Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-08

soon, will this matter OF date be re =
opened and action taken?'
That is my understanding. he re =
piled.
Then there may be meeting before
IongY'
Yes. I think it is likely that there
will be-"
Call for Action Repeated
Engineers who comprise n committee
OF thirty to lay out a program for the
development and construction of the
Sesqui- Centennial, the committee of
which MIR. Meigs is a member. are out =
! spokenly anxious to see part of the
4 work undertaken this summer.
Members of the committee. whose
findings were published in voluminous
report last spring, declare they are
even willing. with prominent architects
of Philadelphia. to give their services
| without pay until such time as the
preliminary financing of the exposition
shall have been arranged, in order to
push the work forward.
Mr.. Meigs. consulting engineer,
whose office is at 1911 Walnut street,
said "If any one is blocking the plans
for the Sesqui- Centennial, from any
motive whatever. such interference
should be traced directly to its source
Immediately. A public exposition Of
the facts, In my opinion, would
promptly cause cessation of inter
ference. There is no man IN this city,
nor is there any group of men. strong
enough to put dampcr on the Scsqui-
Centennial. It's not local affair at
all-it's a national affair. The people
of Philadelphia would not stand for it
n minute
Then he referred to the mysterious
meeting Of men hostile to the fair, a
meeting that was held sin suburb on
the Main Line"
Tells Of Secret Meeting
The story Of that meeting has been
pretty widely disseminated" Mr. Meigs
said. 1T has been repeated recently
at. meeting of a committee in the
Chamber of Commerce lately. At that
meeting one of the members was called
upon for an expression as to how the
qui-Centennial project stood, Just
what was really being done and what
might be expected in the near future.
This man said to the other men,
bers, L am not at all sure that there IL
going to be any Sesqui- Centennial.
That's the situation as It looks TO me
right now When questioned as to why
he felt this way he described the private
meeting that had been held out on the
Main Line just as I have repeated IL
briefly. and he wound up bv saying.
But for Gods sake. gentlemen, don't
quote me as having said anything about
this matter. ! am merely telling you
for your information what has been in
the wind.
"Other members stood up on their
hind legs and exclaimed to their inform.
ant that # such was the case that the
subject should be smoked out at once
and exposed. One man said, This
worlds fair project IS not any social.
political. financial or business football.
1t is great civic and patriotic under
taking OF the public. 1t incidentally
means great public benefits to the whole
but it is the celebration Of
the 15Oth anniversary of the Declaration
Of Independence. Nobody, no matter
who he Is or how powerful he is. should
be allowed to get away with anything
of the sort
This, in substance, is about what
happened at the Chamber of Commerce
meeting. | believe that the
facts should be made public. | have .
talked with a half dozen men who .
declared that If in the near future there
were not signs of decided activity in the .
development Of Sesqui-Centennial plans
that they should make the entire sit
uation public without mincing any
words or sparing any names.
"All have 10 say further Is that .