Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Part 1

Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission.

by Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

_To the Senate and House of Representatives:_

I transmit herewith a communication from the Secretary of State submitting the final report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission, furnished in pursuance of section 11 of the "Act to provide for celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory," etc., approved March 3, 1901.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

THE WHITE HOUSE, _February 8, 1906._

The PRESIDENT:

The undersigned, Secretary of State, has the honor to lay before the President the final report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission, presented, as required by section 11 of the act of Congress approved March 3, 1901, ent.i.tled "An act to provide for celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the Louisiana Territory by the United States by holding an international exhibition of arts, industries, manufactures, and the products of the soil, mine, forest, and sea in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri."

Respectfully submitted.

ELIHU ROOT.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, _Was.h.i.+ngton, February 5, 1906._

FINAL REPORT OF THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION COMMISSION.

As required by section 11 of an act of Congress ent.i.tled "An act to provide for the celebrating of the one hundredth anniversary of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory by the United States by holding an international exhibition of arts, industries, manufacturers, and the products of the soil, mine, forest, and the sea in the city of St.

Louis, in the State of Missouri," approved March 3, 1901, this final report is here presented:

In the early part of the year 1900 the citizens of St. Louis inaugurated a movement looking to the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory by an international exposition. A temporary organization having been effected, the subject was presented to Congress through a committee of citizens appointed for that purpose. Congress conditionally approved the enterprise by enacting a law which in substance provided that the Government would extend the required aid to the proposed exposition, providing the pet.i.tioners would furnish a.s.surance that the sum of $10,000,000 had been raised for and on account of inaugurating and carrying forward an exposition at the city of St. Louis, Mo., in the year 1903, to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory.

Prior to March 3, 1901, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company, then consisting of an a.s.sociation of persons, furnished the Secretary of the Treasury proof to his satisfaction that said sum of $10,000,000 had been raised for the purpose indicated. Thereupon the act hereinbefore cited was pa.s.sed and duly approved by the President.

Including the appropriation made by the act of Congress, the sum of $15,000,000 was provided for the exposition, as follows:

Donated by the city of St. Louis ...................... $5,000,000 Subscription to the capital stock of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company ......................... 5,000,000 Appropriated by Congress, through the act aforesaid ... 5,000,000

On April 1, 1901, in accordance with section 2 of the act of Congress, the President appointed a nonpartisan commission, consisting of nine members, known and designated as the "Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission," the names of the appointees and the States in which they resided being as follows:

JOHN M. THURSTON Nebraska.

THOMAS H. CARTER Montana.

WILLIAM LINDSAY Kentucky.

GEORGE W. MCBRIDE Oregon.

FREDERICK A. BETTS Connecticut.

JOHN M. ALLEN Mississippi.

MARTIN H. GLYNN New York.

JOHN F. MILLER Indiana.

PHILIP D. SCOTT Arkansas.

The name of the Commission being somewhat lengthy it became known and was referred to in the law and proceedings throughout as "The National Commission."

Pursuant to a call by the Secretary of State, the members of the Commission met at the Southern Hotel, in the city of St. Louis, on April 23, 1901, and adjourned until the following day, when organization was perfected.

Thomas H. Carter, of Montana, was elected president; Martin H. Glynn, of New York, vice-president, and Mr. Joseph Flory, of St. Louis, Mo., secretary.

The following committees were appointed:

_Executive._ THOMAS H. CARTER.

JOHN F. MILLER.

PHILIP D. SCOTT.

JOHN M. ALLEN.

FREDERICK A. BETTS.

_Judiciary._ WILLIAM LINDSAY.

JOHN M. THURSTON.

GEORGE W. MCBRIDE.

_Plan and Scope._ GEORGE W. MCBRIDE.

FREDERICK A. BETTS.

WILLIAM LINDSAY.

MARTIN H. GLYNN.

JOHN F. MILLER.

_Members of Board of Arbitration._ JOHN M. THURSTON.

JOHN M. ALLEN.

_Auditing._ JOHN F. MILLER.

PHILIP D. SCOTT.

JOHN M. THURSTON.

_Insurance._ THOMAS H. CARTER.

MARTIN H. GLYNN.

FREDERICK A. BETTS.

_Ceremonies._ THOMAS H. CARTER.

JOHN M. ALLEN.

JOHN M. THURSTON.

WILLIAM LINDSAY.

Mr. Claude Hough, of Sedalia, Mo., was appointed official stenographer of the Commission on May 6, 1901, and has capably and efficiently served in that capacity throughout.

The organization of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company was not formally perfected until about a month after the first meeting of the National Commission, when the a.s.sociation which had theretofore existed under that name was duly organized and became an incorporated company under and in conformity with the laws of the State of Missouri. In the meantime informal conferences were held between the Commission and the prospective officers of the company in reference to a site for the exposition.

The munic.i.p.al a.s.sembly of the city of St. Louis enacted an ordinance authorizing the use of a portion of Forest Park as a site for the exposition, as follows: