Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-10-20


The two cities in which have
spent the pleasantest years of my
life are now contending for the
honor of holding the Panama-Pa-
cific exposition. When my friends
ask me which OF these two cities j
think is the logical site for the falr
that will signalize one of the great.
est achievements of all history,
can truthfully say that I am abso-
lutely unbiased in the matter OF
sentiment.
Few pleasanter things have come
into my life than the rare courtesy
of the charming old southern city
of New Orleans. The inhabitants
are a gracious people whose greatest
pleasure seems to be to make the
stranger within their gates feel that
his presence there is the highest
honor that could be bestowed upon
his hosts. But how the level-headed
business men of New Orleans con-
ceived the idea that they could cope
with an international worlds fair Of
the magnitude of the Panama-Pa-
cifie is beyond me. particularly In
view of the manifestly superior ad-
vantages of San Francisco as site.
The finest southern hospitality
will not supply hotel accommoda-
tions, which are a primary essential
to n city that expects to hold sue
cessful worlds fair. Outside of the
three or four hotels that could be
described as modern, though they
cannot be compared to the best OF
San Francisco. New Orleans has
practically no accommodations for a
large influx of visitors. The plumb
ing in the streets Is open, there are
(though this seems astonishing to
people who hate never been in New
Orleans) practically no bath tubs in
the city, and in the few buildings
that have bathtubs, namely, tho
largest Notes.-The water comes out
of the tap almost black. OF course
one is informed that this is the finest
kind of water and eventually one
becomes used to 1t and is even in
clined to acquiesce in that state
ment; but-it is impossible to con-
vince q traveller that he is going to
emerge from one of those tubs
cleaner than when he went into it.
There are several restaurants that
are a delight to the epicure and joy
to the man in seaNeh of color; but
any one of them would be hard put
to accommodate large individual
party; while the arrival of a crowd
such as one may see in any large
restaurant of San Francisco any
evening would be viewed by the COM
bined restaurateurs Of New Orleans
as a calamity.
AS for the drinking water, even
the most patriotic citizen Of the old
city would hardly describe 1t as
beverage. Moreover, the general
conditions OF sanitation are not very
good; and the climate during the
summer months. through which the
Fair would probably extend II itI
started in January, is so hot and
generally disagreeable as to keep
tourists from visiting Louisiana dur
ing that part of the year.
Briefly, though there are no points
Of important scenic interest within
a great distance of the city, New
Orleans itself Is pleasant enough to
traveller who visits there during
the winter and has an opportunity
to meet the old families of the city.
Even the objections have mentioned
do not bother one very much after
residence of some length in this inter-
esting old community, To the aver
age stranger, however, most Of them
are unpleasant in the extreme, and
30 far as the lack OF accommodations
Is concerned, II seems TO me that this
alone puts New Orleans out of the
running unless that city intends to
uHNh q NooR W -
building to meet the requirements of
a Worlds Fair.
In striking oontradistinction to
the manifest disadvantages OF New
Orleans as the theater OF an inter
national exposition are the obvious
qualifications of San Francisco.
The trip West is the Journey
which every American is eager tC
make sooner or later. AS In the
! old days when the frontier wa'
gradually being forced back to th'
Pacific the imagination OF the ma
tion has been lured across the con
tinent by the vision OF Destiny, an,
visualizes the future along the sweeI
OF coast that forms the line OF de
narration between the civilization
OF occident and Orient.
San Francisco. as the termina
point OF the three greatest trans
continental railroad systems in tn
world, cannot be approached with