St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-17
1T WAS A MORAL VICTORY.


The Pioneer Press, with its usual
obtuseness and characteristic disregard
of the existence Of a moral sentiment in
the community, bewails the closing of
the worlds fair OH Sunday.
1t argues that it was not question of
morality and Sabbath observance which
produced the result, but the fact that
many of the. exhibits were covered.
which kept people away; and con-
sequently, if the admission had been
placed at twenty-five cents instead of
fifty, the people would have disregarded
their CONSCIENTIOUS scruples and been
entirely willing to commit sin at re-
duced rates.
This special pleading is on par with
that of the woman-a mother before
being a wife-who asked for leniency
on the ground that the child was very
small one.
Argument is, of course. useless with
those whose moral sense is obliterated,
if it ever existed: but the fact neverthe-
less remains that the closing of the
gates was due 10 the regard in the
minds of the people for the American
Sabbath, that regard making it unprott-
able to open the exhibition, thus reach
ing the managers through their pockets,
where, as in the case of our cotempo
rary, no other scruples existed.
Our cOtemporary shows itself to be
careless in Its information when it states
| that sit (tbe fair has sacrificed the gov
eminent appropriation if any one
chooses to push the case"
This is entirely incorrect and a serious
reflection on the Chicago managers. IL
goes without saying that no body of
Chicago men, once having their clutches
OH two million dollars, would ever vol
unfairly relinquish it.
The fair directors are sufficiently
smooth for their business and require
no financial lessons from a St. Paul
newspaper, whatever its education and
experience may have been. They never
for moment proposed to return the
government appropriation. The offer
was merely to return it after sufficient
sum had been realized to pay the debts
of the exposition.
1t is true that this proposition placed
the government as creditor prior to
the citizens of Chicago who subscribed
five millions of stock, but the stock
holders long since abandoned all hope
ofreceiving dollar on their stock ex-
cept in such benefit as the city at large,
OF their specific business, might reap.
1t is as susceptible of mathematical
calculation now as it will be next De-
cember that, aside from the entire five
millions of stock being wiped out, there
will be an Indebtedness Of from three to
five million dollars unprOvIded for by
the receipts. This will be paid from
the five millions of bonds issued by the
city Of Chicago, so that Oh the PROPOSE
ton to refund the money to the govern
ment. after paying the debts, there
never was the remotest prospect of a
single dollar being repaid whether or
no there was Sunday opening.
1t was heralded far and wide that the
fair directors had manfully voted to
return the money, and that is the pop
ular impression. The string attached
to the offer was so cunningly concealed
that comparatively few are aware of its
existence.
The plea that the directory has sacr-
iced any money is a great mistake. 1t
sacrificed its moral standing before the
world-but nothing more.
But even i'll this sacrifice it demon
strated the possession of some ad-
vantages not applicable to our cotem-
porary.