Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-04
Jealousy Gaze Chance
',' to Kuife the Fair

4
That body represents thc city and all
its people and all its varied interests.
An appropriation sufficient to have
carried an efficient and properly. or
sanisde publicity campaign for at least
10 year might have been obtained, I
have no doubt, had a policy Of co.op.
Grafton and .conciliation been adopted
toward these representatives OF the peO.
pie.
Had even a temporary head of cen.
tennial press bureau been appointed.
who was familiar with Philadelphia
conditions, and known to Philadelphia
newspaper editors and publishers as
competent and energetic. lie would have
been received with open arms.
With a site selected and ground rlans
tentatively. prepared. the next great
blunder. was failure to elect director
general Of national reputation and
prominence.
That this was the most difficult task
possible that could fall to the lot Of the
directors is conceded. 1t was not in.
superable. however.
With a man Of this character in
charge. 4. would have been direct ap.
peal to the Nation for recognition and
II would have been Philadelphia :
notice to the world that it regarded the
affair as one for international .partici.
pation and not merely provincial show
staged TO- exploit the city or the State.
But eighteen months have elapsed
and the Director General Is yet to be
chosen.
Frnnkness compels the statement thar
this in itself has been enough to turn
friends into foes in connection with
the great celebration.
All the bitterness that has been en-.
gendered subsequently by the foolish
suggestions Of men presumably repre-.
senting great interests, that the Sesqui.
Centennial Exhibition be brought down
to the status Of a country fair. would
have been forestallcd or eliminated.
Directors Fumbling
With the example of the forefathers
Of the Centennial Of 1875 available for
their inspection, the Sesqui directors
have failed to grasp the magnitude Of
the work they undertook.
When the Centennial directors In
1876. and later in 1903 in Chicago,
began planning those epoch making af.
operation and aid Of the National Gov.
crnment.
In 1876 the directors of the Centen.
nial Exposition appealed to President
Grant to appoint two representatives
from every State and Territory in the
Union to act as Centennial Commits.
sioncrs.
1t was not only intended as a distin.
Suished honor. but it was designed to
awaken universal interest in cele.
pration that was national and not in.
su'ar to Philadelphia.
In 1903 the Chicago exhibition pro :
moters appealed ut once to the Federal
Government for its Endorsement and as.
sistance.
And they got what they asked for.
Has Philadelphia pursued this sue.
cessful policy with their s'esqui plans
1t had to be prodded into carrying
ts plans to Washington.
Even then its progress to the Capitol
vas lackidaisical. 1t was forced by the
warnings of members of the Philadel.
Nhia Congressional delegation that II
enything was to be accomplished 1t must
10 done at once.
Only . General Plan
After more than n year Of prepara-
ton there wns nothing definite or
tangible for the delegation to present to
the Congress beyond general plan.
1t was incomplete as to detail-not
even rising to the dignity of a skeleton
so far as detailed building. plan or
scope was concerned.
This condition prevails today.
1t Is responsible for the nonsensical
suggestions that have been put forth
"egarding the character the Sesqui- Cen
ennial celebration should assume.
Two years after the first public stcr
in City Hall looking to the holding Of
n ahpp haf Nvn,,l1 ho
TO the nation and n.credit to the cit,
there Is nowhere to be found the plan O.
any building or the suggestion Of {
structure of any kind that can b.
utilized for newspaper display or poster
illustration.
No adequate conception, even approx
imately definite, as to the cost of thi
Sesqui. Centennial has been forth,
ing out Of the two years of dawdling
delay and dSputation.
Its cost is still matter Of the wildes
conjecture. ranging from $4,000. 900 4
$50. 900 900 and as high as $50 900 900
There is no one willing to discus
exact or even approximate figures.
1t would be unfair to criticise all o
the men and women connected with tn
inception of this great idea as re
sponsible for its present stagnation. 0
There are those who have been con
stant in their duty, fertile of suggrs
tion. jealous of the city's honor. an
eager to serve.
The public knows who these are.
There are others whose resignation
should be demanded tomorrow, an
their places filed by men and wome
of vision, energy, singleness of pur
pose and the zeal of self sacrifice,
necessary, to make tho Centennial
success.
Put the Winners Out!
II the pull. backs. the double. deal
ers. the winners and the fearful VT
not resign, then they should be sum
marily cntapulted out OF any cOnnec
ton with the Sesqui Centennial.
That is, IL 1t Ia the purpose OF th
directorate to carry out the origini
plans for q celebration of kind thu
will be credit to the city.
The question OF cost alone has give
tho opponents OF the exposition an op
Dortunity to exercise their powers
Imagination by quoting fantastic sun
that frighten. and stupeDdous but nev
ertheless assinine schemes that stu
Cost and character Of the sesqui
Centennial are questions which II
neople of Philadelphia would like
have answered, but they are AZ muc
in the dark today as they were t"
years ago.
Too Mucl, Politics
Nine months ago In IN article upo
this same subject ] pointed out tn,
Ln~ mll(