Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-10
FRANCES COURTESY.
RibOt's Official Letter Accepting the
Fair Invitation,
THE RAVAGES OF THE CRUEL GRIP.
Arrangements for Music at the Dedicatory
Ceremonies.
A VICTORY FOR MRS. POTTER PALMER

CHICAGO, March 9-The correspondence
announcing the first acceptance of the invi.
tation to participate In the Exposition by a
foreign Government has been received' al
Exposition headquarters from Secretary
Blaine. 1t consists-of letter from White
law Reid, American Minister at Paris, to
Secretary Blaine, notifying him of the Of
fetal conveyance of the Presidents invita-
tion to France to participate in the Fair,
and incloses translation of the note of &C.
ceptauce sent in reply by NJ. Ribot, Min
lister Of Foreign Affairs. The note of &C.
ceptance is as follows:
France Formally Accepts.
"PARIs, February IL
mr.. MISUNDERSTANDING to my letter Of
the 10th of this month, 1 have the honor to an
nounce to you that the Government of the Re-
public accepts with the greatest pleasure, for
France, the invitation which you have trans
mitted to it in the name of the United States.
to take part in the Universal Exposition, which
is TO take place at Chicago in 1893 in CON-
memorauon of the fourth centenary of the dis
Covery of America. The Government of the
Republic is already occupying itself with the
measures necessary to insure the participation
of French artists in this international celebra-
tion, and as soon as the commissioners to rep
resent it shall have been designated will take
care TO inform you. RIBoT."
The funeral of Dr.. Edward Weston, of the
Bureau of Publicity and Promotion, occurred
this afternoon. The interment Oak
wood cemetery. Vice President Bryan is the
latest addition to the list of Worlds Fair
officials suffering from the grip. There is but
little change in the condition of Director Gen
eral DAVIS.
Arranging for Musical Exercises.
Upon invitation of the Committee on Cere-
monies, Prof. Tomlins and the officers of the
Apollo Club have taken charge of the choral
work at the dedicatory ceremonies in October.
1892 The club is to do its work without re-
muneration, and its officers have pledged the
presence of Y 900 voices at the musical enter
tainment on the day of dedication. Tn Apollo
Club is pronounced the most perfect cho 81 or
ganization in the United States
In the closing hours of Congress the appro-
priation for the use of the National Commis-
Sion and the lady managers was restored to
reasonable amount. The sum agreed upon in
the joint conference of House and Senate com
mittees was S95 500. OF this, S36 900 is set apart
for the lady managers, leaving s59, 500 for the
commission. While the sum is much smaller
than President Palmer asked, the national or
ganization will be enabled to maintain its ex-
istence and do most of the work required of it
in the act of Congress that created the CON-
mission.
Mrs. Potter Palmer's Victory
Mrs. Potter Palmer president of the Board
of Lady Managers is entitled to most of the
credit for the favorable action in Congress.
She summoned the finance committee of the
board to Washington and remained there two
weeks, presenting arguments for a more gen.
erous appropriation than tine Senate had de-
Cided TO make Mrs. Palmers plea was on
patriotic grounds. She represented to men,
bers of Congress that they could ill afford to
deal sparingly with great national enterprise,
IN the success of which the whole country was |
so much interested
She sought those members vino had been |
most unfriendly to the exposition, and first ap- |
pealed to them in behalf of the Board of Lady |
Managers. Once their sympathy was enlisted |
IN that organization, she told them the Ma |
uonal Commission was likewise deserving of 1
assistance. Mrs. Palmer saws the opposition to 1
generous appropriations was not due to any |
lack of interest in the exposition but to |
settled conviction that the commission had 1
been eXtravagant in the matter of salaries, and |
TO a belief that it was taking too much power |
from the local board.
The Commission Meets in April.
President Palmer has announced that the |
commission will meet in April in pursuance of |
its bylaws. The exact cause of the meeting is
not generally understood, unless 1t be TO SO
clearly define its duti., that any further dis
agreements with the local board will not be
possible. The salary question will in all prob
ability come uD again, as the reduced appropria-
tOn will make revision of salaries necessary.
The Board of Control which adjourned last
Saturday evening, will meet again Monday. A
general reduction of expenses was ordered
Saturday, when 1t seemed that only $40 0O0 |
would be available for the commission and the
lady managers. Officers were instructed to
surrender all but three rooms at headquarters
and to reduce the allowance for clerks, type-