The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1901-12-27
Official Ground Breaking For the
st. Louis Worlds Fair a
Cool Proceeding.
EXERCISES AT The SITE WERE BRIEF.
The Officials, Speakers and Guests
eh repaired to the Coliseum,
Where the Programme of
Speeches, Music, ETC., was Car
ried Out-SaIute by Battery A.

exposition site was celebrated by the
board OF directors, who assembled at
the st. Louis club at 1890, and took
carriages for the site. After the
ground-breaking the party started
Tor the coliseum. Upon reaching the
armory the First regiment joined
them, acting as an escort the rest of
the way. At the coliseum the pro-
gramme prepared for the grand stand
at the site was carried out without
change.
The decision not to carry out the
programme originally drafted, pro-
viding for procession, in which the
leading organizations of the city
We're to have participated, was
reached Thursday, when those who
had many features of the days work
In hand made trip to the site to
be sure that everything was in readi-
ness. AT that time the thermometer
registered three degrees below zero.
The lmpracticability of holding an
open air ceremony was instantly per-
| ceived. A report of this fact was
made to the ceremonies committee,
| resulting in meeting of that body,
at which the changes were decided
upon. Battery A, however, fired the
salute, as originally arranged.
In addition to the board of di-
rectors who met at the st. Louis
club, Gen. John C. Bates and his aid
de-camp, Lieut.. John McClintock with
other members of his staff, Joined
them and made the trip to the site.
Dr.. S. j. Nichols was also of the
party. DR.. Niccolls said that, warm
or cold, an invocation should be pro-
nounced upon the. beginning of the
big enterprise, and that he would per-
form that duty, according to the re-
quest made of him.
Director of Works Isaac S. Taylor
had big fires built over the earth
where the ground-breaking was to oc-
cur, so that the frost was removed
before the party arrived. The vehi-
Gle with its four white horses to haul
away the earth played its designated
part.
At the coliseum President D. R.
Francis made the opening speech, in
Producing the orator of the occasion,
Congressman James A. Tawney, of
Minnesota, who spoke, in part as fol
lows:
ga more propitious time for pro-
foundry impressing upon the world
the Importance and glory of our
achievements, more favorably OPP
portunity for displaying the splendor
of our institutions, exhibiting the
tangible evidences of the prosperity
of our people, of our supremacy as
nation, and the vast extent of our
commercial and territorial expansion,
has never before been presented to
the American people. Here the ma
lions of the world will exhibit, for mu-
tual pleasure and profit, some of the
things they produce, those which will
best typify and illustrate the results
Of their civilization, their progress
and material development in every
thing that can contribute or is essen
tial to the betterment of mankind.
Thus will the world profit immeas-
urably by this commemoration of one
of the greatest historical events in
the life of one of it's youngest repub-
lies.
"The Importance of this exposition
as means of educating ourselves and
other nations in the knowledge of
these things that make us the fore
most nation of the globe, can not be
1t will be important
and beneficial, too, in that it will give
TO our social and industrial fabric 81
moral and an intellectual significance
that is the pride of America and the
envy of the world. One of its chief
Talues, however, will be in the OPP
,ortunity for strengthening and cul-
ivating more intimate social and in
lustrial relations between the states
md between the United States and I
oreign countries.
"Another great object to be accom-
one that transcends all 9TH
rs, is in the fact that this EXPOSE
ion is intended and will commemo-
ate the first centennial of the great
st international event in our history
he one that marks the beginning of
hat national policy that has made us
world power, without which our
resent industrial and political SUI
remacy could never have been
National Commissioner John NJ. Al
IN made the closing speech, followed
v an invocation by Archbishop Kahn.
he Meridian (AIiss.) military band
musical selections for the