The San Francisco call., 1897-09-26
COMMISSIONS Handy Actively
at Work in the French
Capital.
More Space Will Be Needed for
United States Exhibits Than
Ever Before.

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days. Major Handy is assisted by Lieu
tenant Baker, who was connected with
the Chicago exposition as assistant chief
of the foreign transportation of exhibits,
and by Colonel Chaillet-Lory, who is sec
retary of the commission.
In conversation with the Associated
Press representative Major Handy made
the following statement:
There is a rapidly in creasing interest
in the United States with regard to the
exhibition of 1900. There has never been
any doubt about the people taking hold of
it with enthusiasm. But public attention
was so engrossed with the Presidential
election, with an extra session of Con-
gress and with the tariff question, that it
had no uIme to devote to the exhi bition.
President Mckinley has become very
much interested in it and sent two mes
sages TO Congress concerning ii. The rea-
son why the bill appropriating S., 900, 900,
passed by the Senate, did not go through
the House is that nothing went through.
'IU was thought best not to open the
door for consideration of any question
except that for which Congress was called
together, because there were so many
meritorious subjects pressing. Mean
while the United States interestin the ex-
hibition is shown by the appointment of
special commission. l am charged to
confer with the authorities here, to give
an earnest Of our good will, TO secure
ground for our exhibit, to prepare a
report for President Mckinley before
Congress Assem- bles, etc. Though we are
late, as compared with other lIations, we
are eighteen months earlier than the
United States was for either the exhIbi-
ton of 1873 or of 1889 For the latter.
however, a good deal OF valuable work
was done by our secretary Of legation, NJ.
Vignaud.
'Since my appointment on July q
have been steadily at work. l speAt a
month in feeling the public pulse. l did
that largely through correspondence and
through newspaper publications. From
the answers received ! feel safe in saying
that we shall need more space in 1900 than
at previous exhibitions and that our ex-
hiblt will be of a higher order of merit.
/ am anxious to select exhibits which will
be truly representative and characteristic
rather than exhibits merely remarkable
for their size.
Il shall be guided to large extent by
the correspondence mentioned with re-
gard TO the amount OF space required, etc.
L have had personal com munication with
the managers of the larger interests, such
as the bicycle trade, electrical concerns the
furniture trade and such like. Men like
President Depew of the New York Cen
tral, President Thompson of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad and Mr.. Pullman Of the
Pullman Palace Car Company, have given
me personal assurance OF their co-opera-
ton. l have had overtures from the
80. i
Is better to deal with them in classified
way"
How do you like the classified tion
made by the French authorities?' Major
| Handy was asked.
SIT is excellent" he answered. 1T is
an improvement on all preceding exhi
tions. l notice that, with propriety, edu-
cation is placed first on the list and art
also holds high place"
What success DO you hope TO meet
with in your capacity as special commits
sioner?"
''I cannot, and would not, anticipate the
result of our negotiations, but | feel sure
We shall have all due consideration. Our
people have the friendliest feeling for
France and have great reason to be CRATE
ful to the French republic for the mag
niticent exhibit it made in Chicago in 1893
1t gives me great pleasure to meet with
the distinguished Frenchmen l met in
Chicago, and l am sure l can rely upon
their cooperation.
Our En- bassador, General Porter, who
was unaVoidably bsent from Paris when
l reached here, left a most cordial note of
welcome for me. Meanwhile | was re-
ceived with marked courtesy by NJ. Wig
maud the Charge d Affalres. l expect to
be here two months and will return in
time TO present my report to the Presi-
dent before the opening of Congress.
Since my arrival, recent as it is, l have
received many applications Tor space from
resident Americans One application re-
ceived was for the reproduction of the
process of gold mining from day 20 day.
l cannot mention names, but 1t is from
one of the largest gold mines i'll the world.
81 am IN great hope that the work L set
on foot in Chicago and New York will
bring full response, so as TO enable US TO
judge as to space. The impression at
present is that we can ill creditabiy 600
feet square. There Is no reason why we
should have less than any other country,
except France. AS she is the home coun-
try she should have the right of way.
The retrospective parts OF the pro-
gramme-that is, the part which shows
what progress has been made during a
century-we could easily lead in. We
have often taken the lead in the field of
inventions and we can do so again. /
think the United States will make gen.
erous appropriation. appropriations from
other countries are larger than ever before.
Whenever we show Congress the deRirabll-
ity of having the American exhibit hold
high place on the banks of the Seine am
sure generous response will be given.
The exhibition of 1900 viii be the
greatest the world has ever seen. In spite
of many difficulties France did well in
1889. Then, though European countries
maze respectable showing,, still the mon
aTchical governments didn' enter int o he
exhibition with enthusiasm. Now the re-
public is no longer cold shouldered. Ger
many joins in enthusiastically, so do lhe
other countries. We could not expect the
European countries would have put forth
as much effort for Us in 1893 as they will
do for the exhibition of 1909. In fact it
required the revelation we made at Chi
cago to convince the world that we could
do it. Next time they will all come to US
with their best foot forward.
mo lesson taught by previous exposi-
tions has been lost upon France. The
much-abused word fin de steele will ap-
ply 10 this exposition of 1900 better than
to ANYTHING else for il Will n the crowO-