The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-12-27
A worlds Fair Concession Which
May Raise q Storm.
gOH MONEY is 10 Be DEMANDED.
Ear Every Move on tho Part Of Visit
ors-Evcrything at the Fair Except
the Atmosphere Seems TO be Prl-
va.o Property-An Extraordinary
scheme.

bChS"'E
cAeaoo 1fat4
"There is going to be q high aud.
mighty roar from the plain American
noonle when the visit they Worlds Fair
r.xt summer and have to pay for n
drink OF water and for the use Of water
closets." an ex-director Of the World's
.colunbisn Exposition said yesterday.
STbe plan may work in France, but in.
fres America 1t won't 20 down. You'll.
bear a kick that will make the directors
t,epble in their boots."
1t appears that somebody connected
With the Chicago fair had visited the
Paris exposition and had returned laden
With the idea that it would be a big
mOney.getting scheme to levy q tax
mon natural functions. The directory
Sscame saturated with the idea and o
Concession was forthwith granted to o
nriyate firm. to erect and maintain
ttoilet rooms" in Jackson Park with
the privilege OF chargtng5 cents admis-
sion. At the same time q concession
was granted to another syndicate to
nina spring water into the park andaell
K 10 consumers. So fragrant seemed
these concessions that the directory
weakened and will permit visitors to
drink plain, uniltered lake water free,
and viii also permit the free use OF q
small number Of water closets. But the
fSct remains that there is a monopoly
ON pure drinking water and upon con-
y~enient and clean water closets.
NAY RAISE A STORM.
The closest monopoly is one against
which a howlo If disapprobation and In
dignation is predicted. The curious
feature Of the concession IS that the di-
rectory itself-for once-was outwitted,
and the exposition will make nothing
in the transaction. The concession was
Granted several months ago to JamesB
Glow 4 Son, of this city, one OF the big
gest plumbing supply establishments in
tbe country. BY a curious coincidence
one Of the memberso Of the firm happens
to be q son-in.law Of Andrew McNally,
adirector and member Of the committee
Of ways and means, which granted the
monopoly. BY the terms of the grant
the concessionaires are to erect and.
maintain water closets and layatories
throughout the grounds. A certain pro-
portion Of these closets are to be free,
but the greater proportion, Including
all the lavatories, can collect i've cents
from each individual who uses them.
These will be kept in order by Eattcnd-
ants, whowill also see that the inimble.
nickieis forthcoming. It has been dis.
covered lately that the contract, by
means Of some clever. wording, gives
the concessionaires the right to charge
for the usoot both closet and layatory.
In other words, a visitor can use the.
closet upon the payment OF five cents,
but II he desires to wash his hands an
other nickel must be depositedin the
slot before the water will flow.
WILL KEEP pEopIESAT HOME.
"As soon as It goes abroad a hotel
man said yesterday, 4that such mon
opoly is in existence. hundreds Of
thousands Of people who would other.
wise have visited the fair will stay at
home. It is not go much the amount
involved as it is the principle Of the
thing. The American people are used
to Tree water and untaxed natural ha-
bits, and they won't stand 1t. The
fact that a few nlaces are free will not
help the matter. The free closets will
be crowded to excess and filthy insthe
extreme. They can't transplant Paris
customs in this respect to Chicago, as
they will find out to their sorrow"
The terms Of the concession to Glow
&Soa give them the right to retain al
the fees collected from the public until
the cost Of putting in the closets and
lGyatories has been returned to the
eoneessionairas, after which they are TO.
pay to the exposition % per cent Of the
gross receipts. This looks we'll on its
face, and the members OF the ways and.
means committee were doubtless per-
suaded that the exposition would reap.
alatge sum Of money from this source
before the fair closed. a big pine and
plumbing material manufacturer said
yesterday that the plant which Glow q
Son proposed to put in woplde S200,+
600 They have to make all the sewer
connections, and the estimate 10 doubt
less not far from the mark. Asa mat
ter Of fact 1t 10 to be q gigantic adyer-
using scheme for the concessionaires,
who take this method ofshowing their
goods to the public, and at the same
tune charging for making the exhibt-
ton.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A POINT.
At any rate the closets must receive
the visits Of 4.oOo,0OOpeople before the
expedition receives a cent Of royalty
from the concession. BY charging 10
cents for the use OF both loyatory and
sios0' 1t will require the visits OF 2,000,-
09 men and women before the expost-
uon begins to reap its share OF the re-
ward Tor 90 thrifty q Partisan scheme,
and the directors are already prone to
ADMIT that for once they haye been
aeeced themselves.
But this Isl not all tho griefs with
which the directory 10 burdened in this
taIhet delicate question. The directory
mas taken great pains to reserve allithe
rights and privileges OF advertising in
Jackson park, No one could distribute
gutter snipen or paste up o sdodger"
without first paying over to the exposl.
Ion q certain tribute. Since the Glow
9 Son concession was awarded another
eeSeriy devised aud ingeniously con-
sLFucled clause has been discovered in
me contract which gives Glow q Son
tle sole right to advertise upon and
within their toilet booths. Already
Sney have sent out solicitors who are
oegulltng advertisers to pay $40 per
.9naee foot for space on the walls OF
taeir water closets.