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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1899)
a Conservative. . . rilSKHK CHOUTKAU. ST. Louis , April 29 , 1899. MY DEAR Mu. MORTON : Your land favor with a copy of TIUJ CONSERVATIVE is just received. The proposition you make as president of the State Histor ical Society is one I have been consider ing for a long time , and the conclusions I hnvo arrived at are that where any of the records , etc. , I have are of particu lar local interest to any state it would be but proper to make them custodians. I would not make a gift of any of these papers , as emergencies might arise where it would bo advisable to temporarily arily lodge them in other hands. I will not , however , take any definite action in this matter until after our exposition in IDOIJ. There are many qaestious of mutual interest to all the historical societies of the Louibiaua territory that should bo decided by conference , and with that object in viewr the Missouri Historical Society has elected the presidents of the different societies honorary members , and when the proper time arrives will issue a circular requesting the views of these gentlemen as to the advisability of calling them in convention. Our exposition celebrating the centen nial auuivcrsa ! y of the Louisiana pur chase , from a historical point at least , will be of the greatest value it will un earth records and objects that will clear up many disputed points. I herewith enclose a circular from , the powerful pen of our mutual friend , Mr. Lehman. Its recommendations were carried out , and we can now say , without fear of contra diction , that we have at our command a sum equal to that paid for the entire territory $15,000,000. Very respectfully yours , PIEUUE CHOUTEAU. Centennial Anniversary of the LouiN- iana 1'nrvliasu. Your committee beg leave to report : That they have had a meeting every week since they were appointed , and at such meetings have had conferences with persons representing the different interests of the city , and have in other ways , and especially through the med ium of the press , sought to gain as thor ough a knowledge as possible of the de sires of our people concerning the pro posed commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the Louisiana purchase. There is a general accord of opinion that the occasion should not be per mitted to pass without some mark of recognition befitting its great historic interest and importance. The declaration of iudepeadenoe , which determined the character of our institutions , must always remain the great political event of our history ; but next to that stands the acquisition of the Louisiana territory , for by that the empire of the United States was deter mined , and the great temperate belt of North America was dedicated to insti tutions of freedom. The City of St. Louis cannot afford to bo indifferent to the centennial anni versary of so great an event , the great est with which itH history is intimately associated. Various modes of commemoration have been proposed , among them a statue of Thomas Jefferson , or a great historical museum to bear his name , as a permanent memorial of the great statesman who rendered such signal service alike in making this country free and in making it great ; but it is objected , and your committee believes properly , that if nothing more is done , the celebration will be essentially local in its character , while nothing less than a general celebration , in which all the states that have been created from the Louisiana territory should take active part , will be adequate. In sncli a general celebration the gen eral government could bo relied upon for participation and aid , and foreign nations , and especially France , should bo invited to take part. For the purposes of a general com memoration your committee is of opin ion that only some form of exposition will servo , at which the development and progress of the arts of civilized life in the territory during the last hundred years may be appropriately displayed. Many objections have been made to an exposition , but no substitute , re garded as sufficient even by the objec tors , has been yet proposed. Your committee is of opinion that the objections to an exposition are not well founded. The experience of the cities which have undertaken expositions since the year of the world's fair , and especially that of Omaha , proves that the undertaking is a perfectly feasible one , and also that the interest in them has not been exhausted. Indeed , so long as the world shall last the story of its progress will always be an interest ing one. We have to deal with a territory that a hundred years ago was , throughout almost its entire extent , a wilderness and a desert. The white settlements within its borders were not of our na tionality. The people spoke not our language nor did they profess our laws. In no spirit of boasting may we say that now no portion of the United States is more thoroughly American than the Louisiana territory. In public spirit and in private enterprise it stands with the. first. The achievements of this people during the hundred years that have passed since the American flag was planted here , may well challenge the attention of the world , and an ex position of them must prove to bo an object lesson of universal interest. We believe , too , that St. Louis is the place for such an exposition and that once determined upon our people would make it worthy of themselves and of the great occasion. But the exposition should bo in no sense a local one. It should bo not by the City of St. Louis , nor oven .by the State of Missouri , but by the entire Louisiana territory. That it may be so , nothing should bo forestalled. All those who are to take part in it should have a voice in determining where it shall be hold and what shall be its char acteristics. To this end wo recommend that there be called a convention of representatives from all the states in the Louisiana pur chase to meet in St. Louis at an early day to determine the time , place and manner of commemorating the acquis ition of this territory by the United States , and wo submit herewith a reso lution to that effect for the consider ation of the committee of fifty. Respectfully submitted , PlEKUE OlIOUTEAU , WILLIAM J. SEEVEH. Chairman. Secretary. tll0r8 HOME INBUSTKIKS. are many mem bers of churches who exhort sinners to ropeutauco and prate loudly of the satis- factious and solaces of religion , while they personally practice a good many sinful games ; so there are in every com munity a lot of enterprising gentlemen who howl loudly and continuously in behalf of "patronizing home industries , " while they themselves will give their business to outside concerns. In fact some of these hypocritical ad vocates of home interests have been known to patronize outside barbarians where the prices were the same as those offered by home institutions. Coin- inerco can show about as many Phari sees in this line as churches can of pseudo pious people. It is one thing to preach and another thing to practice. The former is said to be much easier with a great many people than the latter. Attorney-General Davis of Kansas is indefatigable in his search for fees. In response to a query of a county assessor he says : "You ask whether or not life insurance policies having a cash sur render value are taxable. In answer to this question I beg to state that what was known as the Collins insurance bill sought to declare that to be the law , but same was defeated. I nevertheless con tend that under our constitution life policies which have a cash surrender value are certainly taxable , and I shall contend this to be the law if a case of that kind should arise , and I advise you to list all such policies for taxation. " We suspect the wily attorney-general is inviting a legal contest on the question , but the matter seems to be of more in terest to policy holders , especially those of long standing , than to the companies.