The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-06-11
SHOULD BE
STATEWIDE.
All Louisiana Should Join in Fight Being
Made to Secure Worlds Panama Ex-
position for New Orleans.

The eyes of the whole country are now
upon Louisiana as result of the nation
wide publicity given to our efforts to
secure the Worlds Panama Exposition.
The unprecedented trip of our entire GEN
eFal assembly, headed by our principal
state officials, has excited an intense In
terest in the contest between New Or
leans and San Francisco, and every paper
of any Importance in the country has
given more or less publicity to the claims
of the rival cities and most of them are
favoring New Orleans as the "logical
point
There can be no doubt that popular SEN
timent is with New Orleans in this race
for congressional recognition, and as the
situation now stands the general impress
sion is that a majority of the members of
congress will favor the Crescent City, but
when our representatives go back to
Washington next December to have the
matter definitely settled, they must be
prepared to show that Louisiana can
finance an exposition on such a basis as
to guarantee its success.
San Francisco has put forward one ar
gument which Louisiana must imme-
diately meet. The Californians contend
that the best evidence of their ability to
properly take care of a great worlds fair
is that their state is back of their exposi-
ton movement, and not the city of San
Francisco alone. They contend, and have
demonstrated, that subscriptions to the
stock of their exposition company have
been received from individuals, mercantile
houses and banks in every city, town and
village in California; and it has been in
timated that New Orleans is undertaking
to carry her load alone.
1t is true that by the submission of the
tax amendment, our general assembly
has put statewide approval upon the ex-
position movement; but California intends
to likewise provide several million dollars
by an exposition tax; and it seems but
| right and proper that in order to put our
representatives in congress upon an equal
basis with those from California in the
fight for recognition, the business inter-
ests eEI
the business men 81 New Orieansfh fais
ing an exposition fund which shall favor
ably compare with the total raised by
California.
The material prosperity of our state will
be advanced by this exposition more than
could possibly be accomplished by fifty
years of steady progress. Our population
will be greatly increased. Our land val
ues will be advanced. Our industries will
grow. Investors and capital viii be
turned this way. Our now idle lands will
be opened up to immigration; and great
era of material prosperity win prevail
throughout the entire state.
/ San Francisco has already raised over
seven million dollars and in all probability
will 90 back to congress next December
with at least ten million. New Orleans has
! raised 81, ,250, ,0OO, locally and the ST 100000
tax amendment viii increase this t.
Sc, ,25O,O 900. The ways and means com
mittee of the exposition company is abou
to inaugurate campaign toraise anothe
million by July 4. and the people of al
sections of our state should see to it tha
Louisiana does not lag far behind Califor
i MIA in the financial showing which is t
t be made before congress.