The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-28

JANUARY 80 AWARDED.

The NIidwinter exposition which has
been successfully held for five consecu-
tive years will not be given next year
unless the council Monday evening re
sends the action of the public build
ings committee Of the council which
met last night and gave the use Of the
Auditorium for the evening of January
% to the Kansas Day club for its ban
quet.
ct looks like an attempt to push US
off the EARTH said Ralph Brigham
manager of the exposition. "Of course
if the people were tired of the exposi-
ton we would be ready to quit. For
that matter I am ready to quit right
now, have had enough of it. But the
facts and experience of the exposition
has proven otherwise. The attendance
has increased and the interest along
with it. This last exposition was the
greatest as far as attendance is con
cerned in the history of its five years
existence
Its just this way, if the Kansas Day
club gets the Auditorium on the 18th
it interferes SO materially with our
plans that we won't be able to hold It.
The 29th comes on Tuesday next year
and we had planned the exposition for
the previous week and the week of the
29th. We can't hold it the two weeks
previous because the chicken snow
comes in for a week and the governor
Inauguration is to be held at the Audi
torium right following the chicken
show 1t takes a whole week to pre-
pare for the exposition. We can't do
it in any shorter time than that; that
has been demonstrated So that II we
try to hold 1t following the week OF the
29th Of January the MidWinter would
run into the two weeks following the
18th of February and here again We
would run full tilt into the Democratic
BANQUET which is to come on the 23d.
So that the way it figures out now we
must either hold it way in March or
else right before Christmas and the
latter spells failure, for you can't IN
duce a crowd TO come out right beIore
Christmas.
Il feel sure that the Midwinter brings
in from TO- 900 to 900 people into the
city Of Topeka every year 1t IS brought
here. feel sure 1t did last time II
seems rather strange that a banquet,
an affair lasting few hours, shoulo
sidetrack one which extends over a
period of two weeks Inc MldWlntei
has been made a success and Is the
best show of its kind around in these
narfs There Is no graft about, it is
clean. It seems funny that at this time
the Kansas Day club should ind that II
imperat lively needs the Auditorium the
representative hall has been large
enough in the past. If it were posi- Die
to shut down the Midwinter one night
to accommodate them and it could pc
done. I would be glad to DO IL BUT
there would not be room enough FOR
the club with the booths there
s'I have prepared the following state
mont IL show what the Midwinter has
done and I expect to secure the atten-
lion of the council and see if some 9TH
er action cannot be secured;
ssThe Aidwinter exposition for 1915
cave emDI0vment to 149 people for a
9eriod covering from two to three
weeks. and this does not include the
force of electricians, decorators. car
penters and other Workmen that We're
employed during the week OF prepara-
tion. The expense of getting up the
NTidwinter amounted to $5,873.83,
practically all of which was expended
in ToDe5a. This does not include the
expenses of the exhibitors, which
would amount to fully as much more
1.-The Midwinter has grown IN popu-
Iarity each year. the paid attendance
for the exposition Just closed aggre-
eating 1852. an increase of 2,21S
over any previous year me total
paid attendance Of the five expositions
has been 1873, 955.
classes of people, the poor as well as
the rich. In fact, it is perhaps the
only really good entertainment that
is presented to the people Of Topeka
that, because of the very small admls-
sion fee admits of all attending.
''The AIidwinter exposition, unlike
practically every other undertaking of
it's kind. is not a drain on the COM
munity, but has always been se1f-sup-
porting. Tt has never received as
much as one penny of contribution
from any source, and in fact created
its own capital.
''In addition to the above the eX-
position has enabled charitable organi-
cations of Topeka to earn during the
past five years more than two thou
the same period has donated more
than twelve hundred dollars to the
Commercial club
at would be hazardous. in my
judgment, to undertake the NIidwinter
upon other dates than the regular
ones upon which it has been held dur
ing the past five years.
"On the 29th day of last month the
Kansas Day club enjoyed the largest
attendance in its history. and perhaps
the largest that it viii have in a. great
many years to come. This large at
tendance was undoubtedly in q. large
measure due to the convention of the
delegates to the Kansas semieenten-
NAL meeting. which was held upon the
afternoon of the same day, and to the
fact that the Midwinter was in prog
ress. and low rates because of the
Midwinter in effect
II would respectfully submit that
the Auditorium belongs to the people
of Topeka, and that they as a whole
would hardly approve of the ruling
out of so popular an enterprise as the
Midwinter exposition. lasting two
weeks. for a political BANQUET that en-
dures but a few hours and meritorious
though it may be appeals to the ad-
herents of but one political party
The public buildings com naittee also
refused to reconsider the action which
1t took on the rental Of the Auditoriurn
for the use Of the interstate oratorical
contest which comes off in Nay. The
committee viii leave it to the council.
The Right Road
from Kansas City to Chicago. St. Paul,
Minneapolis. Dubuque and Des Moines.