Iron County register., 1899-03-23
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
Preliminary Work for the Louisi-
ana Purchase Celebration.
Review of the Legal Work Thus Far
Done i'm Furtherance of the Plan
of Holding n worlds Fair I'm
City of St. Louis IN 1903.

an outline of the work thus far done
in order to set the proper legal ma
chinery in motion in furtherance of
the celebration of the centennial of
the Louisiana purchase by worlds
fair at st. Louis:
In January. Mr.. Chouteau, chairman
OF the committee of fifty, appointed {"
committee of ten on organization.
whose names are as follows: David Z.
Francis. AdoIphus Busch, James q
Blair, Jonathan Rice, Charles w
Knapp, Daniel Nugent, William Il.
Thompson. Breckinridge Jones, Halsey
c. Ives and Rolla Wells.
\ meeting of this committee was
held the following evening ut the house
of Gov. Francis. At this meeting the
committee organized ana requested
Mr.. James /. Blair to examine the law
and formulate a plan of legal proce-
durc for the organization of a corpora
tion 10 conduct the fair and to obtain
the necessary legal authority for the
state and city to aid the enterprise by
the issue of bonds, or otherwise. At I.
meeting. held a few evenings thereaf-
ter. Mr.. Blair reported that, while tic
Columbian exposition at Chicago. the
Nashville and Omaha eXDositions had
| been conducted by corporations organ
lied under the general laws CT their
! respective states, the law relating -
corporations in Missouri was not such
as would permit of the organization If
company with such powers as wouhl
be necessary to conduct the fair sue
cessfully. The present law of The statsA
requires at least half of the capital
stock to be paid i'll cash, and limits
the maximum of capitalize ton to S1O,-
OOO. 600, and in other particulars is i'll
adapted to the working Of Il company
with the varied functions which
Worlds fair company should have. It
was accordingly recommended that the
legislature be requested tC create by
statute a new class of corpora lions fo-
the purpose of holding centennial or
other eXpositions of this character.
Mr.. Blair was accordingly instructed
by vote of the committee to prepare
draft of such law as would cover
the case. That gentleman stated that
he was entirely willing to undertake
the labor and responsibility. but felt
that in matter of such magnitude he
would like to have with him other
members of the profession, and sUg-
gested that Messrs. Frederick \. judi
son, &. y. Finkelnburg and Charles
Nagel be associated with him in the
work. The suggestion was immediate
ly acted upon and Il resolution passed
requesting these gentlemen to coop
crate with Mr.. Blair in preparing the
law.
y number of meetings were held Ivy
the legal gentlemen above named. anG,
after careful research and considela-
tion draft of a bill was presented to
the executive committee Of the coEl-
mittee of two hundred as he result of
their labors. The measure was apprGv-
ed by the executive committee and hy
their direction was turned over to Mr..
T. W. Lehman, chairman of the COM
mittee on legislation who took the bill
to Jefferson City. where it was intro
duced on Friday, the 10th inst. in both
houses. The act is entitled. An act an-
thorizing the incorpora ton % organi-
"a aticns designed for the purpose of
holding worlds fairs or centennial ex-
positions and defining the powers AMI
duties of such corporation
Gov. Francis said, in recent pub
lie address. that it is one of the best
prepared bills he has ever read.
Abstract of the ELL.
Section / provides that any ten or
more persons may organize ii corpora
ton for the purposes stated in the title
by signing articles of association in |
the usual way; the minimum par value |
OF the shares of stock shall be ten d,.l- |
IaIs; one-half of the entire amount of |
stock must be subscribed aud ten per |
cent. thereof actually paid up in cash. |
Section 2 relates to formalities of fi- |
ing the articles of association.
Section provides that the capital OF |
such corporation shall not be less than
S5.OOO.OOO nor more than $2O.OOO.O O.OOc |
and that not less than ten per cert.
thereof must be paid up on incorpora-
tion, the remaining 90 per cent. to be
payable on the call of the board.
Section provides that the board of
directors shall not be less than 25 no:
more than IS in number: that they
shall be elected annually an1 that i'm
after the incorporation of tie
they shall divide themselves
into three classes. one to serve one
year, one two years and IRE three
years. (The object of this provision =
to insure continuity of TIC policy
adopted oy the original board.)
Section 5 provides for the officers of
the corporation, making of bylaws,
etc.
Section sets forth the object for
which such corporations may be form
ed, and is as follows: Corporations
may be created under this act for ary
one or more or all of the following
purposes, to-wit: First, to inaugurate
and hold national, international or
worlds fairs, centennial and other cN-
positions, either commemorative of
any historical event, or for tine purpose
Of promoting improvement in the arts
and sciences. professions ana trades,
by the exhibition of products of the
arts, industries and manufactures ard
DE- the soil, mine and sea, for for all of
said purposes; second. to promote and
encourage literature, history, science,
or skill among the learned
intellectual cult ure in any !
branch or department, or the estah- 9
lishment of museums, libraries, art
galleries or the erection of plblic mon ,
commemorative of state or ma
tional historical events, or persons. or ,
FOR all of said purposes; third. in gem ,
,ral. to promote. establish and main- :
ain any institution or organization
which tends to the public benefit in re- ,
alton to any or several or all of the ;
1hiocfs ah0ye ennnerafe6 and :