Omaha daily bee., 1898-02-14
TEMPERATURE AT OMAHA.

| p. m...... n
Lincoln. The revenues Of the board had
| fallen off very rapidly for the F'rst three
| fairs and Omaha interests conn >. agl-
| tating the idea OF removing II y aha.
Committees were appointed a - para
| tiohs were made to prepare - ,sition
! to be presented to the state - Agri-
| culture in support Of the inv hold
| the state fair in Omaha. At me the
| following editorial appeared5 - Bee in
! the issue OF December 6. 1S 80
A POINTER TO THE Z rTEE.
| Before the committee Z - by the
Commercial club which 7 ~ ,rt or, the
| loCa ton of the proposed tx and eN-
| position grounds takes would be
| well to consider the adv N and feas-
ibility of location on one of tne tracts re-
Gently purchased for park purposes. Take
for instance. Miller park, which has as yet
not been materially improved and cannot
be made available as a competitor of Han
scom park, Elmwood park or Rlverview
park for years. Miller park is almost level
and could be readily converted into a driv
ing park. besides atfording abundant space
for exposition purposes. If there is any
need for additional ground on either side 1t
can be secured by the right of eminent do
main through tle park commission at fair
no additional grounds will be needed, except
for railway approaches The roadway from
the city to Miller park is boulevard and If
1t was desirable the street railway would
be extended from the fort to any point ad-
jacent to the exposition grounds. All the
railroads can without very heavy outlay
extend tracks to points within easy reach.
Quite apart from the advantage to be de-
rived from the fact that the city already
owns this park and no taxes will ever be col
lectible thereon, there is the further in
centive that all improvements can be made
with Il view to permanent exposition or
geological garden. on the plan of Philadel-
phia and Cincinnati. That would form an
attraction all the year around and justify
the acquisition. In its present aspect Miller
park appears to be municipal tree nursery
which can only be made an attractive park
by the expenditure Of hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
To eXpend money on leased ground is n
reckless waste, besides being n barrier to
the erection of slightly and substantial eX-
position buildings. The fact is every build
ing for public use should be constructed
with a view to stability and permanency.
Even If Omaha should not get the state
fair this project is feasible and would
eventuate in an interstate exposition of the
first magnitude.
The opportunity for putting the exposition
idea into practical execution was presented
wheu the session of the Trlnemississppi
Commercial congress was about to be held
in Omaha in November 1895 This oppor-
tunity was taken advantage of and on the
Sunday preceding the meeting of the con-
gress. when many of the delegates wece in
the city and when the congress was the sub
ject of much discussion, the following edi-
toria! appeared in The Sunday Bee of No
vember 25. 1895:
A TRANsLMISSISSIPPI EXPOSITION.
The construction of the transcontinental
railroads gave the first powerful impetus to
the development of the transmssissippi
country. Twenty-Five years ago the popula-
tion of the states and territories west of the
Mississippi was 6,4S5 ,l67, and the states and
tied by the national census with n popula-
tion of 1,+92, S96. In 1S99 The transmssissippi
sbes hs ,6e poPusoa OF tS of nG
rltories west of the Missouri aggregated s.
9l7 2l3. In 1850 there were only twenty-one
miles of railroad in the country west of the
Mississippi. Today the railroad mileage in
the same region exceeds 65,OG0 miles, Of
which $1,000 miles are boasted by the coun-
try west of the Missouri
The marvellous resources of this vast en-
pire were only in a measure displayed at
the exhibits of the western states and terri,
tories were to a great extent overshadowed
by the international exhibits made at Chi
cago. OF the hundreds of thousands of peo-
pie who viewed the Worlds fair compare
lively few carried away with them a dis
tinct impression of the productive indus
tries of the transmiss!Ssippi states. Even
people who live in this section and who have
contributed to its growth do not grasp their
extent and magnitude.
The inspiration for the Cotton States eX-
position now being held in Atlanta doubt
less lay in the conviction that an interstate
exposition would go further toward promot-
ing the development of the south than any
other single agency. That the judgment of
the projectors of the Cotton States eXposi-
tion was eminently sound is attested by the
success that has attended this great under
taking as regards both the number and
variety of the exhibits and the financial
management Of the venture. Not only have
the people of the cotton states displayed
commendabe zeal in contributing toward
its success with displays. but several of the
Atlantic states, notably New York and
Pennsylvania, are creditably represented
The Atlanta exposition has drawn hundreds
of thousands of visitors from every section
of the country and will be the agency by
which a vast amount of new capital will be
transplanted into the south.
What has been accomplished for the south
bv the Atlanta exposition can be accom-
plished for the vest by TrsnsmississiFp IS ssd ond
TO draw on and a country prolific in material
wealth, Transmississippi Exposition
would be an assured success from It's very
the impetus to the westward trend of pop
ulation and capital foH which the people of
make known to all the world the capabilities
of the west and revive activity in every
branch OF industry and production.
The Transmssissipp congress, which con-
venes in this city during the present week,
Is the proper body to take the ,inltiatiye In
formulating the plans for a Transmissis- m sis.
matter would have great weight with both
the state and national legislatures With
to secure tho location of such an interstate
exposition, The Bee believes that the claims
Of Omaha are far superior to those OF al all
in the heart Of the continent. midway be
tween New York and San Francisco, makes
Its railroad facilities in every direction are
as perfect as those Of any city in the Mis-
sissippi valley north of st. Louis: 1t s the
within a days reach. by rail, of the mining
region of Colorado, Wyoming and South Da-
kota, and within two days reach of the
great mining states west of the Rockies.
Omaha is as near to the Puget sound coun-
try as is ST. Paul and nearer by 800 miles
to Sau Francisco and southern California
1t is hardly necessary to add that what
ever is required of Omaha or pledged for
Omaha to make the Transmississipp Ex-
position a success, the business men OF this
city will carry out to the letter.
UnItN ISIIJEn IN ELEVATOR,