The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-12
WE'LL BE THERE.
Kansas Will BE Represented at
Charleston.
So Says Sam KimbIe Who Does
Things.
HE HAS NO MONEY.
Think People Will Rectify Mis-
take Of Legislature.
Talks of Advantages to Accrue
From Exposition.

If the wishes of Sam KimbIe are re-
garded by his associates on the South
Carolina and West Indian Exposition
commission, they will have some work
to do and not be satisfied with an
empty honor. Kimble was already &C
credited as Kansas official representa-
tive when the five commissioners were
appointed and announced last week
Governor Stanley sent his name to the
exposition authorities last winter upon
their application. They accredited Kim
BILE at once and he has been distributing
the exposition literature as sent to him
ever since. He is saturated with in
formation about the exposition and i'm
pressed with the idea that Kansas
ought to be represented at the southern
fair.
That there is no money appropriated
for the purpose Kimble considers I'M
fortunate, a handicap but not barrier
He has an idea that Kansans will
recognize that the interests of the state
will be so enhanced by an exhibit that
a sufficient fund to make a creditable
showing can be raised by subscription.
Mr.. Kimble was here when Governor
Stanley was away keeping a lecture en-
gagement- Il should have liked to see
the governor about this South Carolina
exposition. / am impressed that an
exhibit at that fair would be good
thing for Kansas. There are people
constantly emigrating from the states
of North and South Carolina. Kansas
gets some of them and ought to have
more.
Several families from the Carolinas
have recently come into Riley county
and adjoining counties that know Of
There are worthy people there who are
looking for a better country to live in.
They are dissatisfied with the race
rancor and political conditions that pre-
vail in Carolina They want to get
away from it.
Now if Kansas had a good exhibit
of its products at the Charleston fair,
it would be an advertisement that
would pay. I think it would attract
settlers more than any other advertise
ment that could be placed in the east
or south. The Charleston show is to be
different from any other. 1t comes at
a better time of year. 1t is in the win
ter. 1t is distinctly tropical, purely
southern.
7 am convinced that Kansas can put
an exhibit there Notwithstanding there
is no state money to do it with. 1t can
be done at a nominal cost and am
sure that men of public spirit will con-
tribute in small amounts to carry out
the venture to a success. Perhaps it is
better that there is no state fund If
there was an appropriation, pride would
swell up and we would be sure to want
to make a big display quite beyond our
means. If the people do it of their own
efforts, it can be done more economi-
cally and more effectively. All we want
is material for an exhibit and someone
to superintend it. We could get sam
pies of our immense wheat crop We
could get some fair corn despite the
drouth, or for that matter some giant
specimens from last years crop We
could secure an exhibit of our lead and
zinc industries in the southeastern cor
ner. am sure there would be no trou-
BILE to get together a display that would
interest just the people that we want
to reach. Then all we would want is an
active, vigorous. young man who can
talk Kansas from morning till night.
We could get display room set apart
for US and a chance for our orator
That is all that is needed. It is not go
ing to run up into a. big sum of money
either. A thousand dollars or two, I
am convinced, can be raised and would
be ample to defray all cost. I am going
to have the commission called together
and see if something cannot be done
along this line. It would be worth
while-wen worth while-and the more
L think of it the less deplore the lack
of appropriation Kansans are like
other people. When they have a lump
of money to spend it looks frightfully
small no matter what the size. When
they have none, they can do wonders
with what they have a chance to get"
1t is probable that the commission
viii make Kimble its chairman, when
it meets, since he has several months
start on the others in his relations to
it.