The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-23
WANTS $5O,OOO
 FOR EXHIBIT Worlds Fair Commission
 Met Here. HAS PREPARED A BILL Urged That Alabama Have Building in St. Louis. Committee Which Visited Grounds Made Enthusiastic Report to the Commissioners--Called on the
 Governor.

the duty of preparing an AlaDama ex- hibit for the st. Lotus Commission met Tn Montgomery yesterday and took steps towards securing an appropriation of $Ov.0v0 from the Alabama Legislature.
 The meeting was held in the ohice of the State Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries at the State Capitol and the following were present:
 Hon. Robert R. Poole. ex-officio a member; J. M. Falkner of Montgomery. G. H. Estes and J. B. Gibson. BlI Iming- Blackwood, Gadsden; Dave Goodwin, An nlston; E. w. Booker, Elmore; R. w. German. Opelika: W. J. Gaines. Russell- vile, and President Alex Rice and Secre- tary L. l.. Gilbert of the Montgomery Commercial and Industrial Association.
 Captain Falkner from the Committee which visited St. Louis, made the fol- lowing report:
 Your Committee appointed to go to St. Louis, in the interest of the Alabama exhibit at the Worlds Fair, respectfully report:
 That Messrs. Falkner, Gibson. Lay. German and Nathan. spent the 18th and 20th of this month in St. Louis, where we were most cordially received by the management of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
 We visited the grounds where the buildings are now in process of erection, and found that great progress had al- ready been made in erecting buildings, and in preparing for what, in our opln- ion, will surpass in magnitude and splen- dor any former enterprise of this char acter.
 "The Centennial Exposition at Phila- delphia, in 1876 required 236 acres for its accommodation. The Paris Exposition of 1900 had SS6 acres. The Columbian Expo- sition at Chicago in 1893 had SS5 acres. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition will cover an area of 1,lsO acres It is said that the cost of construction of the Paris Exposition was $19. 600. of the Chicago exposition $1S.322,0o0, while $S0,000,000 or over. will be expended in St. Louis.
 'The buildings erected and which are in process of erection, are sufficient ot themselves to show that nothing of a similar character ever approximated what this great exposition of 1904 will ba.
 Exhibits are expected and in all prob ability will be made, from practically ev- cry civilized portion of the globe, and hence visitors from every section of the world will, in ali probability. attend the Worlds Fair.
 Just at this time the tride of immi- grafton is tending towards the South, and in our opinion Alabama never had such an opportunity to exhibit her wonderful resources as will be offered by the Louis jana Purchase Exposition. In our opin. ion no State in the Union can show more inviting field for the profitable in- vestment of canitaI than Alabama.
 Tt would be worse than folly to att tempt to make any exhibit that would not do full justice to the entire State. If anything Is done. not only every County. but every locality in the State should be represented, showing all the varied re- sources and we should have an abund- ance of literature, describing fully the resources of every County; nothing should be omitted.
 'TJnder the rules of the exposition ex hIbits are classified into fifteen depart ments. into 14O groups, and into s07 classes. hence every exhibit made will be a competitive one. The agricultural exhibits, for instance. going Into the Ag- ricultural building, and 50 with every other exhibit, each going into its own de- partment.
 ''In our opinion Alabama will have nothing to lose by such an arrangement.
 ITO make a creditable exhibit it will be necessary for an appropriation of at least $50 600. Out of this sum we should erect a small building to be known as the Alabama Building. which should be constructed of lumber, stone, brick. mar ble and the like from Alabama. and this building should be the place of rendeZ- vous for all Alabamians, and persons in terested in Alabama, and in point of fact should be kept as sort of bureau of in- formation, from which an abundance of literature should be distributed. having an agent at all times there for that pur- pose.
 "Our several exhibits should be placed in the proper buildings. and we should have a competent man there at all times during the exposition hours to distribute literature and to answer questions, and to otherwise advertise our State.
 "As men grow older the winters of our great Northwest seem to get colder to them. and there are large numbers who would like to flee from the chilling blasts of winter and come to more genial cline, and therefore, we believe, if Ala bama is properly represented at this eX- pogition. and her vast undeveloped re- ] sources are shown, together with the op- portunities for making money and the ike much capital could be induced to come into our State and our population will be increased by large and valua- ble citizenship.
 .sIJowever, your committee is of the opinion that unless we can get sucn an apuropriation as Is herein named. that 1t would be useless to undertake any ex- hibit at all"
 1 Accompanying the report was bill 10 appropriate $5O,OOO for an exhibit which the Committee recommended and which was adopted by the Commission. The report of the Committee was re- neived and concurred in and after some discussion the Commission adjourned. The Commissioners called on Governor Jelks and received assurances from him that he would be glad to corporate and favor as large an appropriation as con ditions would allow.
 -.--- - ,,,o .roau of the hack ,s an