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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1913)
he Omaha Sunday Bee PAST TW O EDITORIAL PAGES ONE TO TEN PART TWO SOCIETY PAGES ONE TO TEN 1" 1 m i VOL. XL1I NO. 50. OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 1, 1913. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. Op ening Day of the Omaha Transmississippi Exposition (Photographs of Members of tho Executive Committee Showing Thorn aa Thoy Wero at tho Timo Viows of tho Exposition from Copyrighted Photographs by F. A. Rinehart.) f 1 tf JT Eh jm, A m. I v1 VJ All .kWT-- luoYwKjab K Ji 1,41 mnwreTTn ... LJ U I .V , , ,.ii,.,.,ii ,,w,i., imiiiiiwwihwwmiwiii i w i win mw -5 "8j") ftjJJilfew.- .-1' Wattles llTf m "Hit Ot ttu-ini; Baxid that Flayed Opening Day P"- 19 ?i w a .H; ,,',. '':4'H, ' ' . --'Vf -. pI 5 f-Srei acjwtim( hit:; (w-ii H 1 1 h I 1 1 -B IS IMS' xtotrs IT mmmmi "'aw j . At Que Bead of he Lagoon Opening 2&y & HENBVEU the history of Omaha and Nobraska 1b written no date will stand out more prominently than June 1, 1898, the opening of the TransmlBsissippi and International exposition, an exposition held In Omaha during the following five ttended by nearly 4,000,000 persons and luawlt, the only one in the history of expositions that paid a dividend to the stockholders. Fifteen years ago today the Transmississippi and international exposition opened Its gates to the public and until the lights were turned off for the last time, October 31, 1898, every day was a most pronounced success, for in the magnificent show buildings and on the spacious grounds in the north part of the city men, women and children from every state in the union and many from foreign lands gathered to wonder at and admire the col lection of exhibits brought together from twenty six states and many foreign countries, all represent ing the industries and commercial life of the peo ples from which they came. So far as Omaha has been concerned, and for that matter, the entire state of Nebraska and every city,, town and hamlet situate in Its broad valleys and upon its fertile prairies, the exposition was a history marking epoch, held at a time that marked the parting of the ways. For some years prior to 1898, omaha, like other cities of tho United States, had 1 eon experiencing a season of depression. The recession of the ;"boom" wave of the '80b and the panic of the early '90s had been felt In the Missouri river valley, and, while possibly Omaha had not suffered so severely as some of its Bister cities, the effects of the gen eral depression had been felt. Added to all of this, all through the west and the central portion of the country, there had been a couple of season's when the crops were not of the best. The soil had con tinued Just as fertile, but Dame Nature had not boon as kind to the farmer as in some former years and had not been as generous In tho distribution of her gifts. Genesis of the Exposition. However, in Omaha there were men who be lieved and expressed tho confidence that the storm could be weathered, and that the future held pros perity for all who were energetic and prudent Among these waB Edward Rosewater, the editor of The Bee. Early in 1896, Mr. Ilosowater came to the conclusion that Omaha needed a tonic. He realized that the general health of the city was excellent, but conditions demanded treatment that would bring about complote recovery from tne re lapse Into whioh it had fallen. curing the sum mer of that year, in The Bee, he published two or three editorials as feelers, suggesting an exposition in Omaha, but did not advocate any particular plan. JK..J V ft?o. '32 Glimpse cP Ot XZQTIOV Opening jC.T.Zinclsey J21 it ! I wsm 7 $in.DmiAvi pawn mMMMmFW- (si 'Si If f, Omsk on?' K5J 'TTH illIMM 4T affiM 'irsess . sr w; Some time later In the editorial of quito half a column, and In this ho called attention to the benefits trjat had accrued to Chicago by the holding of the World' fair there. He showed how the Atlanta exposition had turned the trend of Investment and Immigration toward the south, closing with the statement that an ex position held in Omaha would result In equally as great benefits to the central west. Some of the then skeptics scouted "the ideas ad vanced by Mr. Rosewater, contending that the un dertaking was too great and that Omaha was too poor to shoulder the burden of promoting an enter prise of such magnitude as an exposition to attract more than local attention would have to be. As a rule, however the ideas were endoraod and for sev eral days the editorial was the talk of the town. It was copied extensively in the state press and the comments upon it were generally favorable, whllo papers outside of Nebraska Intimated that aa a rulo the statea of the Missouri and Mississippi valleys wore willing to assist In promoting a proposition of the kind suggested. Idea Takes Hoot. Exposition matterp rested quietly, bo far as tho public knew, until November 26, though In the meantime Mr. Hosewriter had opened up a corre spondence with prominent mea.oJ over tho central View o2z 2ToTfih Jlxdyray summer he published an west, the Pacific coast country, the south and the east and north. He had written hundreds of let ters, outlining plans for an exposition and asking them if they were in accord with such an Idea. Generally the answers were encouraging, the writers Indicating that Mr. Rosewater could depend upon them for assistance when the time for action arrived. November 26, 1896, the TransmlBsissippi con gress convened in Omaha and that morning in The Bee there appeared a strongeditorial, urging the delegates to take- some action looking to the holding of an exposition in Omaha, not an exposition that would be national, or international In .Its scope, but one that would show to the world some of the possibilities for making a great empire out of the central west and one that would portray to the public mind what bad been accomplished in the paat In the way of development. That this editorial bore fruit soon became ap parent, for two days later In the TransmlBsissippi congress, William J. Bryan, a delegate, offered a resolution, endorsing an exposition, such as sug gested by Mr. Rosewater, and fixing the dates, August, September and October, 1898. The Intro duction of the resolution was greeted with applause, and after Mr. Bryan bad pictured the advantages that would bo der,lvod by every pUto west of the Scnxfk Side of Cox&t cpffonoi? oo2u&g Has J&OJ23 Gevemncxi 3m22j2ig great lakes by holding such an exposition In Omaha, the Idea was enthusiastically endorsed by Colonel John Doniphan of Missouri, George Q. Cannon of Utah, Howell Jones of Kansas and a number of others, and tho resolution adopted without a dis senting vote. Omaha nt Work. Omaha then had a basis to work on and the business men of tho city got busy. Thoy put tholr Bhouldere to the wheel and all Joined in the boost ing. January 18, 1896, tho first meeting looking to a working organization was held. At that time the articles of Incorporation were presented and adopted and tho capital stock fixed at $1,000,000, divided Into shares of $10 each. Five minutes after 'the articles were adopted, $10,650 had been sub scribed, Mr. Rosewater bolng one of the very first to subscribe $600. The exposition having been given a start at home, It was given attention In congress. William V. Allen, was senator from Nebraska and David H. Mercer represented the Omaha district In the house. They both introduced bills, each In the branches of congress of which they were members. The bills were pushed through and In conference they wero merged Into one, It calling for the appropriation of $200,000 by the government, to bo used in the erection of a building and tho making of an ex hibit, the money to be available when the exposi tion company had subscriptions aggregating $300, 000. June 26, 189C, the bill was passed and the following day signed by William MoKInley, then president of the United States, Subsequently an appropriation of $40,000 was secured through tho efforts of Mr. Rosewater and the proceeds used In bringing the Indian congress to Omaha during the period when the exposition was being held. This congress consisted of families and representatives of the different Indian tribes of the United States. Giving the Exposition Form. While the bill appropriating money for a gov ernment exhibit was before congress, the .promoters of the exposition were busy here in Omaha. Tho Omaha Transmississippi and International Export tlon association was organized with Ourdon W Wattles as president; Alvln Saunders, resident Tlca prosident; Herman Kountzo, treasurer; John tu Wakefield, secretary; executive committee, Zooharji T. Llndsey, chairman and directing manager de partment of ways and means; Edward Rosewater manager department of publicity; Gilbert M. Hitclw cock, manager department of promotion; Freeman P. Kirkondall, manager department of building and grounds; Edward E. Bruce, manager depart ment of exhibits; Abram L. Reed, manager depart ment of concessions and privileges; William & Babcock, manager department of transportation. A few months after tho active work of promoting MsA exposition had been gotten under way, Mr. Httdb cock resigned from tho executive committee, audi the department of promotion was consolidated witli the department or publicity, under tho management of Mr. Rosowater. The building of the exposition was a record! breaker whon time Is taken Into consideration, fop In less than fifteen months after the site was chosen and within thirteen months aftor the firej spado of dirt was thrown, tho gates opened opon a magic city, the buildings, costing millions of dot lars, filled with exhibits from all over tho wortfl in quality unequalled and In quantlty-equalled-onlj; by the World's fair at Chicago. Opening Day an Epoch. Of course, the crowning event of the exposition, was tho opening day, fifteen years ago, when yearly, 30,000 visitors passed through the gates. Natura smiled upon Omaha and the exposition, Tht .(Continued on Page Flveufc, ;ral II 4