The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-02-11
HOUSE LIKELY WILL GRANT
WORLDS FAIR LOAN TO-DAY

Can you use these millions of lights when
those Exposition buildings are razed and
the land turned back TO the purpose for
which ii was originally ntended-a park
for the city?
Great stand pipes are in all those build
ings to protect them from fire. When the
buildings are raZed. viii those stand pipes
he permanent Improvement for Forest
Park for the city OF ST. Louis.
NO PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS"
"A large sum has been spent in paving,
repairing and improving streets and high
ways and avenues. When these buildings
are torn down. those highways and streets
must be dug up. the material In them must
be carried off, the place must be refIed
and the green sward must grow there to
cover the scars that the demolition Of
these buildings will have left. Is that
permanent Improvement for the city of
St. Louis?
Yet tina. was the great argument of tho
great debater of this House-the argu-
ment on which we are asked not to vote
this loan TO the city of St. Louis. / admit
that the Fine Arts building will be a per-
manent structure-not for the advantage
of St Louis. but because you had to put
I'D fireproof structure in order to get the
owners of those priceless treasures of art
to lend them. to you for Exposition pur-
poses.
Now the only other buildings that are
at all permanent in their nature were put
on the Washington University grounds
put there because. by erecting four build
ings. they got the use of nine for three
years. with 100 acres of land. more cheaply
than they could have erected nine build
ings of temporary character. So, as a
matter of fact, the Sentleman's conten-
ton of s5.oo0GG0 spen, in permanent struc-
lures for the city of St Louis dwindies
to one art building, and that building had
to be a fireproof structure in order TO Sc
cure for the Exposition the art treasures
OF the world.
WHY MORE MONEY IS NEEDED.
Now let me take the balance of the
centlerians argument. l am not going in
to the question of the increased Price OF
la Dor. because | have heard the gentleman
from IVA and the gentlemen from Illinois
argue here but few days ago that the
price OF lahcr had increased all over the
land and because the st. Louis company
lad to meet that condition people hnve
rad to meet it in building construction in
every city.
THE gentleman says that they should
Fave no more. What is the fact? The fact
| is, that the Exposition Company had to do
| its work within a specific time. II the
| cost of labor was raised somewhat by the
! Ia"t trrt thSre was great dema nj to be
met within short time. then labor did
no more than the cotton growers of the
South are doing to-day.
so | say the city OF St. Louis could not
compel labor to work at any specific sum-
| The city OF s.. Louis did rot refuse any
protection that was asked for it, The Ex-
| position Company simply met a serious Sit
uatol as fairly they could. in the spirit
| in which able men would meet it any
| where. and they got the best terms pos
sible for the smallest concession.
COST To ST. LOUIS.
Now let me take the only other arxu-
| ment the gentleman has made. which Ia
| that St. Louis is to profit immensely. has
already profited by the expenditure Of this
money and must profit immensely in the
atd d.! TIE City Or st nt TSnfs n sd-
dition to that. has expended out Of the
funds of its citizens. drawn largely from
it's banks. SO. 900 more in Improvements
in the city and improvements on the
streets to get ready to act in fitting man
ner as the hostess of the nation to the
visitors of all the world
Il want TO say here that no man that
has ever studied the history of interna- :
tional expeditions. no man who has ever
looked into the history of these great
worlds fairs. would ever ask that one of
them be brought to his city with the
idea that there was going to be 4 CONNER
ciaI profit in it. If he did he would he
better fitted for a lunatic asylum than
for the management of great world >
exposition.
NO MONEY IN ENPOSITIOSS.
"The great expositions have not been
paving ventures to the cities that have
held them with possibly two exceptions.
Paris is peculiarly situated. Paris is the
one visiting point of all France and every
tourist. every traveller who touches the
continent or who crosses the ocean goes
to Paris whether there is an exposition
there or not. Therefore some of the
Paris expositions have been successful.
-Four have not been successful as money
making enterprises.
These great expositions are beneficial
commercial enterprises for the nation in
which they are held: but. for the city
preparing for them, for the city that
spends. as st. Louis does. sa00Oo,0oo out
OF its own pocket TO make ready for the
exposition. for the city that suffers as
every great city has suffered from
building boom. that builds beyond the
present needs of the community and
or five years succeeding the exposition
for city like that an exposition of this
sort is not a successful commercial en-
tcrprise.
PURPOSE OF THE EXPOSITION.
II want to say simply this in conclusion.
that l believe a great exposition that is
in itself an exposition of the arts anu
industries of all the people of the world.
inviting all the nations of the world to
contest in friendly rivalry for the prizes
there offered showing to its people the
progress of the civilization of all the
countries of all the globe-I believe such
an exposition is the greatest educator that
the mind of man has Yet conceived for
the benefit of humanity. / believe that
il is not only a educator. hut believe IL
is the greatest promoter of comfy among
the nations on all the face of the earth
since the angels sang in heaven when
Christ was born.
Il believe We can do no better act be-
lieye that this money. amply secured as
il is under this bill. with the fun certainty
that every dollar of il viii return to the
Treasury of the United States. with tho
fact that. unless 50 appropriated. 1t lies
idle in the vaults of the public treasury
and that that amount of money must he
Withdrawn from the channels Of COM
nerce where il is actively doing the busi-
ness of the country | believe that this
Congress can do no better act than pass
this measure and give assurance again to
all the world that here, on the soil OF
st Louis this year. as we celebrate the
centennial of the purchase of the Louist-
ana Territory. the second greatest epoch
in the history of the nation. We are m
yitinc there the people of the world 10
witness the most beautiful city that the
mind of artist ever conceived or the
thought Of the magician ever put into
stone and plaster " loud applause.)
TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY