Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-06-04
PRE:SIDEN
Pens The AIR
Presses Button That Starts the
Wheels in Motion.
DIG EXPOSITION | At SEATTLE

DIG EXPOSITION At SEATTLE
Chief Executive Of the Nation opens
the Great Observation-Disclosures
Show by Pressing 4 Key Formed Of
81 Alaska Nuggets Ceremonies on the
Grounds Began TWO Hours Before
the President Officially Acted.
Seattle, Wash, June 1 The Alaska
Yukon-P acific exposition is open. At
~ o'clock, Seattle time, President
Taft PRESSED the button which set the
machinery in motion, using for the
purpose q key formed of Alaska mug
gets. Az the wheels in the various
buildings began whirring and the lat
est of the worlds fairs was declared
off cially opened one feature that ex-
cited the enthusiastic comment Of the
great crowds present was that the
management had lived up to its motto
Of the show that will be on time"
Not only were the buildings completed
and the grounds covered with grass
and flowers. as though they had been
planted for years, but every exhibit
was in place. 1t is the first time any
exposition has actually opened on the
opening day and the departure has
proved most welcome to the visiting
thousands. s
The ceremonies on the grounds be-
gan two hours before President Taft,
on the other side of the continent,
pressed the button that made the
great fair living thing. The scene
presented carried out Charles Dana
Gibson's verdict after visiting the
grounds that the A.-Y..P. is "the most
beautiful exposition ever planned"
Situated between two fresh water
lakes in forest of great trees, with
one open colonnade showing back
ground from different angles, the nat
ural setting to the picture is ideal.
Buildings Go to University.
There are the usual buildings seen
ct expositions, with the advantage
that many of these are to be per
manent and after the fair is closed on
Oct. is will be turned over to the
University Of Washington, on whose
campus the fair is held The fact
that the exposition grounds belong to
q college Is the cause Of . third nov
city, which is that this is = dry
show. NO Intoxicating liquors being
sold In the vicinity. Still q fourth
unique feature Is that this exposition
did not ask Uncle Sam for cent
The $500, 0oo which was spent on the
government buildings was given vol.
unfairly. To most these are welcome
departures and have created favorable
comment.
Originally 1t was intended to make
this latest Of the expositions simply
an Alaska fair on which 100000
would be spent. Then the plan grew
to include the Yukon. At last it was
concluded to make 1t representative
Of the entire Pacific civilization that
is awakening and springing into be-
ing all about the shores Of the. worlds
greatest ocean. It ended up by spend
ing at least q hundred times the
amount first contemplated.
The A.-Y.-P. is commemorative of
no past event. 1t is hung upon to-
morrow rather than yesterday, q
prophecy rather than a memorial. It
exhibits what are unknown and unde-
veloped, the potentialities Of the Pa
olfic Northwest, Alaska and countries
bordering on the Pacific. Otherwise
stated, 1t is an exposition Of what is
very largely unknown rather than Of
the highest development. Alaska has
remained first in the title and inspirae
ton Of the exposition.
Country Of Great Riches.
g This territory. for which we paid
sT.20o,000, produces three times that
amount every year in gold alone. In
the last forty years it has produced,
besides Its gold, $50, 900. 900 worth Of
furs and its fisheries have handled a
product valued at $4,000, 900. The
exposition serves to show Americans
that Alaska is an empire Of agricul-
tural and forest wealth, as well as q
treasure box Of minerals.
But, while the exposition is impor-
tant as q means Of exploiting Alaska,
It has much broader aspect and sig
nificance. It serves to focus attention
upon the undeniable fact that Seattle,
the chief city OF Puget sound, is the
natural gateway to the greatest OF the
worlds markets, 1t Is the shortest
road to the most promising fields Of
trade extension in the Orient and the
focus Of Northwe stsrn development In
the United States.
Tho Far Eastern countries border
ing on the Paciac, including the Phil
$ippines and Hawaii. have the most
elaborate exhibits at Seattle that they
have ever attempted anywhere. Here
II ID possible to flnd out what these
90 mood q a. = a. a, !, . 4 y<,x,