Chapter 48

Upon the centennial of the day the Louisiana Territory was sold by Napoleon to the United States, the exposition, which embodied all that the vast territory now represents, was consecrated to its purpose. In the presence of 50,000 persons the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was formally dedicated; 12,000 troops, the pick of the United States Regular Army, and the best militia of the country, moved past a given point for one hour and a half, under Maj. Gen. Henry C. Corbin, U.S. Army, grand marshal. Governors and their staffs were loudly cheered as they appeared at the head of their State troops. Gathered on the reviewing stand was a notable assembly--our Chief Executive, President Roosevelt; ex-President Cleveland, ambassadors and diplomats, cabinet officers, the lieutenant-general of the Army, Nelson A. Miles; Cardinal Gibbons and Bishop Potter, Senator, Representatives, governors, State and Territorial representatives, Government officials, President Francis, and the board of directors of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission, and the board of lady managers.

At the meeting in the Liberal Arts Building following the parade, President Carter of the National Commission addressed the great assembly. The enthusiasm was unbounded when, in turn, the President and ex-President spoke to the vast multitude. After the meeting an adjournment was made to the Administration Building, where President Roosevelt and ex-President Cleveland received many of their friends, and the board of lady managers entertained a distinguished company at 5 o'clock in their rooms in the Administration Building. Among the guests present at the dinner tendered in the evening by Hon. David R. Francis to President Roosevelt, in the building of the Hall of Congresses, were several members of President Roosevelt's Cabinet, ex-President Cleveland, Lieut. Gen. Nelson A. Miles, diplomatic representatives of thirty foreign governments, governors, Senators, National Commissioners, and the board of lady managers.

The second, or "International Day," the procession was arranged as on the first day, the introductory oration being delivered in the Palace of Liberal Arts. President Francis extended greeting to representatives of foreign governments and responses were made by Ambassador Jusserand, of the French Government, and Señor Don Emilio de Ojeda, Spanish minister to the United States. In the evening a reception was given at the St. Louis Club in honor of the diplomatic corps, and a banquet was tendered to visiting journalists in the Hall of Congresses on the exposition grounds.

The third, or "State Day," the visiting governors were specially entertained, and the closing exercises held, after which the governors and representatives of different States proceeded to the sites that had been allotted their respective State pavilions and broke ground and laid corner stones with appropriate ceremonies.

In all of the exercises of the three opening days the members of the board of lady managers, by their participation in the ceremonies, represented the women of the country.

On Saturday, May 2, 1903, the following resolution was offered by Mrs. Edward L. Buchwalter, the first vice-president:

Whereas the board of lady managers of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition find it necessary to have funds at their disposal for the proper conduct of the business of the board; therefore be it

_Resolved_, That a committee of three be appointed to take the necessary steps to secure such an appropriation from Congress at the earliest possible date; that said committee be, and is hereby, directed to take immediate action in such matter, and that said sum shall not be less than $100,000.

Upon the adoption of this resolution Mrs. Daniel Manning was made chairman, and in accepting the appointment she asked the members of the board to use their influence with the Senators and Congressmen of their States for the passage of the bill.

At this meeting (May 2, 1903) the president announced the appointment of the following standing committees: Executive, entertainment, foreign relations, women's congresses, and press, and the committee on women's work was enlarged.

An invitation was received from the Wednesday Club of St. Louis, in which a reception was tendered by that organization to the board. The courtesy was greatly appreciated and promptly accepted, and the occasion brought together the intellectual women of that city.

No further meeting was held until December 15, 1903, which was called by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission and held in St. Louis, at the Southern Hotel, Mrs. E.L. Buchwalter, first vice-president, presiding. The following communication was then read by the secretary:

St. Louis, U.S.A., _October 21, 1903_.

LADIES: I herewith tender to you my resignation from the office of president, to which you did me the honor to elect me. Begging you to accept the same, with my best wishes for the welfare and success of the board in the future, I remain,

Always faithfully, yours, APOLLINE M. BLAIR. BOARD OF LADY MANAGERS, LOUISIANA PURCHASE.

The resignation was accepted by the board, and a committee appointed to prepare suitable resolutions. At the afternoon session Miss Dawes, chairman of this committee, presented the following:

Resolved, That the board of lady managers of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition accepts with regret the resignation of Mrs. James L. Blair as president; that it places upon its records its appreciation of her service to the board of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Her large abilities and her experience in social and public affairs have been freely given to this work, and she has served the board and the exposition with unwavering zeal and with conspicuous ability. Her enthusiasm for the exposition, her far-reaching sense of its aims and scope, her large conception of the possibilities of our connection therewith as a board, and her interests in its needs inspired her administration of its affairs and called for the recognition and thanks of this board, whose head and representative she was, and of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition which she served.

Resolved, That this board of lady managers express its recognition and gratitude by adopting these resolutions and that the secretary be directed to send a copy to Mrs. Blair.

ANNA L. DAWES. HELEN MILLER GOULD. FRANCES MARION HANGER. JENNIE GILMORE KNOTT. EMILY S.G. HOLCOMBE.

On motion of Mrs. Manning, seconded by Mrs. Coleman, the resolution was unanimously adopted.

President Francis then appeared before the board of lady managers, and, upon the request of the chairman, made an address, in which he said, in answer to a request to give to the board some idea concerning the cost of the exposition:

I only can give you the comparisons with other of the largest expositions ever held in this or any other country. I will state as compared with the Paris Exposition, we are now nearer a state of completion than that exposition was on the date of its opening. That no exposition was ever so near completed four and a half months prior to its opening. Of course we have a great deal of work to do, and we must bear in mind that although we use a vast amount of material, 90 per cent of the cost is put in labor--not only the labor out on the grounds, but the labor in the lumber districts, in the loading and unloading of the lumber--and this comprises the greater part of our buildings as they are built almost exclusively of lumber--the value of it is comparatively small as compared with the cost of preparing it for market and getting it here.

Then the matter of wages--we have to pay 33 per cent higher wages than were paid at the Chicago Exposition. At that time carpenters got 35 cents per hour--you may remember that was the year of the panic, 1893. When we first began carpenters in this town were getting 45 cents an hour; they are now getting 55 cents an hour, and when you bear in mind that we have 5,000 carpenters at work there, an advance of 25 per cent in wages means something.

We broke ground on December 20, 1901, but we did that because it was the anniversary of the transfer of this territory from the French Government to the United States. But that was two years ago, and in those two years wages have gone up in St. Louis from 45 to 55 cents; plumbers' wages have advanced 25 per cent; plasterers were getting $4.50 per day--we are now paying them $6, and on last Friday they struck for $7. The hodcarriers who carry plaster for the plasterers are getting $4 per day--count twenty-five working days in the month, our hodcarriers are receiving $100 per month, which is more than educated clerks receive. A while ago these hodcarriers struck for $4.50 per day. * * * This is an Universal Exposition--we do not want to take a stand against union labor, but if it is to be a Universal Exposition we must stand by the laws of the United States so as to admit contract labor from abroad--men who work on erecting the foreign exhibits.

We were paying our day laborers 22 cents an hour and the railroads throughout the country were giving them 22 1/2 cents an hour; on the 25th of September they wrote that they had four demands: One was the recognition of the union (no one ever knew they had a union); second, that eight hours should constitute a day; third, they should get 30 cents an hour, and fourth, time and one-half for overtime. Well, in order not to stop our work I told the men to pay them 25 cents an hour, but that we could not limit our work to an eight-hour day; it was in the fall and we had to take advantage of the fine weather--we would pay them 25 cents an hour and work as long as we wished them to work--ten hours. I said to the laborers this is not a commercial enterprise; we are not running this for gain; we have put up $10,000,000 or $16,000,000; we are doing a patriotic duty, celebrating an historical event. * * *

We have 50 per cent more of buildings under roof than Chicago had at this time. We have 1,240 acres of ground space covered by buildings, while Chicago had 679 acres, which is nearly twice as much. When we say that the Chicago Company spent $22,000,000 I think you will say that under the circumstances $19,500,000 is a small amount for us to spend. Of course we have profited by their experience, which should be valuable to us.

A committee was appointed on December 16, 1903, to confer with President Carter, and place before him the following resolution:

_Resolved_, That the board of lady managers respectfully request the National Commission to suspend its rules limiting the further appointments upon the board, for the purpose of appointing a representative from the city of St. Louis upon the board of lady managers.

On the same day the following communication was received in reply:

DEAR MISS DAWES: The Commission has under consideration the question propounded by you, understood to be substantially as follows: "Is it the intention of the Commission and the Exposition Company to suspend the rule heretofore adopted, whereby it is provided that no appointment will be made on the board of lady managers, until the number shall be reduced below twenty-one?"

In reply, I am authorized by the Commission to say that the Exposition Company, speaking through its president, has intimated that the executive committee of the company will present a request to the Commission for the suspension of the rule referred to, to the end that a lady residing in the city of St. Louis may be appointed a member of the board of lady managers, under such suspension of the rule.

This request, we are advised, will be presented by the company to-day, and the Commission is disposed to suspend the rule by unanimous consent in conformity to the request when presented, and to appoint the lady recommended by the executive committee of the company. You will be advised of the action of the Commission on the subject under consideration the earliest practicable moment.

Very respectfully, THOMAS H. CARTER, _President_.

MISS ANNA L. DAWES, _Chairman of Committee, Board of Lady Managers._

On December 18 the following letter was received from the president of the National Commission on the same subject:

ST. Louis, _December 17, 1903._

MADAM: By direction of the Commission I am authorized to acknowledge receipt of your resolution recommending that the Commission suspend the rule restricting the membership of the board of lady managers, to the end that an appointment may be made of a representative from the city of St. Louis. In reply thereto you are informed that the rule referred to can not be suspended, save by the joint action of this Commission and the Exposition Company. The Commission feels indisposed to initiate any movement looking to its suspension. If requested by the Exposition Company to suspend the rule for the purpose of naming some lady residing in St. Louis, recommended by the Exposition Company, the Commission would probably, by unanimous consent, suspend the rule for that purpose.

Very respectfully, THOMAS H. CARTER, _President._

MRS. DANIEL MANNING, _President Board Lady Managers._

As no decision could be reached by the executive committee of the Exposition Company in regard to a choice of representative from the city of St. Louis on the board of lady managers, the board felt the necessity of selecting a president from its existing membership, and at the next session, on December 16, 1903, again held in the Administration Building, Mrs. John M. Holcombe moved that "we proceed at once to elect a president of this board."

Mrs. Buchwalter, the chairman, stated that it was in order to proceed with the election of a president of the board, and asked for nominations. Miss Helen M. Gould spoke as follows:

I would like to nominate Mrs. Daniel Manning for this office. Mrs. Manning has had large experience in matters of this kind as head of the Daughters of the American Revolution, having resided in Washington as the wife of one of the members of Mr. Cleveland's cabinet, and in representing our country abroad, having been one of our representatives at the Paris Exposition. I understand that Mrs. Manning is one of two women from this country who received the decoration from the French Government, and I take pleasure in nominating her for the office of president of this board. This nomination was seconded by several members, and, as no other nominations were made, the tellers announced the result of the vote: For Mrs. Manning, 13 votes: one blank, Mrs. Manning not voting.

The chairman then thanked the members of the board for the sympathy and help they had given her.

In reply the secretary extended to Mrs. Buchwalter the sincere thanks of the members of the board for the efficient work she had performed as their first vice-president and honorable chairman, and Miss Dawes spoke for the entire board in expressing her thanks to Mrs. Buchwalter for her impartiality, confidence, good management, and elegance in presiding.

Mrs. Daniel Manning, the newly elected president, then took the chair and thanked the board for the honor conferred upon her.

The order of business was then proceeded with, and, pursuant to a wish expressed by the National Commission to meet the board of lady managers, the members of the Commission were announced and Mrs. Manning said:

Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Commission: We understood that you would graciously come over and talk with us a little while. We are starting in on a new lease of life. We want to work for the exposition to the best of our ability. We want your advice and wish to consult you about a number of matters, but, first, we would like to hear from you.

President Carter responded as follows:

Madam President and Ladies: We have come to say a few words to you and to have you consult with us upon any subjects you desire to bring up. I do not know how graciously we have come, but we come very cheerfully. The subject of your remark has been under consideration for a long time and we all regret that a more definite conclusion has not been reached relative to the sphere of your activity in connection with the World's Fair. I think your report, the report of your committee, of which Mrs. Montgomery is chairman, and which she recently submitted, crystallizes into close compass about the line of action the board might appropriately pursue. The report referred to dealt not only with the conclusion reached, but the details whereby those conclusions were reached. It included discussions, formal and informal, and certain correspondence relating to the subject. The Commission has approved that report in so far as it prescribed in definite form the sphere of your work, and, with the approval of the Commission, that report has been forwarded to the local company. These resolutions or statements made by your board, which in your judgment would constitute a proper sphere of action, seem to embody a field sufficiently broad to be worthy of your intentions. It was hoped by the Commission that during the present session of the board, the members of the local company, together with the Commission, would be present for a conference--more informal than formal--which might result in a correct and definite understanding as to just what you were to do, and how you were to do it.

The only conclusion which has been reached is that which gives you a contingent fund, which seems to have been adequate for the meager necessities of the past, but I believe that up to this hour the exact part your board is playing in connection with making this exposition a success, is far too indefinite to be satisfactory to you, and it is certainly not satisfactory to the Commission. Our Commission will adjourn to meet on the 10th of January, and we hope by that time to be in receipt of some communication from the Exposition Company announcing their disposition of the report I have referred to, and the scope of the work of the board of lady managers. Notwithstanding that will be at a very late date, it is well to have it in sight.

The ladies of your board have been engaged without much credit being given to the board or to the ladies themselves, in the work of exploitation. A number of the ladies have done most efficient work in their respective States--and some, in the adjoining States--calling the attention of the people at large, and in some instances the legislative sessions, to the vastness, scope, and policy of the exposition. It is unfortunate that your board does not receive the credit which this line of meritorious effort deserves. In the end, I doubt not, that in the final reports you will be accorded full measure of credit for what you have done individually and collectively. The past has been devoid of results because of a lack of understanding to start with. I think you are now beginning an era more promising than any outlook you have had in the past. I congratulate you upon having reached a condition of harmony within your own organization, which speaks well for the future. The earnestness of this board, the disinterestedness of its members, leading them in the first instance to volunteer their services to this great enterprise, has been an example to the whole country of national devotion, which has been of great advantage to the exposition management; your gratuitous and earnest effort has been a means of making the exposition favorably known throughout this country, at least. Your expenses have been very light--I believe, up to this time, less than $20,000, in the neighborhood of $20,000--which, considering the long distances traveled, and the number of meetings, is a trifling sum in comparison with what has been spent by similar boards of former expositions.

As you are aware, the act of Congress, under which both the Commission and your board find warrant for existence, granted to the local company an appropriation of $5,000,000 for the purposes of giving this exposition. We have probably in moments of inconsiderate feeling been too prone to find fault--I speak of the Commission, not of the ladies--prone to find fault with the people here who have been doing the best they could. There has been a disposition to assume the control, to the exclusion of outside agencies; and this is but natural because it is inseparable--or is in evidence with reference to all official places in our Government--in fact, it has been noticed that a man, who is ordinarily indolent, when placed in power will become very energetic in this respect.

The Exposition Company has assumed a full measure of the responsibilities--and possibly some of our responsibilities as well--for which we have not been duly grateful. Nevertheless, we are not inclined to blame these people, because they have contributed very largely and generously of local means to aid this enterprise, which leads them to the desire to supervise each and every detail in connection with this work. This desire to assume full responsibility is possibly responsible for the failure to assign to the ladies any particular work, and is also responsible for the curtailing of the jurisdiction of the National Commission. As the work progresses, however, I think that the company realizes the necessity of drawing upon all the forces available to make the exposition a success.

This Commission had a long and pleasant interview with the president of the exposition, at which time he brought out a desire for cooperation and assistance that had not yet been manifested. I believe now, as your body is organized, from the harmonious work accomplished at these meetings, and its cordial relations with the Exposition Company, and certainly with the Commission, the future promises more than has been accorded to similar organizations in the past. * * * We thank you, ladies, for the privilege of being before you, and cheerfully extend our salutations on the election of your president and upon the good will and spirit of harmony which prevails among you.

Mr. Lindsay then spoke as follows: