Omaha daily bee., 1897-12-01

Los Angeles Herald The Transmsslssp ppi
and International Exposition will open at
Omaha on June /, 1898, and continue six
months. VIII California The represented?
III so, on what scale? 1t should not be
necessary TO explain the advantage of an
adequate display Of California products at
the Omaha exposition. There is no room
for argument regarding 1t. The fair is to
be on very large scale; 1t has the indorse-
ment of the president and congress; the
government has appropriated money for it.
Not only the transmissssippi states, but the
states Of the union generally are making
preparations to be represented. Faraway
Florida, for instance, expects to enter the
field against California and is making all its
arrangements to that special end.
The Centennial in Philadelphia began the
great fairs in this country and then clme
the worlds fair, the Midwinter fair at San
Francisco, then the Atlanta exposition. and
the Nashville fair is just drawing to a cloae
All of these exhibitions have becn very sue
cessful. The Omaha fair will be the first
exposition peculiarly characteristic OF the
great west. 1t will stand first of all for
that part of the country lying west of the
Mississippi river
Now, what will California do? So far
as a state it has done nothing. Mr.. George
w. Parsons of this city vice precedent Of
the exposition committee for California,
made strenuous efforts to get apprCpria-
tion from the legislature at the last session
OF that body, but for various reasons he was
not successful. Whatever is done now must
be by the efforts of the several county and
city organizations and of individuals
Mr.. Parsons has suggested to the gov
crnor that a commission of fifteen be ap-
pointed from various parts Of the state u
take hold of the matter; but Governor Budd
has not seen fit thus far to act upon it. The
Herald hopes he will appoint the commission
The opening OF the fair is scarcely six months
away. 1t is absolutely necessary, il the state
Is to be represented adequately, that the ma
ter be looked after by a central organization
and that the work of preparation begin at
once. If each county and each individual OF
industry wishing to be represented acts alone
the result will be dispropOrtion and con
fusion.
1t is possible under the law for the several
counties to make appropriations for eXpGsi-
tion purposes and it is fair TO presume that
a number of them will take advantage of the
sDlendid opportunity. 1t will be an eXcep-
tional chance to bring the accomplishments
and possibilities OF our state to the attention
of thousands Of people who otherwise might
remain in ignorance. The situation is not
unlike the old story of Mahomet and the
mountain
The boards of supervisors and the cham
bers of commerce ought to take steps at once
for the representation of their counties at the
exposition This part of the state must OF
course have a special represen tation, for what
would a California exhibit be without the
products of Southern California? Los An
gees county and the city of Los Angeles
through the chamber of commerce are taking
steps to have a characteristic display at the
eXpositcn and 1t is fair to presume that the
reputation of this section will be maintained
At the same time, surprising degree of gen
eral apathy has been manifested. 1t ought
not to be left to one maa or few men to
uphold the honor and credit of our state. A
Door exhibit will be worse than exhibit
at ALL A good exhibit cannot be expected
Inless there is general cooperation. what
are our peoQe going to do about it?