The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-06
The Fall of the Fall Festival.

~ HJCAGO is playing in hard luck.
~ We are not abiding to the Chi
cago baseball club, which is
down in eighth place; nor to the re-
cent death of the full sister to Mrs.
O'Learys celebrated COW; nor to the
swallowing of McKinley's Philippine
policy by the Chicago Times-Herald;
nor to the invasion into the family
Of that peerless Chicago statesman,
Bathhouse John, of the measles. Chi
cago has experienced more serious af-
ilictions than these and recovered.
Chicago possesses great recuperative
powers. She is not easily dazed or faxed.
Her nerve has successfully stood every
ordinary test.
But now Chicago has something of
gravity on her mind. She is worried
with anxiety. She is haunted by the
terrible fear that she is losing her
grip. When Chicago succeeded in steal
ing the worlds fair from New York,
she fondly thought that her fame and
fortune were secure. She already
eclpsed New York in beef and pork.
she would presently transcend her in
population and commerce, in literature
and art, in song and story. in canned
goods and politics. Chicago would be
the first city on the continent and anon
the first city in the world. New York
would be a sideshow. London, Paris
and Berlin would be as country Po-
dunks to her. All nations and peoples
from Greenland's icy mountains to In
dias coral strands, from Kentuckys
blue grass meadows to Luzon's
dance houses to johannesburg lone
some kraals, would fall down and
worship her as the biggest thing that
| ever happened.
| Chicago confesses to some disap-
pointment. She is not attaining her
ambition with anything like the rap
! idity she dreamed of in 1898, when she
| had the worlds fair and the world S
| admiration in her inside pocket. Worse
than that. she is alarmed lest she is
retrograding. Things are not coming
| her way at all, at all. When New York
|
bration, Chicago proposed to see ii
and go it several better. She would
| get up fall festival and place on ex.
hibition not only Dewey, but Schley
Sampson, Cervera, Mckinley, Diaz
Emperor William, Bathhouse John
Jeffries, Kid Mccoy, Roosevelt. Hanna
Henri Watterson, Chauncey NJ. Depew
and w. A. Clark. She would display
the most wonderful aggregation of he.
roes and statesmen ever aggregated
together under one tent, peanut anc
pink lemonade privileges made known
on application to the manager. Such
was Chicago's daring prospectus
Dewey, of course, would be exhibit A
but she would have other eXhibits-al
the way from A to q.
! But alas and alack for Chicago's
pride! She couldn't make connections
One by one the heroes and Statesmen
failed her. She made desperate efforts
no puller-in for a Bowery second
hand clothing store ever revealed mor'
frantic energy and gall: but still they
wouldn't come. Not only the heroes
and statesmen, but the crowd passed
by on the other side; and Chicago i.
left de,solate and forlorn with onl!
President Mckinley and the vice presi
dent of Mexico. whom nobody eve
heard Of before or cares ever to hea
of again, to show for her pains. Oh
what a fall was there, my countrymen
Oh, what fall has been taken on
of the fall festival. o mighty Chicago
dost thou lie so low? Are all they con
quests, glories, trumphs, spoils
shrunk to this little measure? Far
thee well.