercial peoples
by an exhibition in America, the mos
majestic and comprehensive, and an in
vitation to the nations and tribes OF tn
earth SO hospitable and importunate a
to bring them all within the boundarie
of our fair On that occasion the repu)-
lie must wear all her decorations upr
her breast, and receive her guests with
unstinted liberality. Such fair caI
only be created by the cordial co-sper
alton with you, not only OF al tht
states, but Of the federal government.
Either let us have an exhibition
patirnqf and international in ie charac