The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-16
SENI-CENTENNIAL
COMMITTEE TO ACT
Members Expected to Fix Date
for Celebration at Meeting
Tomorrow.

The semf-centenniaI celebration will
De heid; 1t will last two days; it will
take place in the early part of October
probably in the first week
These three facts were ascertained
yesterday relative to the proposed
triple celebration, when the town viii
make merry over the semi-centenniaI
anniversary Of St Paul, the completion
OF the new state capitol and the COM
pletlon of improvements at Fort SMELL
ing.
heretofore nothing was known
OF this civic festival except that if
would probably be held and that tf
held, 1t would be likely 10 take place
sometime in the fall" Nothing fur
ther was announced by the general
committee appointed last December
and composed of prominent st. Paulites.
such as Archbishop Ireland, Gov Van
SAINT and Mayor Smith Little else
was announced by the executive com
mittee named by the general commit
tee, except that the selection Of a date
had been deferred until the executive
committee could learn definitely when
the state capitol would be completed.
City is Assured Celebration.
Yesterday, however, TheophfIus F.
Smith, president of the Commercial
club and member of the semi-centen-
NAL executive committee, said:
The celebration will surely take
place. The date we haven't determin-
ed. 1t will be some time between Oc-
tober I and October Is. That much IS
settled. The executive committee will
favor the first week in October. and
VIII make such recommendation to the
general committee when it meets to-
morrow evening a t the Commercial club.
The general committee must decide the
date.
The celebration is going to be one
of the greatest events that We have
ever had here. We expect to attract
100000 visitors.
plans for the festival will be report
ed by the executive committee. It is
proposed to devote two days to the re-
JoicingS. The first day will bring out
the largest military display that St.
Paul has seen. The secretary of war
and other Washington officials Will be
here, all the troops from Fort Smelling,
and all the Minnesota national guard.
'On the second day we shall celebrate
the completion of the new capitol. The
semi centennial of the city will also be
observed in proper fashion, but we
haven't decided whether this feature
should be part of the first days pro-
gramme or the second"
Delay Means Better Programme.
Other members of the executive COM
mittee seemed more Teticent yesterday
than Mr.. Smith, or not so we'll inform
ed. But almost all of them agreed that
the celebration would be held although
one or two gentlemen had not kept in
touch with the progress of arrange
ments. c. j. McCOnvilIe suggested
that the delay in preparing plans would
be advantageous, as it would afford
time to draw up an elaborate scheme.
Mr.. McCOnville said There's no
doubt the celebration will be held. We
have been waiting simply to learn from
the capitol commission when the new
capitol will be finished. We want to
cooperate with the commission, and in
everything that concerns the capitol
part of the celebration our arrange
ments will be subserVient to the wishes
of Claiming Seabury, chairman of the
capitol commission.
I don't know what the executive
committee will report tomorrow to the
general committee, but it looks to me
as if the celebra ton will have to be de-
feFred until some time in the fall.
Still, this delay will be Of benefit. 1t
will enable us to prepare a much more
elaborate celebration than we would
have if we were obliged to hurry our
arrangements.
Executive Committee to Fix Date.
w. H. EIsinger, of the executive com
mittee, said that he was not prepared
to tell anything about the celebration.
He had not attended the meetings Of
the committee.
I have no doubt" said H c. Nc
Nair, but that the celebration will be
held. But I have been out of town
and 1 have not attended the meetings
of the executive committee. 1 don't
know anything about the arrange
ments. At last accounts the date Of
the celebration had not been fixed"
The celebration will be held" de-
clared Chairman e. G. Stringer, Of the
executive committee. I'VE can't fix the
time Just yet. and we are not prepared
to give any details
The general committee Of fifty will
meet tomorrow night at the CONNER
cial club and hear a report from the
executive committee. We shall report
what has been done and what the
probabilities are as to the time when
we can hold the celebration. But we
shall outline plans only in the most
general way. 1t will be absolutely i'm
possible to go into details
Il want to say emphatically that we
are going to have that celebration"