Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-05-13
The GATES WILL BE UP
But the Worlds Fair Buildings
Will Be Closed.
so DECIDES THE LOCAL DIRECTORY

o. OCSICG0 ] TIE IOSAI OlncS Onp
Theodore Thomas Saved from Discharge
BY the Non-Presence Of q Quorum
Secretary Morton Asked to Lecture-A
Day for Bicycllsts.
TIE WORLDS FAIR GROUNDS, May 13.-
The Worlds Fair gates will be swung wide
| open to the public; and the vexed Sunday
opening question is probably settled.
Early last Sunday morning crowds began
| to move onto jackson Park thinking that
| perhaps the gates Of the Fair grounds
| would be opened, but they were disap-
pointed, and fully 10000 people were
turned away from the gates Of the Fair
proper, and spent their money with the
side shows surrounding the Fair, fact
| which the Fair authorities were not slow
| to grasp. As a result, at the regularly
| monthly meeting of the local directors it
was decided to open the gates Of jackson
| Park to the public for one-half the price of
admittance to the Fair during the week,
viz, rs cents.
This action has nothing to do with the
opening of the buildings. The latter will
renn9in closed as required Under the laws
passed by Congress and as agreed when
the sum Of 50, SOC, 900 was accepted from
the hands of the SD Congress. The gate
keepers will admit to the grounds every
one paying twenty-five cents, they can ex-
anime the buildings-on the outside-see
everything there is to be seen, in fact, but
they cannot enter the buildings. The &C.
ton of the board will 60 into effect week
from tomorrow, or on the 21st of this
month. The vote by which the resolution
was passed was 25 to z. Under the reso-
luton Midway Plaisance will also be
thrown open.
The attorney for the board submitted an
opinion on the question and on the strength
of this opinion the board acted. No pro-
vision was made for the return of any
part of the 81, 800, 900 given to the Fair
under that act of Congress, but there was
vague, tentative talk of refunding the
money somehow, some time in the uncer-
tain future. The votes, as explanations
made by directors revealed, by no means
showed the real convictions of each mem
Der. Many voted in the affirmative for
the purpose Of forcing test of the matter,
and others voted so with reservations and
provisos.
Briefly the attorney decided that the Ex-
position was ono thing and the Exposition
grounds altogether a distinct and separate
thing. On this the local directory stands
accordingly. Unless the Nationl Com
mission acts vigorously to prevent it Jack
) Exposition buildings remaining closed.
The gravity of the question which was to
be dealt with served to bring out large
, attendance, there being IS out of the 45
members present.
Thomas to Stay Awhile.
The entire session of thd National
Worlds Fair commission was spent in
|, kwranRling over tho report of the Theodore
Thomas Investigating committee. The
friends of the musician manouvred all the
? morning to defeat the object Of the COM
mittee. viz: The adoption Of the report
: which practically ordered the Director
!, General of the Columbian Exposition to
1 discharge Thomas.
When the President called the commits
2 sion to order the Thomas matter was taken
| up and Chairman Lannan of the Music
/, committee Immediately arose and moved
the adoption of the report. Commissioners
St. Clair, of West Virginia, arose and OBJ
jected to the vote proceeding, stating that
q it was wrong both morally and legally for
: tho commission to take such action; in his
: opinion the commission had not the slight
est right to take action outlined in the
fcommittee's report; that the power lay
Ientirely in the hands of Director General
}. Davis.
4 Commissioner Ryan, of North Dakota,
e denounced the attempt to deprive the COM
mission of the authority vested in it by
Congress and paid his respects to Theodore
Thomas in the following language: "That
Imam is corrupt and he has taken this &C
ton through corrupt motives. l am in
favor of wiping him out Of this exposition
land the National Commission has the
lpower to do. it. If the commission refuses
to assert its authority in this music matter
lit countenances bribery and corruption"
Although there was no quorum present
lit did not deter the members of the com
mission from discussing the various phases
of the question, and after three hours
fruitless labor Chairman Lannan seeing
that 1t would be useless to attempt to have
the report adopted, moved that the re-
port be laid on the table until quorum
Twas secured, which was carried without a
dissenting vote.
It was then decided to adjourn until
May 81, owing to the fact that the COM
. mission cannot do business In the absence
of q quorum, and with the expectation
that by June enough members can be
20 corraled to transact the business OF the
= Fair.
Mr.. Thomas will probably be continued
e as musical director, but 1t is intimated
that his authority will be curtailed to 9
.e considerable extent, and that before III
1T Iwill be allowed to issue any more an
" Inouncements in regard to concerts il
a Music Hall the names of the artists will
In the afternoon. when Theodore Thomas
baton in hand, emerged faom one Of thu
re- doors leading from the stage Of Music Hall
Is at the Exposition, the 800 people In tn
10 parquette of the hall surprised the conduc
=. tor with prolonged outburst of applause
e The demonstration no doubt had som'
III connection with the adverse finding of tn
National Commissions Special committee
he which has been investigating the charge
lg drought against him by certain musica
ID firms. The handclapping was in the na
as ture of an expression Of confidence by hi
a. friends.
The Iowa State band has begun to pla!
n In the afternoon, alternating with morning
- concerts as the Chicago and Cincinnati
o. bands arc heard in the morning.
Midsummer Lectures.
Of J, Sterling Morton, Secretary Of Ayr
or culture, has been requested to deliver
lecture under the auspices Of the Depart
IA ment of Agriculture of the Worlds Fai