Evening journal., 1912-10-24
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Real Reason Why New
York Didn't Get the
Worlds Fair Of
1893
BY Holland.

Shortly after the second election
Of Thomas Collier Plat to the United
states Senate in 1897, his first cleo
tlon having occurred in 1881. I met
him when he vas in an unusually
communicative mood. lie asked mo
to sit beside him upon one of the
sofas which lined the corridor Of the
old Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York
city That hotel was for many years
Senator Platt's home
DO you remember said Senator
Platt, that | was once accused of a
lack of civic pride because ] did my
best 10 prevent the selection of New
York City as the place for holding
the worlds fair in 1892, which was
to be the memorial of the four hum
dreth anniversary OF the discovery of
America by Columbus?'
| told Senator Platt that l had al
ways thought that the reason why he
was opposed to the selection Of New
York as the site Of the worlds fair
was because he thought the metropol-
rs was 80 large that an exhibition OF
| that kind was not necessary in order
to advertise the city 10 the world.
tfRAninH VI Ail' hAlhf NhAA R'HAA'i
| Plat but / Will tell you this, now.
that II New York City had secured the
worlds fair ! should not now be
Senator-elect in New York state, and
! i'm all probability the state would have
been permanently Democratic-or at
least Democratic for many years.
You remember that after the de-
cison had been made by Congress to
celebrate the four hundrcdth anniver-
sary of the discovery of America by
a worlds fair very earnest and ex-
citing contest for the honor of hold
ing the fair was carried on by the
partisans of Chicago, st. Louis,
Washington and one or two other
| cities
New York at first moved rather
slowly, but at last a public meeting
was called for the purpose of form-
ing an organization which would
favor the selection of the metropolis
as the site of the worlds fair. There
was not the slightest doubt about the
ability to raise i'm New York City as
many millions as we're needed for the
fair We could have obtained sub
scriptions enough to make it unneces-
sary 10 call upon Congress for any
subscriptions.
II hegan to look into the matter
and at first was disposed warmly TO
favor the selection of New York But
one day a friend said to me: Don't
you know that II the worlds fair
comes to New York the Republican
party won't have "A ghost Of a show
in the state for several yearsg ! saw
at once what was meant by this state
ment Both the state and city govern
mpnts were in the control of the
Democracy; the Democratic leader
ship at that time was very skillful
Now. If New York City were selected
as the place for holding the fair the
Democratic state and city admins.
trations would control an enormous
amount OF patronage and have mil
lions OF dollars to spend. / then be
gan TO understand why some of my
Democratic friends We're SO eager e
secure The worlds fair for New York
II went quietly among my Republi
can friends and told them that the'
must choose between the worlds fai
and party success. They did not neet
TO he told that a second time. We Sc
10 work to ston the agitation in favo
of New York and we made It appea
that New York was so Indifferent d
the project that it. was not WORT
while for Congress TO give any hee
TO tho locating of the fair here.
"That is the real reason" SAT-
Senator Platt why New York cit
did not get the fair. If it had, pre-
sumo the state would have bee
Democratic from that time to this an
a Democrat would have been chose
20 the Senate instead of myself"
Copyright 1912, by %. j. Edwardi
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell {
"The Chicagoan Who Helped Max
the Greater New York"