The times., 1898-10-25
THE CITY'S CENTENNIAL
Washington to Celebrate the
Event in a Fitting Manner.
MEETING HELD LAST NIGHT
Representative Citizens Attend ana
Form nm Organization - Commis-
sioncr Wight Elected Chnirmnn-
The Project Meets With Hearty
Is Pledged.

Washington is to celebrate in a fitting
location of the national Government at
Washington. and incidentally the closing
year of the nineteenth century.
This movement took permanent form
last night at 4 meeting OF representative
citizens in the old inauguration commit
tee rooms in the Lehman Building
The celebration has been indorsed by the
prominent business men OF the city, and
the meeting last night was for the pur-
pose of forming an organization and the
appointment OF committees to formulate
plans for an appropriate celebration
The meeting. though short. was very
satisfactory. Hon. John b. Wight, who
was appointed chairman, was authorized
TO appoint committee of nine, of which
he is to be ex-officIo chairman, to formu-
late plans and report at the next meet
ing. which will be held at Wizards Hall
some time in the near future
The meeting was called to order by W.
5. Mexican, who called for the nomination
of u chairman, which resulted in the Sc
lection of Commissioner Wight.
Commissioner Wight, in accepting the
chair. made a short speech setting forth
the object of the meeting, saying that its
purpose was to consider in a tentative
way what arrangements it would be prop
er and wise to make for this celebration.
He considered ii matter of great eratifi-
cation that the project had been con-
ceived and that beginning had been
made
Commissioner Wight also thought it a
matter of congratulate ton that all of the
leading business men of the city who had
been approached on this subject had
given 1t their hearty Endorsement He
believed that the only thing necessary
was to go ahead, and that ample sup
port would be readily forthcoming TO
make the affair credit to the CITY. as
well as of lasting benefit He presented
the regrets of Commissioner Ross. VINO
was unable to be present
W. 5. Mexican was appointed secretary.
Mr.. Mexican. who is practically tne origi-
nator of the movement, said he had been
thinking the matter over for long time.
He had called on about $50 OF the leading
business and professional men of the
city. and that the movement had in every
case met with most hearty approval Mr.
Mexican said there were a number of
ways in which beiitting celebration
could be conducted, and he suggested the
arrangement of a program contemplat ting
a series Of celebrations 10 occur during
the year, so as to attract people from all
parts OF the country from January, 1899,
to January, 1900.
Carrying out this idea, he suggested
that the 22d of February be made the first
date for a cefnhro prb
would be made to have all the patriotic
orders of the country assemble here for n
few days, at which time a pilgrimage to
Mt. Vernon could be carried out This
plan would bring to Washington many
thousands of people and leave here many
thousands of dollars. Decoration DAY.
Mr.. Mexican suggested. could be made a
reunion day for the blue and the gray
The Fourth of July also could be made
nationally attractive. All of these cele-
brations, he suggested. could be made in
addition to a special celebration of the
location of the Capital
Mr.. Mexican suggested further that It
would be appropriate to urge the erection
of a permanent national structure, to be
erecter jointly by the Government as
sisted by all the States and Territories,
to be filed with historic exhibits from
all parts of the country. The laying of
the cornerstone could be made a feature
of the celebration in 1900, and the COM
pletion celebrated in 1901 which would be
the celebration of the centennial of the
first inauguration.
George C. Henning offered the follow
ing resolution, which was heartily in
dorsed:
Resolved, That we celebrate the CEN
tennial of the selection of the seat of
Government at the District of Columbia. ="
A letter was read from the firm of
Woodward 6 Lothrop, expressing their
most hearty approval of the movement.
W. S. Knox read a set of resolutions
which had been presented to the Board
of Trade in 1896, looking to the celebra-
ton of this event and also the establish
ment of permanent buildings, erected by
the different States and Territories, in
which they should maintain a permanent
exhibit of their products. The resolutions
were referred to the committee 10 be ap-
pointed.
A resolution was then presented by
Conrad H. Syme, authorizing the chair
to appoint a committee of nine to out
line and consider plans for the appropri-
ate celebration of the one hundredth an
niversary of the location of the National
Government at Washington, and to re-
port hereafter to a meeting Of citizens