The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-19
TELL OF KANSAS
Legislature FavOrs Advertising
of States Products.
VIII Exhibit at Philadelphia
Exposition in 1926.

One of the last acts of the 1921
session of the legislature was the
passage of the Susqui-Centennial reso-
luton.
The Susqui-Centennial resolution
was a concurrent resolution of both
houses of the legislature to send
greetings of the state of Kansas to the
MAYOR and council of the city OF
Philadelphia and to express to the city
officials of that city the approval of
the governor and legislature of Kan
sas of their activities in behalf of the
holding of an international exposition
in 1926 at Philadelphia to commemor-
ate the one hundred and fiftieth an
niversary of the signing of the Decla-
ration of Independence. and further,
stating to said mayor and council the
intention of the state of Kansas 10
participate in said exposition by ap-
propriating adequate funds and by
sending a representative exhibit OF
Kansas products.
Originated by Bolmar.
The resolution was originated by c.
p. Bolmar of Topeka and was intro
duced in the senate by Senator Rolla
Coleman, chairman of the committee
- federal and state affairs of the
nenate.
Bolmar spent six months at the
Centennial exposition at Philadelphia
in 1875 as commissioner of immigra-
ticn to Kansas by appointment of
Governor Thomas Osborn and noted
the great interest that the Kansas ex-
hibit created at that time.
Despite the fact that this exhibit was
collected from crops grown in 1875,
the year after the grasshopper vista
ton, and that the crops of 1875 were
H. i ~, --I, Flr,.-
back, 1t was so remarkable and of
such renown that the first question
asked of the guides when a visitor
entered the Centennial gates, was
Where is that Kansas eXhibit?' The
late Henry Worrall, father of Harvey
Worrall, who is known to most To-
pekans, was in charge of the exhibit
and also collected and arranged it. 1t
was housed in building owned
Jointly by Kansas and Colorado.
In Charge of Kansas Exhibit.
In 1873, Bolmar travelled over the
Atlantic coast states from Maine to
South Carolina in charge of an exhibit
of Kansas agricultural, horticultural
and mineral products gathered along
the line of the new Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe railroad, and sent out as
an advertisement for that road. 1t
was exhibited at state and county
fairs. Up to that time Kansas had
been regarded as a part of the Great
American Desert, pictured on the
school geography maps of the fifties
and sixties, by most people east of the
Alleganies, therefore surprise was
great when stalks of corn sixteen feet
high were displayed. Bolmar says
that Vermont yankees would slyly
take hold of the corn stalks and pull
at the joints to see if they were not
pieced together. Then they would
turn around and remark, do you
mean to say you grow corn like that
way out in Kansas" When they
were assured that it was fact, they
would drawl, well, do tell, l want
TO know!"
This exhibit which had been col
lccted from the best harvests of a
number of years, was much better
than the Centennial display, and Boil
mar believes the popularity of the
latter was largely due to the surprise
excited by the excellence of the for
mer.
Time to Select Exhibits.
His idea in urging the present leg
islature to pass resolution concern
ing the SusquiCentennial, five years
in advance of the contemplated time
of holding it, is for the purpose OIL
allowing ample time to select the
best Kansas products of several years
instead of leaving the matter to a
year or two before the event, and
thereby run a risk of being obliged to
select products of an unfavorable sea-
son. as was the case with the Centen-
NAL exhibit. the money for which was
appropriated by the legislature OF
1917