The Van Buren press., 1895-09-21

"on the morning. q the 1sth q
December. 1oo3, oe1y two months attn
the closing ol the World = Fair. Colonel
William A. Hemphill su9gested 10 M
IN casual convs9satton hat Atlanta
ought to tnaugurate some movement
which would act = IN antidote for the
hard times from which the whole
country was suffering. I promptly
acquiesced II the suggestion that some,
said he. and then suddenly stopping; j
have It let's have an exposition
whereupon he developed the Idea that
the best way to meet the general
depression was by launching an under.
taking which would bring our people
together and give them something to dc
while others were talking about disaster
and depression.
Mr.. Howell then told how the people
were inspired with the exposition idea.
Of the business men p meeting when the
first active steps were taken, the
appointment Of . general subcommittee
and the determination to raise q pre-
liminary fund OF at least 500, 900.
Continuing, he said: "But 1t was
necessary that there should be some
distinctive central idea, around which
the exposition should be built. It would
not do to 20 before the world that
Atlanta was getting up an exposition
with the sole idea Of stemming the tide
Of depression. Out of the discussion
was evolved the keynote on which the
music of the whole movement wae
based. Il was that the exposition should
have as its leading puopose the estab-
lishment Of closer trade relations
between the United States and the
Central and South American republics.
The suggestion met with the immediate
approval Of the industrial and COM
mercial centers.
1.-THE 600 900 needed a. . prelimi-
nary fund, had been pledged In cash
subscription in less than . week. even
the newsboys and the children contrib
uting their mites. the city appr0priat-
ing &76, 600 and the additional e125. 900
being raised In personal subscriptions.
To this the county added us, 900 In
work, and when the legislature met the
following fall It gave e26, 900 more.
making the aggregate subscription from
the city. the state, and the county
$500, 900.
After referring to the work Of perma-
nent organization, when 1t was found
that the movement had assumed such
magnitude that 1t had even then sur
passed the most liberal hopes and ex.
pectations Of it's founder, Mr.. Howell
continued: ''The story Of the fight for
Congressional recognition and Of the
government Q appropriation Of 5000 900
Is too long to tell at this time, but suf
fee to say that we got II, and from that
moment the success Of the movement
was assured, and the enterprise, already
beyond the bounds Of our most sanguine
expectations, doubled in scope at once.
Commissioners were sent to every state
In the Union, to every South and Gen.
tral American republic and to every
European country. From April 1924
for nine months, these commissioner
traversed every part Of the globe, OK.
planning the purposes Of the exposition
and inviting the participation Of tn;
world. Every state in the Union ap
pointed commissioners, as did many
European countries, and almost ever.
South and Central American republic
The plans and specifications Of tn
buildings were approved in the earl.
part Of the present year. Three hun
dred thousand dollars In bonds, guaran
teed by the gate receipts, were issues
ON which cash was promptly advanced
SO that the exposition soon found itsel
In possession Of ample funds with whicl
to push the work Of construction. Tn
movement has progressed without
hitch from that day to this and the re
suit will be seen by the more than 2.
900, 900 visitors who are expected thi
fall.