The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-04-20
MINNESOTA CUT OUT
OF PORTLAND FAIR
Legislature Fails to Appropri-
ate Money for State Build.
ing at the Exposition

An omission by the legislature that
has caused a great deal of unfavorable
comment was its failure to make pro-
vision for a Minnesota building and eX-
hibit at the Portland exposition.
While st. Paul jobbers and business
men generally regret that the leglsIa-
ture failed to make provision for
state exhibit, they have concluded that
because of the fact that the exposition
opens June l il will be impossible to
make state exhibit by private sub
scription. 1t is practically certain that
Minnesota will not be represented Off
cially al the Lewis and Clark EXPOSE
ton.
The suggestion that a joint note for
$4,000 to $4,000 be signed by persons
interested, the next Legislature TO be
trusted TO make an appropriation to
reimburse the signers of the note, is
not received with favor by st. Paul
jobbers. This plan was adopted in
doubling the appropriation made by
the Legislature for the Minnesota
building at Chicago and for a Mime
sofa building at the Omaha exposition.
Men who were concerned in those un-
dertakings say that a repetition of those
experiences is not desired. Everything
indicates that the state will be repre-
scented at Portland only by such Mime
show. Among the more prominent
visitors will be Gov. Johnson and a
party of state officials and friends.
The governor plans on visiting the ex-
position, but has not yet set a definite
time for the western trip.
Bill Killed in the Senate
That the senate had not passed the
De Laittre bill appropriating $40, 900
for Minnesota building at Portland
is not generally known. The bill pass
ed the house with little opposition. but
in the senate the demands on the state
treasury, coupled with the prejudice
that there are too many expositions,
resulted in the De Laittre bill dying in
committee. Even had it passed the
senate there is question whether or
not the appropriations committee in
view of the scramble among the~repre-
Sentatives of the institutional towns for
nDeral appropriations for their institu-
lions, would have put the item in the
omnibus bill.
Il would not call a meeting of the
directors of the Commercial club to
take up private subscription said
PRESIDENT l.. G. Hoffman yesterday. Il
supposed that the De Laittre bill had
passed the senate and that the appro-
priation had been made 1t is GER
tainly too bad that the bill failed to
pass. The Pacific coast states are
pretty good customers of Minnesota.
and from reciprocal standpoint the
state could we'll afford to make some
little sacrifice to be well represented.
1t would prove the wrong kind of an
advertisement, however to make a
showing at the fair that would cost
$4,000 or $4,000, such as could be
made by private subscription in St
Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth l be-
lleVe that our club would cooperate
with the commercial organizations of
the other cities of the state in euaran-
teeing fund to make a respectable
showing, the next legislature to make
an appropriation to reimburse the
slgners to joint note for $25. 900 to
$4,000. Our club will be glad to con-
slider the matter with the officers of
the jobbers' associations of the Twin
Cities. But to endeavor to raise
fund by private subscription would,
think. be out of the question:
Too Late to Make Showing
Leading jobbers expressed the con-
victiOn that because the fair opens so
soon it will be impossible to make a
representative showing of the states
manufactures and industries.
1t is too bad that the legislature
failed to make an appropriation" said
X. A. Kirk of Farwell, Ozmun, Kirk &,
co. 1t is the only equitable way to
appropriate a certain sum, for under
this plan all the taxpayers of the state
pay their proportion of the cost of the
exhibit. / doubt, however, the wis
dom of attempting to make an exhibit
by private subscription, the next fegis-
lature to be trusted to make an APP
preparation to reimburse the signers of
a joint note. l had an experience in
the Omaha exposition along this line,
and 1t resulted in an immense amount
of work and responsibility. for those
who participated in the raising of the
fund. st. Paul and Minneapolis have
pleasant trade relations far to the west
and it is unfortunate that the legisla-
ture failed to make the appropria-
ton"
t. A Schultz of Foot, Schultz G. Co.
was of the same mind as his neighbor,
Mr.. Kirk. 1T is too late in the day
for a private effort to raise money
and make a showing for the state at
the Portland exposition" he said. II
would not be in favor of making an
exhibit unless an appropriation of
100000 were at the command of the
state officials. Anything less would
be reflection on the states wealth
and resources. / had supposed that
the legislature had made some sort of
provision for a state exhibit 1t is
certainly unfortunate that Minnesota
is not to be represented, but l see no
way out of the matter at this time"