Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-08
TO LAUD JEFFERSON
Ex-Gov. Francis Here, Inviting
Public Men.
MEMORIAL TO BE DEDICATED
Will Celebrate 10th Anniversary of
Louisiana Purchase.
CEREMONIES APRIL 80 NEXT
Invitations to Senate and House. and
Taft, Wilson and Roosevelt
Among Others.
MEMORIAL TO BE DEDICATED
CEREMONIES APRIL 80 NEXT

Invitations were extended to the Senate
and the House of Representatives yester-
day to send official representatives to the
ceremonies of dedication of the Jefferson
memorial at the entrance to the Louisiana
purchase exposition in ST. Louis. to be
held April 30 next on the one hundred
and tenth anniversary of the signing OF
the treaty under which the great south
west territory was purchased.
David r. Francis former governor of
Missouri and president of the Louisiana
purchase exposition. came to Washington
yesterday afternoon and personally took
the invitations to the Capitol. He laid
them before the president pro tempore Of
the Senate, Senator Bacon, and before
Speaker Clark; and both voiced the opin-
ion that the invitation would be accepted
In the House the invitation was read;
and it will be heard in the Senate Mon
day. the impeachment trial interfering
with its presentation to the Senate yes
terday afternoon.
Will Invite President.
While here Gov Francis will invite
President Taft to attend and speak. SIM
liar requests are to be made to Gov
Woodrow Wilson. who will be President
when the ceremonies are held. and to
Col. Theodore Roosevelt, as former
President.
The delegations from the two houses
of Congress are expected to be large
ones. 1t has been suggested by some
that all the thirteen original states should
be represented; and to the suggestion was
added he 70 how oil
bers from all the states embraced in the
Louisiana purchase on the delegation.
The memorial which has cost nearly
half a million dollars. was erected from
profits of the exposition. Inasmuch as
the United States had made a contribu-
ton TO the original fund of $1,000. 600
raised to finance the gigantic fair, it had
an interest in the disposition of any sur
Plus In 1899, however, Congress passed
a law authorizing the use of the profits
for the erection of the memorial to JEFF
ferson, ii being urged at that time that
some suitable monument to the writer of
the Declaration of Independence should
be placed in the territory which he added
to the nation.
Governors Also Invited.
Gov. Francis also took advantage Of
the presence of many state executives in
Washington, here for President Taft's
conference on rural credits, to ask that
the governors of all the states be at the
dedicatory ceremonies. He found many
governors at the conference upon the re-
Mobilization of the republican party and
he walked into the gathering room.
Welcome" shouted several of the gov
errors, as they saw this steadfast demo-
crat advancing through the door.
In good humor. Mr.. Francis explained
that he was not there to join their ranks,
but to present an invitation. His appeal
to them to have each state represented
at the dedication by it's governor was
warmly received. He closed his remarks
by quoting the late Senator Hoar of
Massachusetts, who said that Thomas
jefferson would be pictured forever in
history with the Declaration Of indie
pendenee in one hand, the deeds to the
Louisiana purchase in the other.
Il believe 1 will have Senator Hoar's
words inscribed on the memorial" saio
Mr.. Francis later in discussing the re-
mark.
The memorial is in the form of a huge
hall. about 800 feet long and 20 feet
wide. 1t will be used to house relics,
interesting from an historical standpoint.
of the Louisiana purchase and of the
exhibition which celebrated the Tooth an
n.versary of the contamination of the
buying.