Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-14
STORY OF THE EXPOSITION
Project Had It's Inception in an Editorial in
The Omaha Bee.
MANY THOUGHT IT A DREAM At FIRST
Unanimous Endorsement of the Trans
mississippi Congress RAISED Up
Enthusiastic workcrs-Origi-
nal stock Subscribers.

obstacle IN IDe way Vi OllldHd = great "a
position has been surmounted it is Of
interest to review the work that has been
done so far and the efforts that have al
ready been made by philosophical citizens
in behalf OF the great enterprise The recent
history Of the exposition bill is matter oil
general information, but the manner in
which the idea was first promulgated ana
the means by which it was made to assume
a practical form are not so generally known
The suggestion out Of which the present
exposition project has developed, came from
the editor of The Omaha Bee. 1t was
brought to public notice in the following
editorial article which appeared in The sun
day Bee, November 25, 1895:
A TRANsMIssIssIPPG EXPOSITION.
"The construction of the transcontinental
railroads gave the first powerful impetus
TO the development Of the transmisslsslppl
country. Twenty-Five years ago the popula-
tion OF the states and territories west OF
the Mississippi was 6,i35 167. and the states
and territories west of the Missouri were
credited by the national census with
population of / ,492 500. In 1890 the trans
mississippi states contained population oi
1517O.3l5. while the population OF the states
and territories west of the missouri az
xregated 5gl7, ,2l3. In 1860 there were only
twenty-one miles of railroad in the country
west of the Mississippi. Today the ran
road mileage in the same region eNceeus
as 900 miles, Of which $1,000 miles are
boasted by the country west OF the missouri
The marvellous resources oil TINS vas.
empire we're only in a measure dlspiaEGu
Mt the Worlds Columbian exposition IN
fact the exhibits of the western states ana
territories were to a great extent over
shadowed by the international eAhlDls maui
at Chicago. OF the hudreds OF lhousaius
of npoDle who viewed the World 1alr CoLl-
naratively few carried away with theIh
distinct impression of the productive III
dmstries of the transmississippi states
Eyen neople who live in this section anu
who have contributed to its grown uo NV
1rasp their extent and magnitude. -..-.,
"The inspiration for the Cotton STATES
,Ynosition now being held in Atlanta DOUBT
less lay in the conviction that an ln,o. a7
state exposition would go iurther Iowa u u
Dromoting the development OF the sou.h
thon anv other single agency. That the
Judgment of the projectors OF the COt'Cn
States exposition was emlnehtlg souhu S
attested by the success that mas t 49,
this great undertaking as resaLus Oos - ~
number and variety of the eNhlDlts an" W. sil
Snoncial management of the venture NJ
WV have the people of the cotton states
displayed commendable zeal III Col'i @ y" i,.
toward its success with their dlspia!s' @ pu'
raypral of the AlldnllC SbaNSS'
YORK and Pennsylvania are credltaoly rep
-csented The Atlanta exposition mas drawn
hundreds of thousands OF VISITORS ~ - ga I
every section OF the country ana wiz W We
the agency by which vast anouht VI 1T nt
oanital will be transplanted into the souSh
',IVhat has been accomplished lor Ch'
south by the Atlanta exposition can pe az
complished for the west by tnI' u a.rS nf -
innf axposition With population Oh 10,
Oon 600 to draw on and country pI NJ -
Zion would be an assured success rom ~
very inception. Such an eXposllIoI, go
give the impetus to the Wes'"atpp .he
s,'e snI,,o+inn and capital for which the
OF Popu tbis section have been striving
!. mould make known to all the "oIlu ~, ~,
ranabilities of the great west anu ~ 80
activity In every branch OF lhuus"' ""'
production. -. .aoross which con
-.1,ae IN this city during the present wen y,
:; Tho nroper body to take the lnltla -
tornulating the plan for Tansin XXI
nynosition. Its recommendation ~ ~ hott
natter would have great weight WIN ,,tI.t
MAJ ..a end national legislatures. WIN
,,t disnaraging any other city amp s ~
Secure the location OF such an M a. otr,
sxnosition. The Bee believes that lhe 20 a.
of Omaha are far superior u ~ Iocatio,
otber transmississippi points. ls o,e Io no
~ tbe heart Of the continent mlu"aS
ta,aen New York and san FRANCESCA - -.
A. alike accessible to people cass IT. 81 or
its raiIroad facilities in every uiI ~
as perfect as those OF any Gtty ,is II is III,
inni valley north OF st. LOUIS. ~ an
spy, ~ the great agricultural pel an an
,yithin n days reach by ran ol tne , SnmtI
aainn of Colorado, Wyoming anu Sot ~
nakota. and within two Gays tta pocl,ies
rHat mining states west OF 'ue ~ ',n
S.ho ia az near to the Puget SCUM - 80
. as is St Paul and nearer by I 9vU tti,''
IN san Francisco and southern S@ tbat y.hat
"Tt is hardly necessary 10 auu InSr,ol Ia N
Sn.a,a n make the transmississlppi eSpTSi' p,Si
ChaH success the business men oi 'N'
ai,'' Sill carry out TO the letter
'''' LONG CHERISHED IDEA.
r,.or nreyious to that an indefinite con
cantion of such plan had eAlsteu art,r;ty HHn
- waiting for a favorable opPoI tu''i
on' or n Rosewater had long cherished IN
.aao ~ q large mid-continent falr az ollian i
and a permanent exposition thal Motta tta Hr i"mr
omaha A sort of halfway mouse IN 'ne sar S0a,
nT across the continent. me peS.t
neS S,o"t was suggested by an article IN IN IN
p.iDnoanoIis Tribune at the time OF the nd a
tionaI immigration convention III hoaroii mI,Sn
,6ea Of a mid-contnent falr at Mlnnea Mis r
was preached. AS the dr drahsIhtss'SNS a., Nnyenohe,
Sress was to meet in Omaha IN Nevelhu uS ~,
pnsewater and others with Whom " W
jdea had been discussed concindeu that ma W
onnortunity Was ripe and that ii lhe ehuvi w o "
ment OF the congress could De secul ,S i''n NJ
was no reason why the enterprise coulu ~ ~
1o successfully carried out From that YIN
,bo matter was quietly worked up ana al
rangements were made TO bring IL pelo'
the congress when il assembled.
During the first two days OF the consrss
the committee appointed for the purpose az
voted itself to missionary work among u
delegates In this work James Walsh 700
the lead, and 1t was largely through n
enorts that a practically unanimous sent
ment was created in favor OF the resol'
tion. 49,,
on Wednesday, November a. and lmm'
diately after the various resolutions on IN
money question had been presented and r.
ferred. Hon William J. Bryan left the cha
and asked unanimous consent to oner IN
resolution:
whereas, We believe that an eNpositic
of All the products, industries and clNiliZ
tion OF the states west of the Misslsslp
river made az some central galeMSs
where the world can behold the wonderi
capabilities of these great wealth,produ
ins states, would be of great value, n
only to the transmssissippi states, but
ali the home-seekers In the world; ther
Resolved. That the United states co
crcss be requested 10 take such steps
may be necessary TO hold ransmlssl
sippi exposition at Omaha uullhE =
months Of August, September ana OcloD'
lSgS and that the representatives OF su,
states and territories In congress pc ]
Cuestad 10 fnVor such an Appropriation