The Forrest City times., 1901-03-15
4 CHAPTER 0F HISTORY.
Representative Tawney, of Mime sota, Tells How the Worlds
 Fair Bill Was Passed. eE
1T VERY NARROWLY ESCAPED DEFEAT,
Duly the IndOmitnble Energy and Persistent Effort of the st. Louis Workers Saved It From Strangu- latiOn by n Heavy Load of Rid- CTS.

Representative James A. Tawney, of Minnesota, chairman of the house committee which reported the Worlds fair bill, reviewed in an interesting way the history of this measure and many incidents connected with it's consideration and passage by con gress. Mir. Tawney said:
 .'I consider the passage of the bill authorizing an international expos- tion at St. Louis to commemorate the one hundreth anniversary of the Lou isiana Purchase and appropriating from the federal treasury $5,000,00O to aid in making the same success, a most emphatic indorsement of our present and past policy of expansion, and one of the greatest achievements in national exposition legislation we have ever witnessed. The amount aI- propriated far surpasses all previous appropriations for exposition pur- poses, and the plan under this law for the control and supervision of the ex- position, in my judgment, is superior to any heretofore provided for.
 s'On account of .hc Chicago Column bian exposition the government ex- pended $5,3S1,S35 Of this amount, however, only Sa,50O.G0O was appro- priated direstly for the exposition or to directly aid in carrying it forward to success. The remaining $2,ss1 ,s35 was expended for the erection of gov ernment buildings, salaries of Worlds Columbia commission, board of lady managers and expenses of the govern ment board of control and other cx- penses. The greater part of the ex- penses was incurred on account of the failure of the law to throw upon the local corporation that derived all the benefit from the receipts of the ex-. position the responsibility for all of these expenditures outside of the gov ernment building and it's exhibit and the care of the same.
 St. Louis Courage and Effort Won.
 Tt would be impossible to say what was the controlling factor in securing this unprecedented result in the his tory of national exposition legisla- tlon. In my judgment nothing con- tributed more than the indomitable courage and persistent and deter mined effort on the part of the people of St. Louis to undertake and make this the greatest exposition of the world, and the comprehensive grasp which their representatives, both in congress and out of congress, includ- ing Gov. Francis, Mr. Spencer and ex- Congressman Cobb, took of the situa- ton and of the necessity of abso- lutely complying with every condition they proposed and fulfilling every promise they made with respect to the part the people of St. Louis and the state of Misso ri would take Tn making this exposition worthy of the great international event it is intend- ed to celebrate. 1t was this fact that in the first instance inspired conti- dence in the members of the house and senate in the success of the eX- position, and prompted them to lend every assistance in the power of the government necessary to insure that result.
 The fact that the amount asked Tor was double the amount ever ap- propriated for any rational or inter national exposition at first staggered many senators and members of the house. With some it is believed thai the gentlemen representing the peo- pie of Missouri, who appeared before the special committee of the house, would have been as much surprised as the members of congress would have been had they received at that tune the full sum of S5,000.000 now appropriated
 But the idea of appropriately com memorating the inauguration of the poilcy of expansion, which next to our triumph for liberty, for independence and the Union. is unequaled by any event in our history, either national or international. commenced to grow and when, by the amendment to the sundry civil bill, passed at the last session of congress, the faith of the government was pledged to aid in making the commemoration of thie event grand national success, there was little or no doubt of the ultimate passage of the measure. unfriendiy Members on Committee.
 But notwithstanding this fact, the way to success was beset with many uliilcuities, the chief one being a want oi opportunity under the rules of ooth houses for the members of either body, as whole, to give ex- Pression to their judgment and their uesire Tn the premises in this form of Aesisiation. The special committee