The Harrison times., 1911-01-21

about TO perform the same feat.
There are Of course strong argu-
ments on either side.
To begin with New Orleans has
one great advantage in that 1t has
water carriage from Boston, New
York. Savannah and Charleston by
way Of the Atlantic and of course the
boats down the Mississippi river.
There are thirty-hve million people
who can get to New Orleans at com
paratiyely little expense, even though
they come from as far as Portland,
Me. The great cities of Boston, New
York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pitts
burg, Cincinnati and St. Louis are
within easy reach of the great city at
the mouth of the Mississippi. II there
is to be an exposition which shall be
truly national and widely attended by
| the people of the United States, 1t
must be at some point which visitors
can reach without spending some bun
dreds of dollars.
The Logical Location.
Furthermore, such men as Col. J. 8.
Travis, we'll known In Texas and
Louisiana, raise this point. He de-
clares that the New Orleans exposi-
ton, If one shall be held, Is intimate
ly associated with the great water
ways movement, He urges with some
reason that in the end the Panama
canal will be not merely a highway
&. for the vessels Of foreign nations, but
thoroughfare from st. Paul to
the great markets Of the Orient.
He holds that even II for a
few years to come Mississippi river
traffic is confined to barges with the
necessary trans-shipment at New Or
leans, yet ultimately going ships
will go all the way from st. Paul to
Shanghai. For this reason he be-
lieves that New Orleans Is the logical
spot for the exposition which may be
held.
New San Francisco Is an Exposition.
AS to the comparative merits Of
the two possible places desire to ex-
press no opinion. What follows is
what San Franciscans claim, as told
to me. | summarize without quoting.
One Of their strongest points Is that
their city itself, newly arisen from
the calamity which they call a fire
and which the outer world not inter.
ested In insurance calls an earth
quake, is In itself an exposition. They
claim, too, with great reason that
about the city are places within a
very few miles which will interest all
who may come there, and which have
a worldwide reputation.
1t is true unQuestionably, as the
San Francscans say, that because OF
the recent rebuilding Of the city the
new hotels, which in some cases are
almost colossal, are much better able
to accommodate a great throng than
those of New Orleans.
Again they are quite right in what
they say about its being more or less
of an education to the average Amer
lean to cross the continent in order
to attend an exposition on the Pa
cifc slope. Whore they are weak Is
upon the one question Of how much
the cost of that journey may be. They
express the utmost confidence that at
the time Of the exposition almost four
years from now, the transcontinental
railroads will have made such rates
that people at least from Chicago and
that neighborhood will be able to af
ford the trip as well as they might
one to the southern city.
Advantages Of Coast Trip.
They urge furthermore that even a
somewhat greater expenditure for rail-
road fares will give an enormously
greater interest in the Journey. That
Of course is true. You travel to New
Orleans from the middle west cities
through swamp lands or along the red
clay banks Of river now destitute
of commerce, but which It Is hoped
, may yet be made marine highway
But taking Chicago as starting place
the traveller to San Francisco, beside
the cities through which he passes
may see the Grand Canon Of the Colo
RADIO river on one route, Yellowstone
Park on another one, the snow-clad
peaks Of the Rockies on third; In,
deed such scenery as wealthy Amer
leans travel across the ocean to find
and nevertheless fail there to dis
cover.
Once in San Francisco they find a
city so modern that in its architecture
It dates back less than ten years,
They find around about It towering
mountains, many Of which have been
utilized as pleasure places, They find
the famous Muir Woods, donated to
the United States government by VIII
liam Kent, congressman-elect and
forming possibly the most natural
park possessed by any municipality,
On Mt. Tamapals they go nearly
three thousand feet above the sea
level and find pleasure ground and
an Inn where they may lunch and look
out over the tossing waters of thu
Pacific.