The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-05-24
FAVOR SUNDAY OPENING
A Majority of the National Com.
mission So Declare.
THIRTY AGAINST TWENTY SEVEN
Tho Matter Is Now In tho Hands of thu
Local Directory and Unless Restrained
by the Courts tho Gates VIII be Opened
Next Sunday.

Aho Wattor Is NOW IN tho hnnus OF tins
Local Directory and Unless Restrained
by the Courts tho Gates VIII be Opened
Next Sunday. 5a-.
CHICAGO, May 2f.-Telegrams continue
to pour in to the national commission re.
garding Sunday opening, and when Com.
missioner De Young called the national
body to order yesterday a COED sized stack
of those communications adorned the
presidents desk. They were from all parts
of the country.
After half hours discussion 1t was
agreed that the debate on the adoption Of
. one of the reports from the judiciary com.
niittee on Sunday closing should be con.
fined to three and one-half hours The
commission then settled itself to hear the
Sunday closing matter rehearsed and
threshcd out in all of its branches, Mr..
Eibock Of Iowa, beginning the debate by
speaking in favor of the a adoption of the
minority report, which favors Sunday
opening.
Commissioner Burton, of Kansas, chair
man OF the judiciary committee, also sup.
ported the minority report. He began by
stating that the opposition did not deny
that the creative act gave to the commits
sion and the exposition company an abso.
lutte right to close or open the gates on
Sunday. But that right was taken away
from both bodies by the SO called souvenir
act. The conditions imposed on tn at act
made it the duty Of the committee to keep
the gates closed Sunday. The question
upon which the minds of the judiciary
committee diverged was as to whether the
conditions of the souvenir act had been
complied with. The souvenir money, he
thought, was intended to be gift. 1t was
mighty mean and small gift, when the
great fair was considered, and the Amerl-
can congress imposed conditions which the
exposition corporation had decided were
impossible to comply with. Then the
original discretionary power reverted to
the directory and commission in regard to
fixing Sunday opening rule, and he
hoped next Sunday would see the fair
opened by an amicable arrangement.
The closing speeches were all in favor OF
throwing open the gates every day in the
week. After General St. Clair had fin
ished laying down the law as he under
stood it, the question of submitting the
minority for the majority report came to
vote, and tho roll was called. Thirty COM
missioners voted for substituting the mi
nority report and twenty seven against.
This was surprising vote, as it was
the general belief that the commission
would go against Sunday opening. A vote
was taken on the question of modifying
the new rules submitted by the directory
as proposed by the minority of the judic-
iary committee of the commission. Twenty
nine voted to adopt the modification and
twenty-eight against. Vice President De
Young accordingly ruled that as fifty five
members, majority of the commission.
had not voted to modify it the new rule
as submitted by the directory must stand.
This decision raised storm of protests
from the opponents of Sunday fair,
Commissioners jumped up to appeal from
the decision and finally the acting presi-
dent was convinced that he had gone too
far in adding to his decision that the new
rule submitted by the directory must
stand. His decision as placed on the rec
cord, with the approval of the Sunday
openers, was restricted to n mere state
ment that the commission had failed to
modify the rule by majority vote. This
leaves the matter now in the hands Of tho
directory, but the general opinion among
the committee is that the gates of the fair
will be opened Sunday unless the judicial
authorities shall enjoin the local board.
Germany's building at the exposition
was opened yesterday. The opening Of the
building was of u purely informal charac-
ter. Herr Wermuth. the imperial commits
siouer had issued three or four hundred
invitations to prominent German citizens,
the officials of the fair, representatives of
other foreign governments, and such dis
tinguished persons as were in Chicago
The Duke of Yeragua and his family had
been invited, and elaborate preparations
were made for their reception.