Evening star., 1898-10-25
CLOSE OF CENTURY
Proposed Celebration by the Patriotic
Citizens of Washington.
CENTENNIAL OF CAPITAL LOCATION
Movement Inaugurated at Meet
ing Held Last Evening.
COMMITTEE A L L II 0 r IZ E d

The movement to fittingly celebrate the
| centennial of the location of the perma-
| nent seat of the national government IN
| this city, and at the same time to COM
| memCrate the close of the nineteenth CEN
| tury. successfully launched last night
| at an enthusiastic meeting of prominent
| Washington business and professional men
| District Commissioner John 3. Wight was
| selected chairman Of the committee which
| is to have the matter in charge. Only the
| preliminary steps were taken, however
| and the plan of celebration will be more
! fully outlined at public meeting which
| will be called in the near future to con-
| slider the report of a committee of nine
| authorized last night to outline scheme
| for the important event.
Last nights meeting was held in the in
augural committees room in the Lehman
| building, on New York avenue, and was
called to order shortly after S o'clock by
Mr.. W. S. Mexican, who has actively in
terested himself in the proposed centennial
celebration. He suggested that a chair
man be elected. Commissioner Wight was
unanimously chosen to be the leader in
the movement.
The Chairmnn's Remarks.
Chairman Wight explained briefly the OBJ
| jeCt of the meeting. declaring that the cit-
zens of Washington had never been called
upon to participate in a more worthy and
| comEenGable and patriotic celebration. The
first work to be done he declared, was the
formation and permanent organization of a
body of the foremost citizens of the Dis
trict to take the affair in hand The move
ment has met with universal approval by
every prominent man to whom the subject
was broaChed. said MIR. Wight, and there
is little doubt that Washington would in
1890 and 1901 make the grandest display
ever seen in the United States.
Mr.. Wight said he had been commission
ed by his fellow Commissioner Mr.. John
w. Ross. to say the latter was in hearty
accord with the movement. and regretted
his enforced absence from the inaugural
meeting. Mr.. Ross, he said, would assist t
in any manner possible
MIR. Mexican was next selected secretary,
and as he has been the prime mover in
planning for fine de steele celebration he
was asked 10 present his views to the meet
ing. He said he had been thinking of the
celebration for some time past and had
personally called upon many of Washing
tons prominent citizens, all of whom in
dorsed the idea so enthusiastically that he
took upon himself the duty of calling a
meeting and sending out invitations. The
movement was not confined, however, to
those who had received invitations, but was
public celebration, and it is intended that
every person in the District interested shall
feel that he is just as important in con-
nection with the affair as any one else.
Mr. Mckean's Suggestions
The speaker declared his idea to be the
preparation of elaborate programs cf cele-
hratiOn for the national holidays of the
centennial year of Washington as the cap
ital city of a great nation. 1t should be
made a jubilee feast, a reunion of the blue
and the gray, of the east and the west 1t
had been suggested he said. that a perma-
nent national and international exposition
might grow out of the celebration. sucn as
has been planned heretofore. each state
and territory TO have a separate building
he Central and South American republics
would doubtless join in the plan, and erect
suitable buildings to display their products
resources and manufacturing skill, and even
the countries of Europe might firally CO.
operate. The corner stone of a permanent
exposition building. Mr.. Mexican concluded
might be laid in 1890. and the completion
of the building celebrated in 1901 the cen
tennial of the first presidential Inaugural
ton III Washington. Fitting ceremonies
anent the close of the century should also
be planned III connection with the celebra-
ton OF Washingtons centennial.
Mr.. Charles B. Bayly moved as the
sense Of the meeting. that the citizens OF
Washington celebrate the centennial of the
location of the seat of government in this
city. This was unanimously adopted.
Action of Board of Trade.
Mr.. W. S. Knox of the board of trade
was asked to read the report of the COM
I1ittee Of that body appointed some years
ago to consider the resolutions looking to-
ward the establishment of a permanent ex-
position in Washington. This report was
submitted in January, 1896. and the COM
| mittoe expressed IT as a decidedly proper
| movement, worthy the support of all pa
| triotic Americans. The advantages of such
| aE exposition are manifold.
| On motion, the chairman was authorized
10 appoint committee OF nine, of which
| ne shall be ex-OfticiO chairman, to consider
| and outline some plan of celebra ton to be
| received and acted on at a future public
| meeting. Mr.. Q. G. Staples rendered the
| rSe OF Willard Hall for the meeting which
| was accpeted with thanks. The committed
| authorized will be named within a few
| days.
| Col James G. Berret made a few appro-
| pirate remarks. and after a general inter
| change of views among those present an
| adjournment was taken, subject to the cal
| Of Chairman Wight.
| Those present were: Commissioner Wight
| Col James G. Berrct, Col O. G. Staples
| Capt. Allison Nailor Capt. John S Miller
| Dr. w. Tindall. Dr. George Morgan. Messrs
/ r. Ross Perry, L. S Brown Conrad H
| Syme. Washington Danenhower NJ l. Wei.
| Ter, Lawrence Gardner, Chaplin Brown J.
| c. Parker. J. c. Ergood, George c. Hen.
| ming. Norman I. Elliott Frank R. Raw.
| mond J. F. Kelley, C. r Bride VIM. s
| Knox and Julius IanSburorh