Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-16
ALL TALKING FOR THE FAIR
Chauncy NJ. DepeW Urges the Claims
of New Workers.
Mayor Creiger Of Chicago Makes a
Plea For That City.
Arguments of Chicago Gentlemen
Overlap All Others.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE 8 o'clock
train from New York this morning
brought to Washington a distinguished
party. the remainder of the worlds fair
committee, the first section of which
reached Washington last night. This
mornings arrivals included Cornelius
Vanderbilt, Chauncey NJ. Depew, Secre-
tary Stokes, George Z. Scott, E. Stanton,
Abe Schwab, Lewis Beach, Evan Thomas,
George 4. Post, III. 7. Smith, III. S. Men
delsohn. Z. G. Blackford and Edward
Cooper.
They were drivento the Arlington where
they breakfasted, and at $50 they took
carriages and were driven to the capitol,
where Senator Hiscock's committee on the
quadro-centendial was to meet at 10
o'clock.
The senate committee met shortly after
10 o'clock. Mr.. Chauncey NJ. Depew
opened the hearing. He described the
great Paris exposition, and spoke of the
impression made by the exhibit there OF
the wisdom of holding a like exposition in
this country. 1t being settled that this was
to be a purely national affair, now came
the question where it should be held. In
ternational expositiOns, he said, had
lCNCI DCCl1 q SuCOCcos uliCSc ICId db lIlC
metropolis of the country. IF the people
of other cities would lay aside local pref
udices and view the matter with a
fair mind, they would realize that they
would not go to a fair held in any smaller
city of Great Britain or Europe, but if the
fair was held at London, or Paris or Ber-
lin all would go. New York is without
doubt the metropolis of the United States.
There was not an industry that had started
or that wished to start, that did not come
to New York and establish It's head
quarters. 1t is the great financial baron
eter of the United States. Unless great
numbers visit the fair daily, it is a
failure, and no other city could supply
the number of constant daily visitors that
New York could supply.
Within the limits of what constitutes
the city of New York, Jersey City, etc,
etc, you have three Chicagos. Eight mil
lion of people in the vicinity could visit
the fair at New York for a sum of not
more than $500 and from that down to
cents. On the transportation problem de
pended lareelythe success of the fair. Two
hundred thousand people wishing to go
home from st. Louis or Chicago could not
dispense at the rate of more han q. 200
per hour and this would take eight hours.
and the next day the fair would close
New York could distribute the crowd more
rapidly than was done at Paris.
Referring to the financial problem, he
said that the exposition could not go on
credit. 1t would not be possible to sell
bonds, so the ''chromO business" could not
be a success. Chicago and st. Louis had
guaranteed funds of "a, 000, 900 each, New
York a collectable assessment of s.. 300,-
900. The bill was now ready to be pre-
scented to the New York legislature, author
ling the expenditure of S10,0 00, 900,
which he said would pass without a dis
senting vote.
On the subject of climate, he said that
every citizen of Washington, Chicago and
st. Louis, who had the means, was in
New York in July and August, to escape
the heat. Neither Washington nor Chi
cagO nor St. Louis had facilities for ac-
commodating the immense crowds
Neither the farmer or laborer were the
people we want to educate by holding such
a fair. Those who were poor and could
not afford the expense of travel, and those
were the people who could and would come
to New York. As to the sectional claim
by other cities, his answer to that was that
there were more southern people in the
clubs of New York than In any six clubs
In the south. The same was true of Ohio,
he said, and one of the great clubmembers
had Just been elected to the senate. In
conclusion Mr.. Depew said there was only
one city In which the fair could be held.
There was no room for speculation about
its identity-that city was New York.
EX-Congressman Bourke Cochran fol
lowed Mr.. Depew. He reviewed at
length the hotel and transportation pos
sibilities of the competing cities, and said
that New York was the only city in the
union that could possibly accommodate
the crowds that must make the exposition
a success. Every one who came to the
exposition from abroad would visit the
capital of the nation and see the
great national Legislature in session. He
paid a warm tribute to Senator Sherman,
whose long term of service, he said, dis
proved the old saying that republics were
ungrateful. The man who visited Wash
ington to view the city alone, he said,
would see it to better advantage than If he
came here to an exposition. He would see
that the national capital was not the
source of popular power, but the exempli-
fcation of it. New York, he said, laid no
claim to the exposition. He believed that
all of the competing cities were modest
enough to echo this sentiment and to sub
NIT the question entirely TO the judgment
of congress. Returning to the capacity
of the cities competing, Mr.. Cochran said
that the 100000 people who would visit
the exposition every day would not be
noticed on the streets of New York or In
its hotels. In conclusion he said that
New York, the gateway of the commerce
ne +BA IT,Itnl SL,+o~ ,,u,, IL, l,-1.-
0 fthat ocean which Columbus crossed, laid
before the committee, not a claim. but a
statement of its advantages, and it was
willing to leave the decision of the question
to the calm, unbiased Judgment of the
committee and of congress.
Ex-senator Warner Miller was the next
speaker, he said: The people of New York
did not take fire easily, but they worked
methodically and quietly. The people of
New York gave absolute assurance that
the money needed for the fair, whether
ten millions or fifteen millions, would be
ready. He took it for granted that the
fair was to be not a commercial but an
educational enterprise. and it should be
situated where the greatest number of
artisans could visit it. New York stood
first In the list of agricultural states. The
farmers of the east were suffering and he
appealed to the west in their behalf. If the
fair was to benefit the agricultural inter
ests, it should be held in New York.
James Wood, president of the New
York State Agricultural society, closed the
case for New York.
The first gentleman to present the claims
of Chicago, was Mayor Creiger, of that
city. We are here, he said, before you to
day as citizens of a common country. rep