Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-05-10
EXPOSITION OF 1910
PRACT TICALLY ASSURED
Immense Sum Realized at Mass
Meeting.
SUBSCRIPTIONS CAME IN FAST
Great Throng Packed Grand Opera
loquent Speeches Were
Made, Which Were enthusiastically
Cheered by the Audience.

Made, Which Were Enthusiastically
Cheered by the Audience.
Atlanta, May 9.-With a magnifi-
cent outburst of the old-fashioned At
lanta spirit, the 1000 Atlantans who
packed the Grand opera house Tues
day night, went into their packets for
the splendid sum of more than $4,000,
put at rest forever the thought of in
difference to the exposition of 1910,
and sent out to the world the glad
tld1ngs that Atlanta, following in the
footsteps of Chicago, Buffalo, ST. Louis
and Portland, will open her gates in
1910 with the biggest exposition the
south has ever seen.
The splendid meeting of Tuesday
night proved the wisdom of it's organ
1zers. The people, the real people of
the city they all love so we'll, swarmed
the big auditorium, and every seat on
the ground floor held an interested lis
tener to the patriotic speeches. The
corridors behind the rear seats were
filled and many were forced to go
into the galleries. A number of la
dies added brilliancy to the imposing
spectacle, and as each speaker would
make catching point the applause
which swept the audience actually
shook the rafters of the massive build
ing.
The crowd represented all phases of
Atlanta's life. The capitalists and
the carpenter, the lawyer and the
printer, the doctor, the preacher, the
manufacturer, the merchant and the
man from every walk and station
clasped hands in the determination to
make the movement a success.
And the contributions came from all
classes of people and in all amounts.
Ten thousand dollars was the largest
sum contributed, and this came from
the Southern Bell Telephone compa-
ny. Five dollars was the smallest,
and Joe Stewart an employe of th
opera house was the giver. The small
contribution was received with ap-
plause as generous as the large one,
as it represented an Offering made in
keeping with the ability of the donor
The result of the splendid meeting
Tuesday night seems to insure the
success of the exposition. 1t was
thought by some of the committee of
25 that the slowness with which con-
fTihIIfinnS hoH hnoS0
N, might possibly indicate that the
people of Atlanta did not want the ex-
position. This thought was the mo-
tive for calling the mass meeting. 1t
was to see If the people did, or did
not, want the exposition. Some of
the committee have always contended
that the question had only to be
brought to the people in a direct man
ner and that they would show in no
uncertain way their approval of the
movement. Others sincerely believed
that in the midst of the prevailing
general prosperity, the masses of the
people were Indifferent, ana that the
movement had best be dropped at this
time. The gentlemen who took the
latter view were in no sense decrying
the exposition, but interpreted the
apparent lack of interest as direct op-
position. The movement Jagged for a
time. Then the suggestion to submit
the matter to the people was made
and adopted. The result of the refer.
rendum has been told above, All
doubt seems to have been removed
by the enthusiastic revival of the old
Atlanta spirit, and it is now believed
that the exposition is certainty. Sew
eral members of the committee of 25
expressed themselves after the meet
ing as being certain that the people oi
Atlanta wanted the exposition, and
stated that they would at once bend
every energy to complete the guaran
tee fund, which they believe can be
done in q short time.