The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-05
By Alfred J. stofer,

a conclusion Tn regard 10 an addlIon-
 al appropriation for the Jamestown exposition to be held off Hampton
 Roads next year. The entire sum of
 $i,30o.o00 asked for in the bill of
 Representative Maynard of the Norfolk
 district of Virginia may not be voted.
 for at the hearings granted within the past few weeks the questions asked and the figuring done by some of the members of the committee. indicate that they are inclined to the opinion
 that the company can get along with less money. If anything is done and 1t certainly looks as if there VIII
 be a favorable report-probably the
 help given in a financial way VIII ap-
 proximate s1,ooo,eoo @
 The advice of Secretary Shaw that the exposition should be almost wholly of naval and maratine nature, With the industrial features practically eliminated, is not going to be folow-
 ed. None of the Jamestown promoters
 have ever contended for g moment
 that this exhibition is to be on scale
 that will compare with that at st. Louis in 1904. They do not even claim that 1t will be in that respect ahead or the
 Portland exposition. But the James town officials could not abandon the industrial features now if they carea to- Business concerns have aireaoy made their arrangements for displass' and in the various state buildings tnete will be shown the products for whica tha common wealths are most noted. If is expected that the naval feature will bc by long odds the most interesting one in connection with the exnosition It is certain this Tar Tn aa- vance of the opening that the fleets ot nearly all the great powers VIII senu ships They will arrive from tune .o time while the exposition tasts. AZ many of the vessels of the United
 states navy as possible will be kept Tn the vicinity. All of the new battle ships and cruisers put in commission next year will doubtess be sent 10 Hampton Roads during the exposition. This can easily be done as most ot the big ship building plants are on the Atlantic coast
 Government is Committed' The government is committed to the naval and military features. President Roosevelt has formally. invited the governments of the world to particl- pate, and Hon. Henry St. George Tuck CT has also visited many of inc kuro- pean capitals as President of the Ex- position Company. and emphasized the
  countries visited he found the higher officials enthusiastic over the prospect that their fleets shall pay us visit during the coming year and take part
 in the exhibition in Hampton Roads. From the best information obtain able the military attendance from for eiRn countries will not compare fa- vorably with the naval. That is nat rral. The battleships and cruisers arc in the hibit of going to all parts of the world. In times of peace they are not needed near home. It will be great opportunity for the officers and sailors to mingIe with the men belong ing to other navies It is fact wor- thy of special mention that the little countries of Switzerland and Belgium have been the first to notify the Wash ington officials and those prominently connected with the exposition that they will send military to Jamestown.
 The Swiss soldiers are hardy lot, and they will doubtless attract q great deal
 of interest while guestS of the United
 States.
 Secretary Taft has promised the
 exposition officials that he will do
 everything in his power to have the
 United States military representation
 such that the visitors from foreign
 countries will be greatly interested in
 this feature. He will order infantry.
 cavalry and artillery to be stationed
 on the grounds.
 Club houses and places of entertain
 ment for the officers and enlisted men
 of both the army and navy will be
 erected on the grouis1s. These are to be Included in the additional appro-
 priations now being asked tor at the
 hands of Congress. Mir. Taylor, the
 Supervising Architect of the Trens-
 ury, has estimated that 1t will cost
 about $2O0, ,000 to provide these enter
 tainment buildings.
 The largest attendance on the part
 of the military will be the National
 Guard of the United States The State
 of Virginia alone will detail three reg
 iments. The National Guard also will come from all parts of the country. And
 1t is confidently expected that the Yis- iting officers and men from foreign countries will learn thing or tw1 when they see our militia boys in camp. It is predicted that they will have much to talk about on their re- turn home in telling their people that these regiments are made up of officers and men who for eleven months in the year follow their occupations and are not drafted into service as Is the GUS tom in nearly all the other countries of the earth.
 Soldiers Not PoIicemea.
 At one of the committee hearings. Secretary Taft was asked by member what he thought of having soldiers from the regular army and the National Guard detailed for police duty on the grounds. The Secretary promptly re- piled that he did not think it good l suggestion. A soldier he said. only | knew how to use a gun If that 1 weapon was in his hands at certain | times and there was trouble, somebody would surely get hurt. This was only | a suggestion, and the exposition will | have it's own men to police the grounds. It was mentioned that out at St. Louis inc exposition had Jefferson guards, as they were called. A member then remarked that 1t might be well to call the Jamestown police the John smith guards.
 Regardless of the fierce opposition of Secretary Shaw to the provision in the Maynard bill for the coining of one million two-dollar silver pieces to be sold as souvenirs. the friends of the Jamestown Exposition do not seem ln- olined to abandon that idea. Mir. Shaw has called 1t fiat money, The Govern ment has coined this sort of money Tor nnh