Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Part 5

Whereas the President on August 20, 1901, issued his proclamation stating that he has been advised by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission, pursuant to the provisions of section 9 of the act of Congress approved March 3, 1901, ent.i.tled "An act to provide for celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the purchase 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," that provision had been made for grounds and buildings for the uses specified in the said mentioned act of Congress;

Whereas it was declared and proclaimed by the President in his aforesaid proclamation that such international exhibition would be opened in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, not later than the 1st day of May, 1903, and be closed not later than the 1st day of December thereafter;

And whereas section 8 of the act of Congress approved June 28, 1902, ent.i.tled "An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903, and for other purposes," fixes a subsequent date for the holding of the said international exhibition, and specifically states that said Commission shall provide for the dedication of the buildings of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in said city of St. Louis not later than the 30th day of April, 1903, with appropriate ceremonies, and thereafter said exposition shall be opened to visitors at such time as may be designated by said company, subject to the approval of said Commission, not later than the 1st day of May, 1904, and shall be closed at such time as the National Commission may determine, subject to the approval of said company, but not later than the 1st day of December thereafter;

Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, do hereby declare and proclaim the aforesaid provision of law to the end that it may definitely and formally be known that such international exhibition will be opened in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, not later than May 1, 1904, and will be closed not later than December 1 of that year.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Was.h.i.+ngton the 1st day of July, 1902, and of the independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-sixth.

[SEAL.]

THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

By the President: DAVID J. HILL, Acting Secretary of State.

On April 30, 1903, the buildings of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition were dedicated in the city of St. Louis under the direction of the Commission.

PROGRAMME

CENTENNIAL DAY, APRIL 30, 1903.

GRAND MARSHAL, MAJ. GEN. HENRY C. CORBIN, UNITED STATES ARMY.

At 10 o'clock a.m. the freedom of the city was tendered to the President of the United States by the mayor of St. Louis.

The military parade, composed of United States troops and the National Guard in attendance, a.s.sembled under direction of the grand marshal and moved from the junction of Grand avenue and Lindell boulevard promptly at half-past 10 o'clock, preceded by the President of the United States and official guests in carriages, through Forest Park to the exposition grounds, where the Presidential salute was fired, and the parade was reviewed by the President of the United States.

At 1.30 p.m. a grand band concert took place, the doors of the Liberal Arts Building, where the dedication exercises were held, were thrown open, and the audience seated under direction of the guards and ushers.

Promptly at 2 o'clock the a.s.sembly was called to order by Hon. David R.

Francis, president of the Exposition Company, and the following programme was carried out:

First. Invocation by his eminence Cardinal James Gibbons, as follows:

We pray Thee, O G.o.d of might, wisdom, and justice, through Whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, a.s.sist with the Holy Spirit of counsel and fort.i.tude the President of the United States, that his Administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides, by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion, by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy, and by restraining vice and immorality.

By the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress and s.h.i.+ne forth in all their proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge, and may perpetuate to us the blessings of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this State, for the members of the legislature, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled by Thy powerful protection to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We pray for the president and directors of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, that their arduous labors may be crowned with success, and may redound to the greater growth and development of this flouris.h.i.+ng city on the banks of the Father of Waters.

May this vast territory which was peacefully acquired a hundred years ago be for all time to come the tranquil and happy abode of millions of enlightened, G.o.d-fearing, and industrious people engaged in the various pursuits and avocations of life. As this new domain was added to our possessions without sanguinary strife, so may its soil never be stained by bloodshed in any foreign or domestic warfare.

May this commemorative exposition to which the family of nations are generously contributing their treasures of art and industry bind together the governments of the earth in closer ties of fellows.h.i.+p and good will, and of social and commercial intercourse. May it hasten the dawn of the reign of the Prince of Peace, when national conflicts will be adjusted, not by hostile armies, but by permanent courts of arbitration.

May this international exposition, inaugurated in the interests of people and commerce, help to break down the walls of dissension, of jealousy, and prejudice that divides race from race, nation from nation, and people from people, by proclaiming aloud the sublime gospel truth that we are all children of the same G.o.d, brothers and sisters of the same Lord Jesus Christ, and that we are all aspiring to a glorious inheritance in the everlasting kingdom of our common Father.

Second. Address by Mr. Thomas H. Carter, of the National Commission, president of the day.

One hundred years ago to-day the Government of the United States acquired sovereignty over the vast territory west of the Mississippi River, which has since been known to the geographical nomenclature of the world as the "Louisiana Purchase." Beyond the river the boundaries and the resources of the territory were ill defined and but vaguely comprehended. The purchase price of $15,000,000 was p.r.o.nounced exorbitant, the free navigation of the Mississippi being the only part of the property deemed worthy of serious consideration. The transaction was regarded by many as a violation of the Const.i.tution and a menace to our form of government. The grave doubts of president Jefferson were only resolved into action by his patriotic desire for national supremacy over the river and his prophetic faith in the possibilities of the mysterious country beyond it. The revelations of a century most amply justified his faith.

When the treaty of cession was concluded, President Jefferson represented less than 6,000,000 people. During these ceremonies, President Roosevelt, the Executive of over 80,000,000 of freemen, will dedicate the buildings.

The magical story of local development puts to shame the creations of fiction. The contented and prosperous inhabitants of the Louisiana Purchase to-day substantially equal in numbers three times the total population of the United States in 1800.

The conquest of s.p.a.ce, forests, streams, and deserts and the founding of cities and States in waste places within this territory mark an advance unsurpa.s.sed in the history of human endeavor.

In conformity with a special act of Congress, the President has invited all the nations to cooperate with us in properly commemorating the masterful achievements of a century in this new country.

It is fitting that the celebration should be international, for you will in vain attempt to name a civilized country whose sons and daughters have not contributed to the glorious triumphs of peace recorded here. In vain will you seek a more cosmopolitan and at the same time a more h.o.m.ogeneous population than that of the Louisiana territory. The purchase facilitated by the exigencies of European war, and made in a season of darkness and peril, has proven a boon not only to the grantor and the grantee, but to humanity at large, for here the nations have commingled, and the brotherhood of man has become a demonstrated possibility.

As a means of giving expression to the universal appreciation of what has been accomplished for humanity within this field during the century, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was organized under authority of an act of Congress. With the aid of the United States Government and the city of St. Louis, the Exposition Company, through its officers, agents, and employees, has erected the majestic exposition buildings whose ma.s.sive proportions and cla.s.sical outlines excite the wonder and admiration of the vast mult.i.tude a.s.sembled within and about their walls.

To everyone present is accorded the privilege of a.s.sisting in the dedication of these buildings to their intended use. The President of the United States honors us by being present to extend his greetings and to voice the approving sentiments of his countrymen.

Moved by a broad and generous spirit, the nations of the earth, from the empire of most ancient origin to the republic of twentieth-century creation, dignifies the occasion by the presence of their accredited representatives. Our home folks from all the States, Territories, and districts betoken by their numbers and enthusiasm the interest of the body of the people in the exposition and the great historic event it is intended to commemorate.

In the name of the National Commission, directed by Congress to provide for the dedication ceremonies, I extend to you all a cordial welcome, and as responsive to this inspiring scene of peace and generous feeling, I call upon the chorus to favor us with Beethoven's Creation hymn.

Those best informed will, by unanimous consent, yield to Hon.

David R. Francis, president of the company, the highest measure of praise for the organization of the exposition and the construction of the buildings he will now present to the President of the United States for dedication.

Third. Grand chorus: "The Heavens Proclaiming."

Fourth. Presentation of the buildings by Hon. David R. Francis, president of the Exposition Company:

The people of the Louisiana Purchase are proud of their members.h.i.+p in the Federal Union.

They are grateful for the benefits that have flowed from a life under the enduring inst.i.tutions framed by the founders of the Republic. They congratulate their brethren on the position our country occupies among the nations of the earth, and felicitate themselves on the part they have performed toward raising it to its present prestige and power.

They felt it a patriotic duty to fittingly commemorate the completion of the first century of their connection with the American Republic, and the rounding out of an important epoch in the life of the Republic. In the discharge of that duty this exposition was conceived. The inhabitants of the fourteen States and two Territories comprised within the purchase selected St.

Louis as the scene of the celebration.

The people of this city, grateful for the honor conferred, promptly accepted it and cheerfully a.s.sumed the immense responsibility it entailed. The century just closed, unequaled as it was in every line of progress, furnishes no more striking evidence of the advance of civilization than the development of the Louisiana territory. A celebration in such an age and in such a country, to be fit, should be upon a scale in keeping with the best and the highest, and should be planned upon lines broad enough to take in every people and every clime.

A scheme so ambitious in its inception naturally had comparatively few advocates and encountered many antagonists and more doubters. It could not be accomplished without the recognition and the aid of the General Government, which, for a time, it seemed impossible to enlist. It was decided that the amount required to launch an undertaking so comprehensive should be the same as that paid for the empire which Jefferson purchased--$15,000,000. The Congress said to St. Louis, "When you have secured two-thirds of that sum, we will provide the remaining third." The conditions were accepted and fulfilled.

After three years of struggle the sinews had been secured--the first step accomplished. Two years have since elapsed. During that period the work has been pushed in every State and Territory and possession of the United States, and in every civilized country on the earth. The disappointments experienced and the obstacles encountered have but served to spur to renewed effort those who, from the inception of the movement, had determined to carry it to a successful consummation.

The further encouragement of the General Government on the provision for its own exhibit, the cooperation of 41 States and Territories and possessions of the United States, the pledged partic.i.p.ation of 32 foreign countries are the results of vigorous domestic and foreign exploitation. That, and what you behold here to-day in physical shape, we submit as the product of five years of labor, nearly four of which were devoted to propaganda and appeal and organization.

The plan and scope, comprehensive as they were in the beginning, have never diminished at any stage of the progress; rather have they been amplified and enlarged.