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.
