The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-05-09
rhE cosr OF THE
sT. Louls FAIR.

ST. LOUIS Fhlh.
This wonderful exhibition at st.
Louis Of what the world is and does
in the beginning Of the twentieth cen
tury was planned, at first, as much
more modest thing II arose through
la suggestion made to the people OF
ST Louis in 1898 by the Missouri His.
iorioal society for some fitting cele-
braton OF the centennial of the sale,
on April 80. 1903, by Napoleon Bona
parte to Thomas jefferson Of the
country west of the Mississippi river,
the land known in history as the
Louisiana Purchase and Low divided
into fourteen states and territories
Arkansas, Colorado Wyoming, South
Dakota and North Dakota, Iowa Indian
Territory, Minnesota, Kansas, Louisi-
ana. Nebraska. Montana Missouri and
Oklahoma.
The idea took deep root; the Bust
ness Mems league, with its far-reach.
ing commercial influence, assumed
responsibility for the movement; the
enthusiasm Of the states and terri.
tories in the purchase was aroused; I;
national encouragement was got It
was decided that the purchase should
be commemorated by a worlds fair.
The people of 81. Louis gave $4,000, 600
in personal subscriptions, the city
voted a gift of s5.0OO,00O more and
half Of thegbeautiful Forest park as a
site; congress gave outright s5,OOO,0O1,
and lent to the fair s4.6OO,00O more.
All OF this s1s,60O,0O has been spent
in making the grounds, building the
exhibit palaces, inducing the co-opera-
ton Of foreign governments and our
own states, and in advertising the
fair.
The United States has, moreover,
spent sl.65O.0O0 on it's own exhibit,
and the Philippine islands exhibit rep
resents sl,000.OOO. Fifty-one states
and territories will be represented by
comprehensive exhibits, and forty.
three of them win have buildings on
the grounds. The appropriations and
subscriptions Of these states to the
purposes of the fair, varying from
Missouri's 100000 to Names S40,-
900, amount to s7142.OO0. Missouri
spends 100000.
Most Of the foreign governments
have large and valuable exhibits. and
all the great ones, except Russia, have
buildings, the appropriations Of the
foreign participants having been a
few thousand more than seven million
dollars. Germany and France have
spent more money than any OF the
other governments.--som more
than one million dollars each. Eng.
land, China and Japan have spent half
Ia million dollars each, and Mexico
nearly as much. The show places on
the Pike are as extravagant, apparent
", In their cost as in their architect
nre; some Of them, particularly the
eTyrolean Alps and Creation" have
cost three-quarters of a million dol
lars each, which is also the cost OF
building Jerusalem" Without count
ing the six or seven million dollars
which these concessionaires have
spent TO construct and equip their
places, the cities. states, and foreign
governments are paying for their par
ticipation in this fair about thirty ,five
million dollars, more than twice the
fifteen million dollars which Jefferson
paid for the whole Louisiana territory.
The computation, Of course, does not
consider the great cost that win fall
upon private exhibitors II is esti-
mated that the insurance on exhibits
is more than one hundred million dol
lars.