The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-10-16
While the AppOrtiOnment for Henne-
pin, Ramsey and st. Louis
Counties Amounts to
S54,476.

An Address to the People of Minnesota.
The 51st Congress provided for cele-
brating the 400th anniversary of the
discovery of America, by holding an
international exhibition of arts, in
dustries, manufactures, and products
of the soil mine and sea, in the city of
Chicago. In the name of the people
and government of the United States,
President Harrison has invited all the
nations of the earth to take part in
the commemoration of this event.
The favorable responses to this in
vitation already received, the unpre-
cedented number Of applications for
space from this and other countries,
the vast sum Of money set apart for
the preparation of the site and struc-
lures of the exposition warrants US in
saying that this exhibit will be be-
yond question the most complete and
comprehensive international exposi-
tion in the history of the world.
The state of Minnesota, through
her representatives in Congress, and
on the Columbian Commission, is COM
mitted to this great undertaking in
all it's scope.
In recognition of this fact her state
legislature passed an act, approved
April goth, 1891, appropriating the
sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars, and
creating a Boaad of Worlds Fair
Managers, who should be charged
with the duty of collecting, tran
sporting and displaying the natural
and industrial products of this state
at the Columbian Exposition of 1898.
The Board appointed in virtue Of
this legislation (of which the under
signed are members) visited Chicago
for the purpose of informing them
selves more definitely as to the nature
of the duties and responsibilities
which they had assumed.
| We became acquainted with the
plans and purposes of those who were
promoting this vast undertaking; ex-
amined the grounds where the exposi-
tion is to be held; accepted the site
which had been designated for Mime
sofa; learned what other states pur-
posed; what agencies were employed
to bring this exposition before the
peoples of the earth; and from the
facts so gathered, we were convinced
that Minnesota, with Fifty Thousand
Dollars, could hardly afford to enter
the lists; that this sum was altogeth-
er inadequate to make "the complete
and creditable display which is call
ed for by the Act, which appropriated
it.
The question then was "What to
do?" Shall we accept the situation
and 60 forward, making scanty dis
play of our resources amidst the
thorough and ambitious state exhib-
it's, with which we are sure to be con-
| fronted, or shall we make known to
our people the exact situation, and
endeavor by all the means at our COM
mand to secure the money necessary to
accomplish the end proposed?
We have adopted the latter course,
and in it's pursuance, a convention,
fairly representative, was called to
meet in Saint Paul, on the 18th of
last August, in order to assist us in
devising means and methods for in
creasing the states appropriation.
After day spent in deliberation
the convention, by resolution, declar-
ed the need of an extra Hundred
Thousand Dollars to insure an exhibit
worthy of the state. and favored a
call of the Legislature, in special ses-
sion, to vote the sum required.
1t became apparent, for reasons
which may not be enumerated at
this time, that the plan proposed by
the convention did not find a re-
spouse in the public sentiment Of the
state. Accordingly the Board met in
| September, and unanimously passed
| the following resolutions embodying
another plan of raising One Hundred
Thousand Dollars, which we conf
IDENTIFY submit to the favorable con-
sideration of the people of this state.
| WHEREAS: In the Judgment of
the Worlds Fair State Board, the
sum of One Hundred Thousand Dol.
lars, in addition to the sum of Fifty
Thousand Dollars, appropriated by
the Legislature, will be required in
order to provide the state with suit
able exhibit at the Worlds Columbian
Exhibition: Therefore,
Resolved: First. That in our
Judgment the plan for raising the sum
mentioned, can be most equitably Sc
cured at this time by apportioning
the same to the various counties Of