Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-02-01

The following letter has been sent by the
executive committee of the Board Of
Worlds Fair Managers
STATE OF MAINE,
BOARD OF WORLDS FArH MANAGERS,
BASooR, ME-, Jan. 30, 1898.
N. ". Rich, Secretary PDrtidad Board o
Tradc, Porti@ad. lie:
DEAR Sir;
Yours of eth at hand and contents noted
have the resolutions of your Board OF
Trade before me. | was surprised thai
your Board took position against refundins
| the money paid by the citizens on account
of the State Of Maine Worlds Fair build
ing fund. Your Board, as body, did moi
| subscribe the money; the subscriptions
came from citizens Individually. 1t wa,
tacitly understood among a great many who
are now members of the Legislature thai
they would favor reimbursement of thi.
guarantee fund, the only thing which made
it possible for the Board of Worlds Fail
Managers to construct building represent
ing the building materials of Maine.
| do consider it praiseworthy for any in
diyidual whose patriotism and liberality
causes him to say he does not want hi:
| money back but do not think it quite right
for parties to interfere with the rights of
| others who subscribed with the belief that
the Legislature would make an appropria.
ton for the purpose of refunding this
money.
The efforts made against this rcfundinQ
in Portland have done an injustice to many
individual subscribers. The judiciary com
mittee have recommended an appropria-
| Of Sl3, $50, but making no provision for
the refunding of the guarantee building
fund.
In order to accommodate those liberal
minded gentlemen who have been so anxious
| to have all other persons. whether they de-
sired to or not, come under the same cate
CORY, we had provided in our bill that al
persons not making application within thirty
| days for the refund of their subscriptions
should have no further claim upon the
State. This would have given all chance
! to have been more than liberal with theil
! own money without preventing others from
ha, ing their money paid back.
The subscription papers contained this
clause.
The amounts paid under this agree.
ment to be refunded in whole or in part in
| case the Legislature of Maine shall indem
nifty the subscribers hereto in whole or in
part
I have been advised by such prominent
men as Judge Putnam and Hon. VIM G
Davis and many others of your city tina,
they thought it right and Just for the Legs
lature to refund the money subscribed By
private citizens. Chief Justice Peters and
otter citizens of Bangor believe the same
and like statements have been received b.
me from all parts of Maine.
| This building contains about $4,000 oil
/ building material, such AS granite. slate
etc, contributed by the manufacturers OF
! Maine. The location of the building is one
of the very best on the Exposition ground.
secured for the Board of Worlds Fail
| Managers by the Sons of Maine in Chicago
| As you are aware, our Board would have
been obliged to abandon this lot fronting
Lake Michigan and nearly across the ave
rue from the main art buildings, and have
taken a rear lot provided we were limited
Legislature of 1891
| Prompt action had to be taken in order
to hold this site as the Sons of Maine had
promised the Exposition Company that a
$4,000 building should he erected il
of the meeting of the State Board of Trade
/ in Biideford. had been rendered building
materials to the value of about $4,000
hut we had found that in order TO avail our
selves of the benefit of these contributions
| the $4,000 provided by the State would
not be sufficient for the erection of the
building and that about $1,000 additional
would be required. This was before the
granite strike which added to the cost about
$500.
Before the granite strike, several of the
| companies had gotten out their granite
while other companies who had delayed a
little were caught in the midst of the strike
and found it impossible to deliver the granite
in time for the construction of the building
In all cases they were willing to furnish
the rough stock and in order to do justice
to those who had at large expense cut their
granite and slate for the building, our
Board decided there was no other way but
for them to take the stock and hire it cul
by men working FOR firms not belonging to
the Manufacturers Union. This explains
the additional cost of tie building on &C.
count of the strike.
On account of biennial meetings of the