The record-union., 1899-09-18
PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION.
PEOPLE TO BE PROTECTED
FROM ExToRTIoN.
Proposed Exhibit Of the National
Postoffice and Other
Features.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
| BUFFALO IN. Y.). Sept. 17.-Just
at the present time the management
OF the Pan-American Exposition is Civ
ing deep thought to a problem which
received far too little thought at many
other expositions, and that is the pro-
| tect1on OF the city's visitors from the
grasp1ng attacks of avaricious and
narrow minded shop keepers and hote
and boarding house proprietors who
nave not sufficient civic pride to re-
gard the exposition tourist as any
thing but legitimate prey.
| It's not a wild guess, is it, to say
J that you have some sad recollection OF
/ your visit to this or to that exposition
ana can recall with a feeling akin to
rage the nights you spent in a nar-
row hall bedroom at the rate of $3 OF
d day when the fiat itself could be
rented under normal conditions at S1e
a month.
| Everybody knows how the public has
been taken in at a number of cities
which shall be nameless. How a prom
inent official of New York State was in
Southern city charged rs cents for a
shaVe, and how a frugal hackdriver
VINO probably wished to retire, charged
Governor Morton. at that time Chief
Executive of the Empire State SS an
hour for hack and a pair OF horses
that could have been bought for a
| $50 bill.
The writer can recall the stir that
was noticeable in a Western city fo1
| or 70 <@F
exposition when the proprietors of the
city hotels served notice upon all per-
manent guests that they would have
TO leave and then the rates were ad-
vanced by leaps and bounds from So
| and $3.50 and So per day to as high as
800, SS and SO, and the service went
| a correspondingly long ways back
wards.
| The stories of fraud and robbery thai
was practiced are unaccountable
Meals that ordinarily were served fo,
90 cents were hurriedly tossed before
tourists and meanly served and the
checks We're frequently as high as so
And the cities in which such unmiti-
gated robberies occurred suffered vast
ly and the expositions which were
there located were not gamers by the
policy adopted by the unwise and un-
patriotic people living in them, for the
remarks made by the feeced victims
on their return home prevented many
friends from making the journey.
NOW the management of the Pan
American Exposition do not make the
unqualified promise that there will no1
be extortion in Buffalo during the
progress OF the great exposition OF
1871, but they do make the promise
that there shall be as little of it as
wise and careful management car
bring about, and that where any spe.
cific cases are discovered the perpe.
traitors shall be made to suffer for it.
There will be some. It can't be helm,
ed. There are robbers everywhere; as
many in the hearts of big and flourish.
ing cities as in the Pyrenees Noun
tains, but the ones who are known ir
advance here will have but little
chance of operating, for their ways
shall be made known to various CON.
mittees and the visitors will be guild
ed to the hotels and boarding houses
and restaurants and theaters and bar.
Der shops and livery stables which
have in advance submitted a rate caro-
to the proper authorities to abide b,
those rates and not to alter them one
iota during the rush.
1t is a we'll known fact that in some
of the cities where expositions have
been held the business men, and. II
fact, the citizens in general. started
out on a veritable crusade of extor
ton as soon asieathe exposition gate.
were open. They crowded their fami
| lies into one or two rooms of theil
houses and rented every available incl
of space in their domiciles to visitors
packing four and five into a room anf
charging every cent for the miserable
accommodation that they eoule
squeeze out of the victims The price.
| in restaurants and barber shop.
bounded skyward and the saloonkeep
ers raised prices and worked every pos
sible scheme to- gather up doze1
years legitimate profit out of si,
months of crookedness
Within the past three months man,
men have written to those in powel
in the great fair that Will be on th.
Niagara frontier in the summer month.
of the year 1901. and the Chairman
of the Executive Committee and tn.
Ill ACS1oi I'll w VI ncIfS SlNSn Il VAS
deal of thought to the subject.
1T is the desire of the men at tht
head of the Pan-American not only t.
make a temporary success of tha
great enterprise" said Director O.
Works Carleton. "but as Buffalonian.
there is still stronger desire to make
the benefit a lasting one for the ex
position city itself We want the visit
tors to go away from the Queen City
not only delighted and pleased witt
the exposition, but satisfied with ths
city and with the treatment accorded
them. We want them to see a real bi
of Buffalo hospitality; want them Il
feel that the city that can carry for
ward to a successful elimination ons
of the most beautiful and comprehen
sive expositions in history is inhabit
ed by class of men and women wht
do not wish all of the good things O.
the country alone, but are willing tc
share with less fortunate countryn1en
| think that we cannot be too careful
In seeing to it that the people who
come to the show should enjoy the
visit and when they leave us would be
IN the position of man who had en-.
Joyed himself without having mort.
gagged his home for the pleasure
It's a big problem. We realize thai
there are some men here who have al.
ready begun to lay plans to fatter
themselves at the expense of our visit.
ors. Such men are in every comnu-
nifty. Other cities have suffered from
them and we are going to guard our
selves. We have before us many spe.
cific cases which occurred in other cit
| les and we are working on nlar tbo,