The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-12-15
sp.cio, pt,palch to he In.egtacneer.

Special DSp1tch 10 The In!eltJenecr.
CHICAGO, Dec. 14.-Tbe concession to
Conkey, the big non-union printer, Of
issuing the official Worlds Fair cata-
logue, has stirred up a storm of csiti-
cism. Out of the bitter feelings en-
gendered by the struggle has grown a
scandalous and wholly baseless story
rejecting on the integrity and impugn-
ing the honor Of Commissioners j. w.
St. Clair, of West Virginia. Generals
Clair's reply to the story, however,
makes It utterly impossible that any
suspicion of improper motives could at
tach to him. The Erening Post Of to-day
contains the following interview:
81 have heard of that story" said
General st. Clair, "and as soon as it us.
sumes a tangible shape / will take stops
to discover the author. / have not
come out here to help this fair at
great personal sacrifice pecuniarily to
be bounded by anybody. The whole
story OF my connection with the Taneys
is this: l am a member Of the West
Virginia state senate. Some time ago
bill affecting q municipal electric light
contract in the city OF Wheeling was
introduced in the legislature. The bill
would, If passed, violate the terms OF a
contract by which the city was bound.
The Register, of Wheeling, OF which
James B. fancy is managing editor
and Charles II. fancy is one Of the
business managers, advocated the pas
sage Of the bill. l opposed it. The bill
was defeated. and the Taneys, in the.
Register, criticised very harshly myself
and all who had anything to do with
the defeat OF the bill When was ap-
pointed Worlds Fair commissioner the
Regts.cr's opposition to me continued.
The paper attacked the exposition and
opposed any appropriation for II, either
by thestate or the nation.
"The question Of the appropriation
was coming on in Congress. was
member OF the committee on legislation
OF the national commission, and it
pained me to think l could not get the
congressional delegation from my own
state to support the Worlds Fair bill.
l could not do so, however, while the
Register was fighting US, and cast about
for method to bring the Taneys into
line.
A CHANCE TO REACH THEM.
About this time, which was in the
spring, there had been some talk here,
l don't remember by whom, about the
publication OF directory in the form
OF concession. I saw here a chance
to reach the Taneys. wrote to a
friend OF theirs in Wheeling to the eff
feet that there was n printing conces-
sion to be let which they might be able
to handle. Charlie Taney came on here.
/ told him frankly We desired the sup
port OF his paper for the fair and that |
would like to see him identified with
the fairs interests. l told him, how
ever, that there could be no favors
shown. That he would have compete
tion and that all l could do
would be to present his bid.
He looked the ground over, figured on
the probable attendance at the fair, and
80 on, and then went home. Not long
afterwards he came back and said his
firm was prepared to offer $50, 900 bonus
for the concession. His bid was sub
mitted to the committee on ways and
means and by them recommended to
the executive committee. Andrew Nc
Nally said to some one that Taney could
not afford to pay $4,000 for the con-
cession. To this Taney replied that he
knew his business and would give satis-
factory bond. The executive committee
passed an order authorizing the board
Of control to close the contract with
fancy. l do not know whether the
contract has been completed. All this
is matter OF record in the Worlds
Fair proceedings.
WON THEM OVER.
"This won over tho Taneys and the
Register aud we got the vote OF every
West virginian in Congress for the ma
tional appropriation and of every mem
Der OF the state senate and house. This
was what wanted.
"Taney's concession was for the pub
licatlon Of directory OF the exposition
which would contain n list oil all officials
OIL Lue lalT anu tu0lE uuuEGSsoSI llhL VI
the exhibitors with their addresses,
both at home and in Chicago, and all
general information. 1t was to be an
entirely different work from the official
catalogue which Conkey will print.
Afterwards, Charley Taney came here
and told me, in an informal talk, that
if they got the state printing their plant
would be too small to handle the
Worlds Fair Directory and that he
would try TO get some printer here to
go in with him. He met Conkey, how,
when, or by whom introduced, know
not, and they effected an arrangement.
/ know nothing about the Conkey mat
ter. It has not come before me off
cially and have no knowledge OF or
connection with it privately.
The national commission decided the
official catalogue should contain no dis.
play advertisements. Taney has con-
cession for a directory; Conkey has tho
concession for tho Official catalogue,
something entirely different in scope
and scLeme. although both Works ara