Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-21
HE NOW OPPOSED THIS PRoJEcr.

fairs. Columbus never saw North America.
This country was discovered by the man whose
name it bears, and the celebration is a few
| years TOO soon. But this was a business mat
ter; there was something besides patriotism
in it. The cities came here hurrahing
Tor the old flag and an appropri-
| alton. This a proposition to make
money. The Philadelphia exposition was a
success. They wanted first only government
| recognition, but finally came for an appropriar
| ton. He denied that inventive genius de-
pended upon government aid, citing the case
| OF Mccormick and the builder of the yacht
America, which astonished the world. II New
iofk wanted fair they could organize it
ON BUSINESS PRINCIPLES,
as they did bank, and hold it. So it was with
| Chicago and St. Louis. They were business
cities and knew how to manage a business en-
terprise. The republicans had been condemn
ing the southern people for denying to the
coiored men the right of suffrage. Who had
dlsfranchised the colored men in the District
| OF columbia In the FOrty-seventh Con-
gress9 republican House and Senate
and President. They were afraid 10 trust the
colored man to manage the District govern
| ment, but were willing that they should gov
ern Mississippi and Louisiana. They had bet
| ter pluck the beam out of their own eye before
tney Piacked the mote from the eye of some
body else. In the District it was proposed to
| M issue boncs to pay the expenses of the fair.
| Inc people were now taxed and governed to
! death. He took it for granted that the
iair would be held; that Congress would go on
interfering with the rights of the people. and
1t would be charged to patriotism and Column
| Dus. And he would have to do as the rest did.
lie would have to vote for the site and repre-
sent his people, and he would vote for Texas
neighbor-St. Louis. IApplause.I
FOR TEXAS FIRST, THEN FOR ST. LOUIS.
1t would give his people chance to go to
| the fair with the least expenditure of the money
| which excessive taxation left in their pockets.
! Ii he could get enough members to vote his
way he would fix the site in his own district.
AS 1t was he would vote to fill the blank with
the name OF st. Louis, and then he would vote
against the bill altogether.
WHY MR. MORSE WILL VOTE AGAINST THE BILL
MIR. Morse Mass said he should vote against
| the bill-first, because his democratic brethren
had predicted in advance that the first acts of
the majority of this House under the new rules
would be to wipe out the surplus and empty the
treasury of the United States. One of these
bills. and the only likely to pass called for an
issue Of bonds by the District of Columbia and
an expenditure. if the fair should be held in this
city (Which would undoubtedly be the COM
promise agreed upon if it were held anywhere),
of Sl5, ,OO0, 600. half of which, at least, the
government would be held for. The Paris ex-
position cost Sl2, ,OOO.OOO. 1t is supposed that
the country would get back a part of
this sum from foreign visitors and
exhibits; but he thought it safe to say that this
proposed worlds fair. wherever held, would in
volve loss to the treasury of the United
States of several million dollars. If it was pro-
posed to practice economy would not this be a
good place to begin. If we were going
to have worlds fair and issue
bonds or appropriate large sums of money
from the treasury there are several bills
calling for large sums of money that he desired
to see passed-frst. the soldiers dependent
pension bill; second, we should pass a bill to
pension every soldier still living Cthere are not
many who suffered the tortures of the damned
Ill Andersonville and other prison pens of the
south.
This vast sum could be better used in other
directions. This great and expanding country
is calling for and is entitled to a large appro-
priatiou for the improvement of its rivers and
narbors. We were suffering for public build
lngs in the centers of trade and population Far
better to expend SIS, ,O00, 900 in establishing a
postal telegraph throughout the country or to
take the tax OIL sugar-a prime necessity of life.
a tax that bore oppressivey y upon every laborer
or mechanic and the humblest Of our citizens.
The country needed education. The statistics
OF lllteracy in several large states Of the Union
are appalling and growing worse. We were
NOT SUFFERING FOR WORLDS FAIR.
The country had a surfeit Of celebrations for
the present. The great event Of the discovery
OF America might probably be celebrated by
erecting in the capital of the nation a monu-
ment or a statue in granite or bronze to Colum-
bus for a comparatively small sum.
Once more he submitted, before spending the
amount eventually involved in any of the
measures, would it not be we'll to have a navy
and coast defenses to comport with the dignity
of nation of sixty million of people2 We
read OF an ancient king who invited
his enemies to visit his capital and
sh hen his traa md tod
later they came with arms and took them away
and despoiled his city. Would it not be hu-
initiating spectacle to exhibit to these foreign
visitors that with our present navy and
coast deteuses third-class European
man-of-war could enter any of our harbors on
the Atlantic or Pacific and demand and collect
any ransom they chose. He believed one of
the first duties of the Fifty-first Congress was
to wipe out this standing disgrace and humilia-
ton 10 this great and powerful nation.
Mr.. PETERS ON PATRIOTISM AND COLD CASH.
Mr.. Peters (Kan.) said it was an almost hope
less task to try to stem the tide Of patriotic
feeling, but before Congress committed itself to
fair it should see if the government could
afford it. Our enthusiasm and our inspiration
should not conceal the real situation. Congress
should see If there was a sufficient surplus be-
fore 1t entered into this large expenditure of
money. The regular estimated appropriations
for the next fiscal year were S406, ,O00, ,O0C The
short session were $1,000 600 and during the
long session the amount would certainly not be
less In addition there were at least SIS OO0 OOO
OF deficiencies, making a grand aggregate of
appropriations OF SAP 000, 900. These might be !
chilling figures but it was better to face them
now than when it too late There were |
only S450, 600. 900 of estimated revenue with |
which to pay them. But where. he asked, we're !
the friends of the river and harbor bii Tor these
figures did not take that into consideration? |
Were those interested in the improvement of |
our rivers willing to lay aside this bill in order
that the government might expend u large /
amount on a worlds fair? We're those who |
wanted Uncle Sam to erect buildings in their |
little towns willing to lay them aside?
Mr.. Mason Oh. il will. lLaughter.l
Then. continued Mr.. Peters, there are the |
friends Of the Blair educational bill Laughter
and applause OH the democratic side.
FAIR NOT A BUSINESS MATTER ALTOGETHER
Mr.. O'Neill (Pa.) then took the floor and |
said he wanted to deny the statements made
that fair was a business matter The cen-
tennial in 1876 may have benefited Phila-
delphia, but it had its inception |
entirely in the patriotic feeling of the |
people aud was not a business affair
He wanted, however, to say to the four COM
peting cities that there was
TOO LITTLE TIME
for worlds fair in 1892. He knew the
enerpv of New York and ha hal;avad