The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-25
HOW TO RUN THE BIG FAIR
Interesting Suggestions from Sew
eral Gentlemen Who Are Very
Well Known.
z. q. Platt Recommends Personal
Solicitation Among all the
Foreign Nations.
Congresaman Belden Thinks the Federal
Government Should Do Something
Handsome.
Written for THE INnErENnrNr.l

rH- lWf1tten IOr IKE INDEPENDENTS
1.-THE way TO resume" said a distin-
Ruished philosopher. during the agitation
Of the subject of redemption of specie pay
nants, lis to resume
To the question, Can the Columbus Cen
tennial be made successful? I would say
that the way to succeed is to succeed.
There are two kinds of success to be
aimed at in our Worlds fair. One is finan-
cial and the other material. Both are i'm
p~ortant. The management. however,
should not try to secure financial success at
the expense at the reputation of the expo
sition. 1t is of vastly greater Importance
to tho country that the fair should be sue
cessful and reflect credit on the nation
than that the stockholders receive a divi-
dend. In other words, the success of the
fair should be the paramount aim and am
bition of the management; whether the
contributors to tho capital stock receive
any return on their investment is of Sec
ondary Importance.
For the credit of the United States the
Worlds fair at Chicago in 1888 should
eclipse all of the previous e1positions of the
world. 1t should excel our own centennial
of 1876 and the Paris exposition of 1889.
The receipts of the Philadelphia centen-
NAL fell considerably below what the ex-
hibition cost in the abstract. But the
United States as I nation was benefited by
it. No one could say truthfully that the
Philadelphia centennial was a mistake be-
cause it did not pay a dividend on the
money invested in it. Many country fairs
are financial successes which do not rise
above the grade of local mediocrity. A
Worlds fair should be a Worlds fair in
fact az we'll as in name. The Philadelphia
centennial was success for the reason that
it was truly a worlds fair. All of the
principal nations of the civilized world
were represented in it.
The wraneling over the selection OF a site
for the fair in Chicago, and other conten-
tions that have arisen to embarrass the
management, are not peculiar to Chicago.
Almost the same troubles would have fol-
ely. 'A'
One thing should be made plain. The
simple invitation of the president of the
United States to the foreign nations of the
world to participate in our Worlds fair
will not be sufficient to bring them here. It
should be supplemented by personal So
licitations from strong representative citi-
AoAAc. AHAOaSedAOAs SAOulu, IL lucy nave
not already, be sent to all of the leading
nations Of the world, who would make it
their business to urge them to participate
in our exposition. This was the policy
pursued at the Philadelphia centennial.
and ] assume that it has been adopted by
the gentlemen in charge of the Columbus
centennial.
It is the tendency of the people of Chica-
go to sound their own praises and glorify
themselves. A proper appreciation of ones
own worth is always c~ommendable, but so
far as our Worlds fair is concerned, the
western citizens should endeavor to exer-
else q becoming modesty. They should not
try to save all the best of the space in the
fair, but give exhibitors from a distance a
fair chance.
If the fair should contain products from
each of our forty-four states and terrific
ries, it would not be a success az a Worlds
fair unless the leading nations of the globe
are also represented in it. A county, state
or domestic fair is n thing; a Worlds
fair is quite a different matter. To the OK
tent that the Chicago fair embraces the
leading countries of the world will it be
successful. Our own country should not be
slighted, and probably will not be, but the
important thing is to get foreign nations to
exhibit. The American psople can be
trusted to look after themselves.
Another point, the fair should be con-
Quoted on strictly business principles. No
politics should be allowed to creep in on
any pretext whatever. The fair after all is
a gigantic business enterprise, and unless
1t is managed on business principles it
cannot be a success either financially or
otherwise.