The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-10-09
THE WORLDS FAIR.
Editor Free Press:

EulCOr Z rec FreSs.
1t having been determined by rep
resentatiyes of the people of the Unit
ed States, in congress assembled, that
the fourth Centennial of Columbus
discovery of America, the greatest
and to the people of the Nation, most
important event in the worlds history
for the last ten centuries, shall be
commemorated by Worlds Fair at
Chicago, to which all the civilized
nations of the globe shall be invited to
compete with this new nation, which
since that event, and in fact nearly
all during the last century, grown to
nation of IS, 100000 people, and now
claiming rank with the greatest and
most powerful nation on the globe in
grand competitive display and ex-
hibit of progress, not only in art,
science and civilization but in the
products of human labor and skill in
every direction that tends to make a
nation great, and its people happy.
So far, the general government has
settled the fair question. The site is
already chosen; it could not be more
central, where equal facilities for car
ing for the crowds of strangers that
will be in attendance, or more easy of
access to the people Of the several
states of the great Republic, all of
whom had voice through their rep
resentatives in their determination
of each and all of them, and it is now
left to each state to determine wheth-
er it will enter the list Of state COM
petitors before the worlds judges,
with sufficient state pride and public
spirit to secure such an exhibit as will
be an honor to the state and credit
to the public spirited enterprise Of
the people. Every citizen of every
state in the Union should be interest
ed to the extent OF doing everything
reasonable in his power to enable his
state to make an exhibit worthy its
place in the sisterhood Of states. one
he would not be ashamed of were he
among the crowd of visitors at the
fair No state should grudge the ne
ceSsary expense to secure her proper
place in the galaxy of states on that
great occasion. Such exhibit must
cost money without any extravaganza,
but the benefits to result from it are
in proportion to the character Of the
exhibit.
In that contest our North Star state
should occupyaprominent place among
her Western sisters. 1t is the proud
boast of our most intelligent citizens,
that no state west Of Illinois can show
in the IS years of her statehood, great
er progress in public Improvements,
agricultural Development and re-
sources in that character, greater pro-
gress in educational facilities, or a
more perfect system of education than
Minnesota. Even the older and
wealthier states of the Union will
scarcely claim superiority of advanta-
ges over Minnesota in that direction,
and if in wealth not in intelligence
and refinement Of the people. In
manufacturing mineral deyelope
ments and resources our state occu
pies a prominent place among the
Northwestern states.
Minnesota, age considered, should
not shrink from comparison with any
other state of the Union. And the
honor of the state, the reputation Of
the people for enterprise, public
spirit, intelligence and refinement de-
mand an exhibit at the great Worlds
Fair that will make all these points
clear to the worlds judgment. If
such an exhibit can not be made for
want of funds, and the funds cannot
be raised in an honorable manner, it
would be better for Minnesota to
withdraw from the contest entirely.
That the legislative, appropriation
is too small for the OCCASION there
can be no doubt in the minds of intel
ligent men who properly consider and
appreciate the magnitude and purpose
Of the Fair. The proper plan of get
ting the legislature together to in
crease the amount has been defeated.
The attempt to raise it by county
loans is bitterly opposed, also by those
men who would rather the state
should be disgraced than succeed I'M
der others, than their own control.
Whether those men are in disposition
like the canine in the manger, who
because he can't eat oats himself
won't let the horse eat them, or are
built like the narrowgague viper with
so disproportionate breadth of base
to depth of hole that if two sailors
met ON deck one had to step over the
rail while the other Used, under will
succeed in preventing the present plan
remains to be seen.
Everything on exhibition at the
state fair is placed there at exhibitors
expense. Everything Minnesota ex-
hi bits at the Worlds fair should go
there at the states expense. The