The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-06-02
FAIR FINANCES.
A Subject Which Is Frequently
Discussed.
WILL THE GREAT EXPOSITION PAY7

Tho Artistic and Educational Success OF
the worlds Columbian Exposition Is
Assured Even ii the Financial Part Is
Not-Cosu of the Fair Up to Time of
Opening.
WORLDS FAIR, May 25. - Especial =
An inquiry often heard is--'W i'll the great
exposition be a financial success" In my
view it doesn't much matter whether it is
or not. The great desire is to make iC a
success from the artistic and educational
points of view. Its artistic success is al
ready assured. There never was any
thing so beautiful, 80 inspiring. 1t Will
be n tremendous educational success if the
people come to utilize the opportunity
which has been afforded them. They
will come, too. They will come by the
millions. Neither railroad rates nor
cholera fears can keep them away. But it
is true that rom one cause or another
enough may not come To make the fair
financially successful. There may be a
deficit at the end of the six months: or, to
put the case more accurately, the city of
Chicago ard the people of Chicago who
subscribed to the stock Of the exposition
company may get back only a small part
OF t!!eir money. This is not a thing to I've
much deplored in itself. The Chicago peo-
pie didn't expect to get their money back
when they put it up. At least, they did
not EXPECT TO get il back directly from the
exposition treasury. But that they will
get il back many fold in other ways
through the asscmblage in their midst Of
millions of strangers, no one can doubt.
ButalarGe t,iss Of Americans viii insist
upon regardir the fair II failure unless it
earn IL profit / the stockholders. They
nave - strong commercial instinct, and
think success III this as in other enter
priseS is measured by dividends. They
overlook tn fact that this is not intended
and was never intended rs IL money-mak-
ing concern. It's greatest success will lie
in alfurdinG instruction, inspiration and
amusement to a large proportion of our
people. inasmIIch as the educational sue
cess and the financial success TO n certain
extent are dependent upon the SAME con
ditiou-a very large atteudance-it is
worth while to pause here and consider
what the chances are.
The attendance so far DURING the month
Of May has been rather disappointing.
/, But it is easily explained. The fair has
not been complete, ard the weather has
for the most part been cold and cheerless.
The people, not only Of Chicago, hat sur
rounding country knew the fair was not
finished on the opening day, ana they
were not willing to spend their money and
: time going to see an imperfect exposition.
r You cannot fool the people, and some of
4 - &c. ~ .-- ,.-. ,A,.y ,..aI ,l.,-I Hal a..
e attempted to do so. At this date, how-
! ever, the exposition is practically COM
: plete. No one need fear being too early on
e the ground after this. The work is done,
the show is finished. 1t is ready for the
inspection of the world.
How great will the attendance have to
! be in order to make the exposition a sue
cess financially? This is Il very interesting
e question, but it cannot be answered very
t accurately because there are other sources
l of revenue which depend somewhat upor
n the attendance but which cannot as yet b,
{ only estimated Still, this inquiry about
the financial success of the enterprise is al
= interesting one. n speculation upon il il
5 q convenient means Of reaching II better
appreciation of the magnitude of thu
operation.
n In round figures, which are within 1
t hundred thousand dollars of the actua
5 sum, the cost of the fair to the opening
e day was twenty millions Of dollars. 1hi.
enormous sum is more than twice as mucl
v as was spent for the last Paris exposition
3 and there the government of France was
e behind the enterprise. Twenty millions
probably reaches the high water mark il
e the outlay for international expositions
It may be doubtful if the coming century
J. will see a parallel to this affair in mag
nitude or co,tliness. This fair is not too
big, buG it is big enough. Future Giir
n builders will probably devote their ener
gicS 20 making more perfect but not mor'
vast. How was al this enormous sun
ralscGy Principally by the citizens o
Chicago. In the first place. they sub
scribei nearly six millions OF dollars o
stock in the exposition company, aud have
paid over Ia cash thereon sj,N'l.li". Tliei
the city of Chica4o asa anln., rtl corpora
lc ton issued honiy a,4 ,]iryotrC ,n, proceed
to the purchased! -. '1l.'h".. o',. Thu
nearly eleven mil'ni, i.,a-L ,., ,oulrt
into the cui,:pr, :. -.
At frat il va, l~n,"%nt Ri. would M
lie %enougI,, ur nvdg.y rupU..A, ~ h@lid TIA,
" fair. But il uroNr,, to b. only iltlfr.oUgh
II The exposition isSuvd live m!liiun- Of it,
10 own bond, and sold tt,clp AT par. Thi
Il gave II total Of sixteen millions. Congress
10 voted five m'lliOis Of souvenir half dollar
he in aid of The fair, and then took away
half million dol.a;,' worth of them on
bubble. OuU OF the remaining two mill
le ions of dollars worth the management
It realized, by virtue of premiums, YER.
n nearly o., 100000. Thus the total receipt
n were brought up to nearly eighteen and
half millions. Interest and miscellaneou
t receipts swelled them to the grand total o
" sl9,00O,OO0.
Ii 1t cost more than twenty millions t
to open the gates. Only nineteen million
y. had been received, therefore the cXposi
ton company began doing business Ma.
ID LIST with a debt of u million dollars starin,
ID it in the face.
isl Looked ~ as II vast financial operation
le this fair is almost as fascinating AS from
any other point OF view, twenty million
rs to open the gates, three millions NOR
10 will be needed to pay expenses till the en-
he of the six months, therefore S!3,COO,WO /
l. L. ~ thn t..tn' most of h.