The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1893-03-02
Board Of Worlds Fair Managers of
Virginia.
RICHMOND, VA, January 81, 1898.

RICHMOND, VA, January 81, 1898.
The State of Virginia by Act of Ass
sembiy approved March 18th, 1892, pro-
| vided for the organization of a Board of
Worlds Fair Managers, to be appointed
by the Governor ''for the purpose of
exhibiting the resources, products and
general development of the State of Vir-
ginia at the Worlds Columbian Exposi-
ton of 1884, and imposed the duty, and
conferred the authority, 'sto take all
needful steps to secure and complete a
creditable display of the interests of the
State at said Exposition. and to have
charge OF the solicitation, collection,
/ transportation, arrangement and exhi-
| ton of the objects sent under such au-
thOrity to the said Exposition, and of
objects sent by the counties, cities and
towns of the State as should be placed
in their charge" Under the appoint
ment and direction of the Governor,
! that Board was promptly organized in
| April, 1882, and has proceeded with the
utmost practical diligence in the fulfill
ment of their duty under the law, and
their work has so far progressed as to
give assurance that the State will be
represented with as nearly complete as
possible, and certainly creditabe, dis
play of the varied interests of the State
at the Exposition. The law under which
they have acted provides only for an
appropriation of $25, 900 to defray the
expenses OF the work. This was known
at the time to be inadequate to meet the
necessary expenses, however economi-
cally conducted; but it was hoped and
expected that other resources, either
from the public treasury or otherwise,
would be forthcoming in time to meet
such necessary expenditures as should
be found indispensably required to full
fill the behests of the law in providing a
creditable display of the resources and
characteristics of the State. The Board
of Managers has been compelled, under
the limitations resulting from this re-
st1icted supply of means, not only to
economic in the necessary and useful
agencies for collection and preparation
of exhibits, but to moderate and reduce
the scale of preparation as far as they
deemed compatible with their duties
under the law and the true interests and
reputation of the State To carry out
and effectuate the work, as thus organ
lied and conducted, will require, beyond
the amount of the State appropriation
and such additional means as have been
obtained through other sources by the
Board, an addition of at least $4,000, for
which it must appeal to the intelligent,
patriotic and appreciative communities
and individual citizens of the State, to
be contributed or assured for the neces-
essary uses of the Board. They have
not doubted for a moment proper re-
Spouse to such an appeal.
The State Board of Agriculture, en-
bracing number of the most intelli-
gent and public spirited citizens and
agricultursts of the State, have recently
been brought into conference and COM
munication with the Board of Worlds
Fair Managers with reference to all these
interests and conditions, and they have
promptly and cordially expressed not
only their sympathies with the work of
the Board of Managers, but their pur-
pose individually and, as far as author
lied, officially to cooperate with the
Board of Managers in aid of their work,
wisely deming it as not only helpful, but
of transcendent value to the great in
dustrial interests of the State, as repre-
sented by the State Board of Agrcul
ture themselves. AS one of the results
of such conference, this statement is
unitedly presented for the information
and consideration of the cities, towns,
communities and individual citizens OF
the State, with u view to stimulating
and securing still more active interest
in the contribution of materials for eX~
hibition, and also for the contribution
of such equitable proportions of the
additional money required as Will easily
make up the minimum sum above sug~
gested as requisite for the uses of the
Board of Worlds Fair Managers.
A. S. Buford, President Board of
Worlds Fair Managers of Virginia; W.
7. Sutherin, President State Board of
Agriculture; Thomas Whitehead, Cons
missioner of Agriculture; John S. Ap-
person, Executive Business Commits
sioner, Board of Worlds Fair Managers.