Evening journal., 1912-10-25
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The ChiCagOan Who Helped
Make the Greater
New York
By Holland.

Il doubt very much whether we
'should now have the greater city of
New York had it not been for the
manner in which Joseph Medill
managed the campaign which result
ed in the selection by Congress of
Chicago as the place for holding the
worlds fair in celebration OF the
four hundredth anniversary of the
discovery of America" So said the
late Mayor William r Grace of New
York City to me in 1898 shortly after
Greater New York had come into
legal existence
/ confessed to Mayor Grace that
could not see what possible connec-
tion the selection of Chicago in 1890
as the site OF the worlds fair of 1898
had to do the creation of the greater
city Of New York.
well, IL was sentimental in
iluence,' Mayor Grace replied. "But
l have observed in my career in
politics that sentiment often furnishes
the strongest incentive.
when I was a second time mayor
OF the old New York, from 1885 to
1887 | was strongly impressed with
the advisability of bringing all of the
metropolitan districts under one
municipal government. My successor
as mayor, Abram S. Hewitt, agreed
with me thoroughly in this view He
told me, however, that he did not be-
lieve that ii would be possible to Sc
cure a popular vote i'm Brooklyn or
in Long Island City in favor of the
consolidation Of those cities with the
old city of New York He reminded
81 -.
Brooklyn and had a strange pride in
the growth of their city.
Now, / will show you how the eX-
ample set by Mr. Medill resulted in
the imitation of it by what is now the
greater city of New York. Mr.. Medill
was a very enthusiastic advocate Of
the holding of the worlds fair at
Chicago. He was the owner and the
very brilliant editor of the greatest
newspaper in ChicagO-the Tribune
His influence was not surpassed by
that of any other citizen of Chicago
Mr.. Medill, after giving prolonged
thought TO the subject, was persuaded
that II Chicago could show a popula-
tion Of over one million that fact of
itself would be sufficient to persuade
Congress to locate the worlds fair at
I
advocated the annexation to the city
of all of the outlying or suburban viii
lagos He figured that by this an
nexation something like three hun
dred thousand would be added to the
! population OF Chicago. and that would
make the total about a million, one
hundred thousand
"Mr Medilrs plan was adopted.
]
siderably I'm excess Of "A million. That
was the final argument In Congress
i'm favor of locating the fair at Chi
cago
"The mere fact that. by ihe annexa-
ton of outlying villages, Chicago had
/ passed the million mark in population
appealed very strongly and i'm a sen
/ timental way TO the people who lived
| in the district of (Which The old city
of New York was the center Ii was
figured that unless there We're am
neXation here Chicago would speedily
pass New York in population On the
other hand, it was realized that If all
of the metropolitan district was
brought into ono municipal govern
ment, then the enlarged city OF New
| York would have approximately two
million population, and Chicago, in all
human probability. could never catch
up with New York.
THAT simple demonstration, i'm my
belief did more to persuade Brooklyn
and Long Island City. Staten Island
and the rest of the metropolitan dis
Ttrict to vote in favor of annexation
/ than all Of the other arguments put
together did; and l am perfectly
convinced that if MIR. Medill had not
brought about the annexation to
| Chicago of outlying villages, in order
to secure the worlds fair for that city
the proposed enlargement of the old
city of New York would not have
been completed, because Brooklyn
and Long Island City would have vot-
ed against IT,"
Copyright. 1912. by e. j. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell oi
"The Massachusetts Man Who Gave
st. Louis a Leading Trade