St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-08
TWILL BE A CORKER.
The Harvest Festival VIII Excel
All Previous Efforts.

1t is now well-established fact not
only that there will be harvest home
festival on the 23d inst, but that the
event will exceed in its magnfcence
and proportions anything of the kind
ever before attempted in Minneapolis,
and in all probability outshine the ia
nous Willard procession. This was sat-
isfactorlly demonstrated at the mass
meeting held last evening at the bust
ness mems union rooms at Masonic
Temple. There were present nearly
200 of the most prominent and influen-
tial business men of the city, and
and as the meeting proceeded it be-
came apparent that all with one accord
were in sympathy with the movement,
and in favor of making the festival such
demonstration as would fittingly mark
an epoch in the history of Minneapolis
and of the Northwest.
E. j. Phelps was chosen chairman,
and proceeded to state the object of the
meeting. The previously appointed
committees OIL finance and exhibits re-
ported that as far as they had proceeded
with their work they had met with en-
enlargement and with good success.
w. ID. Hall and +. H. Forbes
spoke strongly III favor of the
profit. j. B. Donaldson moved that it
be the sense of the meeting that har-
vest festival be held OH the 23d inst,
and that every possible effort be made
to make it grand success.
w. S. King then arose IN the back
part of the room, and, standing Oh his
chair, delivered himself somewhat as
follows:
Gentlemen: I have recently spent consid-
erably time in the East. and most of that
time has been spent in the Offices of money
lenders and financial concerns, and / tell
you You have no idea Of the opinion they
have of the condition of affairs in the West.
| tell you that they thought until recently
that you people of Minnesota, the Dakotas,
Nebraska, and, in fact, the entire West, were
al absolutely God-forsaken, starved, tattered
people, unable to get your living out of your
own soil and unable and unwilling
to pay your debts. This opinion
arises from the reports of your own people,
Minnesota men, and was generally accepted.
/ say this was the opinion, but six weeks ago
came the news of this magnificent crop, when
Gods own tongue proclaimed these reports
false when the voice of the farmer arose in
Thanksgiving, and the harvester sent its well
come music through the land. But even now
it will take considerable to restore confidence
in you. Make this harvest festival such a
demonstration as will show that we know
we stand where we have plenty of money
for our needs, and enough to bury the croak-
ers beside.
Mayor Winston was call ed upon. He said
that he had not come to m axe speech, but to
lend his aid and cooperation to any thing that
the meeting might decide to do. He dis
agreed with Col. King in regard to the re-
ports in the East of the poverty of the West.
In his travels he had found that the West had
nearly depopulated the East and that the
few young men left in that section were try
ing to scrape together sufficient funds to fol-
low the advice of Horace Greeley and go
West.
George A. Bracket said he had just re.
turned from the East, where he mad found
that during the last few weeks very encour-
aging reports of the conditions in
the West had been circulated: He
thought that the past prosperity of
Minneapolis had been largely due to the en-
terprise which got up and successfully car
ried out the Willard procession and Bill Kings
fairs He believed that Minneapolis should
have procession. He thought it the best
way to show the people of the East that we
in the West are not starving to death. An
Eastern capitalist recently said TO him, How
are you going TO pay your debts?' and he had
replied that we did not propose to go to the
East after money TO pay them. but intended
to take 1t out of the soil, and, further than
that, that we would soon cease to look to the
East for money, but would have it in West
and make Eastern people come after it.
NJ. w. Glenn expressed himself as heartily
In favor of the movement, and willing to aid
it in any way in his power.
Capt. Reno heartily approved the idea, and
expressed willingness to aid in.every way
in his power.
j. Corbett said he wanted to throw little
cold water on the scheme. This, he said,
was for the purpose of finding whether the
meeting was in earnest. The matter had
been in the hands of committee for several
weeks and thus far only $500 had been sub
scribed. This, he said, was not the way to
make the celebration a success He said it
would not do to fall into the error that St.
Paul did ten or twelve years ago and say,
I'VE have the earth, and all we have to do is
sit down and enjoy it." In this case the re.
suit would probably be the same as in the
case of st. Paul. Some other town would
come III and take the cake.
Col. McCrory stated that he had been ap
pointed on the subscription committee and
had circulated to some extent. Thus far he
had only met one man who did not signify
Willingness to contribute That man had
said he would not give dollar, but he was
man who never had given dollar for any
public enterprise. He thought that with