USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 36
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OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
to Senators Allen and Thurston that they were ready to give the pledge, but the Mercer bill was side-tracked in favor of the senate bill, which carried an appropriation of $250,000, on condition that the exposition officials would raise the same amount. The bill was approved by President Cleveland on June 10, 1896.
During the month of February, 1897, the department of promotion sent excursions to the capital cities of several of the Trans-Mississippi States to lay the matter of the exposition project before state officials and such legislatures as might be in session. One of these excursions visited various cities in Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and California. Another visited Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and a third visited Missouri, Arkan- sas, Texas and Oklahoma, going as far south as the City of Mexico. Through the missionary work done by this department, the following state appropriations were made :
Nebraska
$100,000
Illinois
45,000
Iowa
30,000
Montana
30,000
Georgia
10,000
Utah
8,000
Ohio
3,000
New York
10,000
Territory of Arizona
2,000
Total
$238,000
Added to this, Douglas County, Nebraska, gave $100,000 and the City of Omaha raised $30,000, the latter sum being spent in preparing the grounds. One- half of Montana's appropriation was donated by Marcus Daly, of Butte. In several states that failed to make appropriations considerable sums were raised by private subscriptions among the citizens, to wit :
Minnesota
$ 30,000
Kansas
22,000
South Dakota
5,000
Wisconsin
25,000
Oregon
10,000
Washington
15,000
Oklahoma
5,000
New Mexico
3,000
Wyoming
15,000
Los Angeles County, California
10,000
Missouri
15,000
Colorado
10,000
Texas
10,000
Total
$175,000
This made a grand total of $543,000 raised by state and county appropria- tions and private donations. The department of ways and means secured subscrip-
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tions to the capital stock amounting to $625,962.70, of which about 88 per cent or $550,847.17, was collected.
GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS
The grounds selected by the association for the exposition consisted of three tracts, aggregating 184 acres, about a mile north of Omaha's main business district. The "Kountze Tract," on which were erected the principal buildings, is bounded by Sherman Avenue on the east; Pratt Street on the north; Twenty- fourth Street on the west, and Pinkney Street on the south. Just east of this and across Sherman Avenue lay the "Bluff Tract," where were located the music pavilion, the horticultural building and the several state buildings. Through the northern part of this tract wound the serpentine street of foreign villages, crossing the Sherman Avenue viaduct, to the "Oak Chatham Tract," where the live stock exhibits, althletic park and most of the concessions were located. The total amount expended by the association for buildings was $564,616.59. State buildings were erected by Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, Wiscon- sin, Montana, Georgia and New York. As a rule, the state buildings were for meeting places for the visitors from the states represented, though in some of them there were special or private exhibits, loaned by individuals or made by societies.
Twenty-two states and territories that did not go to the expense of erecting buildings of their own, made exhibits of their products. They were: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Indian Territory, Louis- iana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
At the west end of the Kountze tract directly in front of the Twenty-fourth Street entrance, stood the Government Building, 504 feet in length by 150 feet in depth, in which was placed the Government exhibit, consisting chiefly of historic relics, portraits and autograph letters of prominent American and foreign states- men, diplomats, etc., swords carried by Washington and Jackson, Jefferson's little writing desk, upon which he is said to have written the first draft of the Declara- tion of Independence, and a large number of interesting articles. The various Government departments also made exhibits. The dome of this building was surmounted by a statue of "Liberty enlightening the World," the torch being 178 feet above the pavement.
Along the east side of the Kountze tract were the buildings devoted to mines, agriculture and machinery, and along the west side were the manufacturing and art buildings and some smaller structures. The horticultural building, located on the Bluff tract, has already been mentioned, and on the Oak Chatham, or north, tract was the transportation and agricultural implement building, the largest one erected by the association, covering five acres. One of the noticeable features of the exposition was the "Arch of States," which formed the grand entrance at Sherman Avenue. It was fifty feet wide, twenty-five feet deep and sixty-eight feet in height. Above the main arch was a broad frieze bearing the coat-of-arms of the Trans-Mississippi States, and in the curved wings extending from either side were the main ticket offices.
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OPENING THE EXPOSITION
It was planned to open the exposition precisely at twelve o'clock, noon, on June 1, 1898, but as usual on such occasions, some delays occurred. At 10:30 A. M. a line of parade was formed down town, the right of the column resting on Sixteenth and Douglas streets, and moved to the exposition grounds. There the program was as follows :
Jubilee Overture by the United States Marine Band.
Prayer by Reverend Samuel J. Niccolls, of St. Louis. Address by Gurdon W. Wattles, President of the Exposition. Song of Welcome by the Trans-Mississippi Chorus of 150 voices. Address by John L. Webster, of Omaha. Address by John N. Baldwin, of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Music, "The Voice of Our Nation," United States Marine Band. Address by Governor Silas A. Holcomb, of Nebraska. Starting of the Machinery by President Mckinley.
Music, "America," United States Marine Band, Chorus and Audience.
It was 12:15 P. M. when Director William F. Santleman of the United States Marine Band raised his baton and the first notes of the Jubilee Overture greeted the ears of the assembled multitude. Fifteen minutes later President William McKinley, in the Executive Mansion at Washington, D. C., pressed the button that started the machinery. The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was open. Standing with the President in the Executive Mansion were Senators John M. Thurston and William V. Allen, of Nebraska; the Nebraska representa- tives in Congress-David H. Mercer, Samuel Maxwell, W. A. Stark, R. D. Sutherland and W. L. Greene-and a number of other prominent persons. The total admissions on the opening day were 27,998.
SPECIAL DAYS
According to the custom adopted by great expositions in the past, certain days were designated for the various states participating, high officials, etc. The special days observed by the Trans-Mississippi Exposition were as follows: June 14, 1898, Nebraska Day, also Flag Day; June 18, Wisconsin Day; June 21, Illinois Day ; June 22, Kansas Day ; June 23, Iowa Dedication Day ; July 4, Independence Day; July 11, Massachusetts Day ; July 14, Children's Day ; July 20, Minnesota Day ; August 4, Indian Day ; August 5, Flower Day ; August 10, Red Men's Day ; August 18, Texas Day ; August 24, Nebraska Editors' Day; August 27, Bohemian Day ; September 3, National Editorial Association Day ; September 5, Labor Day ; September 16, Oklahoma Day; September 30, Georgia Day; October 5, Pennsyl- vania Day; October 7, Ohio Day ; October 8, New York Day.
There were also days set apart for certain fraternal organizations and some of the principal cities of the Middle West and named for such orders or cities. The week from October 10 to 15, 1898, was known as the "Jubilee Week," during which there was a Mayors' Day, a Governors' Day, President's Day, Army and Vol. 1-18
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Navy Day and Civil Government Day, each of which was distinguished by special programs.
October 12, 1898, was President's Day. President Mckinley and his escort arrived at Omaha at 8 P. M., October 11th, and the party were conveyed in carriages to the City Hall, the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, in their uniforms, acting as the escort of honor. After visiting the mayor of the city, the President was taken to the Omaha Club, where a banquet was served. The members of the Omaha Club had tendered the use of their club house to the President during his stay in the city, and he and his cabinet officers accepted the invitation to make it their headquarters.
The largest number of admissions in any one day was on October 12, 1898, the day the President visited the exposition, 98,845 people passing through the gates. President McKinley and the other distinguished guests of the day arrived at 10:30 A. M. and found the Second Nebraska Regiment, which had just returned from the Spanish-American war, drawn up in two lines from the entrance to the grand stand on the grand plaza, where the following program was carried out :
Music by Innes' Band.
Invocation by Reverend John McQuoid. Address by President Gurdon W. Wattles. Address by President Mckinley. Music by Innes' Band. Address by Postmaster-General, Charles Emory Smith.
Music by Innes' Band.
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY'S SPEECH
"Gentlemen of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition and Fellow Citizens: It is with genuine pleasure that I meet once more the people of Omaha, whose wealth of welcome is not altogether unfamiliar to me and whose warm hearts have before touched and moved me. For this renewed manifestation of your regard and for the cordial reception of today my heart responds with profound gratitude and a deep appreciation which I cannot conceal. and which the language of compliment is inadequate to convey. My greeting is not alone to your city and the State of Nebraska, but to the people of all the states of the Trans-Mississippi group par- ticipating here, and I cannot withhold congratulations on the evidences of their prosperity furnished by this great exposition. If testimony were needed to establish the fact that their pluck has not deserted them and that prosperity is again with them it is found here. This picture dispels all doubt.
"In an age of expositions they have added yet another magnificent example. The historical celebrations at Philadelphia and Chicago, and the splendid exhibits at New Orleans, Atlanta and Nashville are now a part of the past, and yet in influence they still live, and their beneficent results are closely interwoven with our national development. Similar rewards will honor the authors and patrons of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition. Their contribution will mark another epoch in the nation's material advancement.
"One of the great laws of life is progress, and nowhere have the principles of this law been so strikingly illustrated as in the United States. . \ century and a
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decade of our national life have turned doubt into conviction ; changed experiment into demonstration ; revolutionized old methods and won new triumphs which have challenged the attention of the world. This is true not only of the accumulation of material wealth and advance in education, science, invention and manufactures, but above all in the opportunities to the people for their own elevation which have been secured by wise free government.
"Hitherto, in peace and in war, with additions to our territory and slight changes in our laws, we have steadily enforced the spirit of the constitution secured to us by the noble self-sacrifice and far-seeing sagacity of our ancestors. We have avoided the temptations of conquest and the spirit of gain. With an increasing love for our institutions and an abiding faith in their stability, we have made the triumphs of our system of government, in the progress and prosperity of our people, an inspiration to the whole human race. Confronted at this moment by new and grave problems, we must recognize that their solution will affect not ourselves alone, but others of the family of nations.
"In this age of frequent interchange and mutual dependeney, we cannot shirk our international responsibilities if we would; they must be met with courage and wisdom and we must follow duty, even if desire opposes. No deliberation can be too mature, or self-control too constant, in this solemn hour of our history. We must avoid the temptation of undue aggression and aim to secure only such results as will promote our own and the general good.
"It has been said by some one that the normal condition of nations is war. That is not true of the United States. We never enter upon war until every effort for peace without it has been exhausted. Ours has never been a military govern- ment. Peace, with whose blessings we have been so singularly favored, is the national desire and the goal of every American aspiration.
"On the 25th of April, for the first time for more than a generation, the United States sounded the call to arms. The banners of war were unfurled; the best and bravest from every section responded ; a mighty army was enrolled; the North and the South vied with each other in patriotic devotion : science was invoked to furnish its most effective weapons; factories were rushed to supply equipment ; the youth and the veteran joined in freely offering their services to their country ; volunteers and regulars and all the people rallied to the support of the Republic; there was no break in the line, no halt in the march, no fear in the heart. No resistance to the patriotic impulse at home, no successful resistance to the patriotic spirit of the troops fighting in distant waters or on a foreign shore ! ยท
"What a wonderful experience it has been from the standpoint of patriotism and achievement! The storm broke so suddenly that it was here almost before we realized it. Our navy was too small, though forceful with its modern equip- ment and most fortunate in its trained officers and sailors. Our army had years ago been reduced to a peace footing. We had only nineteen thousand available troops when the war was declared, but the account which officers and men gave of themselves on the battlefields has never been surpassed. The manhood was there and everywhere. American patriotism was there and its resources were limitless. The courageous and invincible spirit of the people proved glorious, and those who a little more than a third of a century, ago were divided and at war with each other were again united under the holy standard of liberty. Patriotism
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banished party feeling ; fifty million dollars for the national defense were appro- priated without debate or division, as a matter of course, and as only a mere indication of our mighty reserve power.
"But if this is true of the beginning of the war what shall we say of it now, with hostilities suspended and peace near at hand, as we fervently hope? Matchless in its results ! Uneqauled in its completeness and the quick succession with which victory followed victory! Attained earlier than it was believed to be possible; so comprehensive in its sweep that every thoughtful man feels the weight of responsibility which has been so suddenly thrust upon us. And above all, and beyond all, the valor of the American army and the bravery of the American navy, and the majesty of the American name stand forth in unsullied glory, while the humanity of our purposes, the magnanimity of our conduct have given to war, always horrible, touches of noble generosity, Christian sympathy and charity, and examples of human grandeur which can never be lost to mankind. Passions and bitterness formed no part of our impelling motive, and it is gratifying to feel that humanity triumphed at every step of the war's progress.
"The heroes of Manila and Santiago and Porto Rico have made immortal history. They are worthy successors and descendants of Washington and Greene; of Paul Jones, Decatur and Hull; of Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and Logan; of Farragut, Porter and Cushing, and of Lee, Jackson and Longstreet. New names stand out on the honor roll of the nation's great men, and with them, unnamed, stand the heroes of the trenches and the forecastle, invincible in battle and uncom- plaining in death. The intelligent, loyal, indomitable soldier and sailor and the marine regular and volunteer are entitled to equal praise as having done their whole duty, whether at home or under the baptism of foreign fire.
"Who will dim the splendor of their achievements? Who will withhold from them their well earned distinction? Who will intrude detraction at this time to belittle the manly spirit of the American youth and impair the usefulness of the American army? Who will embarrass the Government by sowing seeds of dis- satisfaction among the brave men who stand ready to serve and die, if need be, for their country? Who will darken the counsels of the Republic in this hour requiring the united wisdom of all? Shall we deny to ourselves what the rest of the world so freely and so justly accord to us? The men who endured in the short but decisive struggle its hardships, its privations, whether in field or camp, on ship or in the siege, and planned and achieved its victories, will never tolerate impeachment, either direct or indirect, of those who won a peace whose great gain to civilization is yet unknown and unwritten.
"The faith of a Christian nation recognizes the hand of Almighty God in the ordeal through which we have passed. Divine favor seems manifest everywhere. In fighting for humanity's sake we have been signally blessed. We did not seek war. To avoid it, if this could be done in justice and honor to the rights of our neighbors and ourselves, was our constant prayer. The war was no more invited by us than were the questions which are laid at our door by its results. Now, as then, we will do our duty. The problems will not be solved in a day. Patience will be required ; patience combined with sincerity of purpose and unshaken reso- lution to do right, seeking only the highest good of a nation and recognizing no other obligation, pursuing no other path but that of duty.
"Right action follows right purpose. We may not at all times be able to divine
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the future, the way may not always seem clear; but if our aims are high and unselfish, somehow and in some way the right end will be reached. The genius of the nation, its freedom, its wisdom, its humanity, its courage, its justice, favored by Divine Providence, will make it equal to every task and the master of every emergency."
The President left Omaha early on the morning of the 13th and that day was Army and Navy Day, the principal address being made by Gen. Nelson A. Miles, and on the next day-Civil Government Day-Gen. William R. Shafter was the principal speaker.
RAILROAD WEEK
The last week of the exposition was designated as Railroad Week, when the various railroads centering at Omaha made low excursion rates which gave several thousand people an opportunity to visit the exposition, and the last day of the exposition was set apart as Omaha Day. Mayor Moores issued a proclamation setting forth the many advantages that the city had received from the exposition and declaring that day an official holiday. He recommended that all places of business be closed and that every citizen of Omaha attend the exposition if possible. The board of education ordered the public schools closed and many of the employers of labor distributed admission tickets among their employees. The result of all these combined efforts was that the attendance on that day was the second largest in the history of the exposition, 61,236 people visiting the numerous exhibits and making the holiday one of general enjoyment. At midnight the gates were closed for the last time and the Trans-Mississppi and International Exposition passed into history.
FOREIGN EXHIBITS
By direction of President Mckinley the state department extended invitations to the rulers of foreign countries to participate in the exposition. With the exception of Mexico, none of these countries took any official action, but some fifty French manufacturers organized an exposition commission and that country was represented by a fine display of French products. Italy sent forty-five exhibitors; Russia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, England, Germany and Canada were all represented; Charles Denby, then the United States Minister to China, was active in promoting the exposition and the result of his labors was an interesting Chinese exhibit. No attempt has been made in this chapter to describe in detail any of the exhibits, either foreign or domestic, for the reason that justice could not be done to the subject in less than a volume. In fact, a volume of nearly five hundred pages was published some years after the exposition, describ- ing the various features and general history of the enterprise. Most of the facts in this chapter have been taken from that volume.
THE MIDWAY PLAISANCE
Everybody visited the "Midway," which began near the main entrance on Sherman Avenue and ran north to Oak Chatham Tract, where it turned west,
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south of the Athletic Park. Along this thoroughfare were gathered the amuse- ment features of the exposition, such as the Streets of all Nations, the Moorisli Palace, German and Chinese villages, the Japanese Tea Garden, Hagenbeck's Trained Animal Show, numerous optical illusions, etc. The manager of conces- sions reported the aggregate receipts from the attractions of the Midway as $276,112.
THE INDIAN ENCAMPMENT
One of the most interesting features of the great exposition was the Indian encampment. It was also one that was missed by the early visitors. Soon after the exposition association was organized an effort was made to have the Federal Government cooperate in holding an Indian congress, but it was not until July 1, 1808, that President Mckinley approved a bill appropriating $40,000 and author- izing the gathering of representatives of the Trans-Mississippi tribes at the exposition. A few days later Captain W. A. Mercer, of the Eighth United States Infantry, and J. R. Wise, a clerk in the office of the commissioner of Indian affairs, were appointed to superintend the installation of the Indian encampment at the grounds.
Captain Mercer was at that time acting agent of the Omaha and Winnebago agency in Nebraska, hence it was an easy matter to secure a number of these Indians for the encampment. With persistent effort and unwonted energy, Indians belonging to the Sioux, Apache, Kiowa, Flathead, Sac and Fox, Wichita, Crow and Blackfeet, as well as some minor tribes, were secured and brought to Omaha, and on August 4, 1898, the Indian congress was opened, occupying about four acres of ground in the north tract. The Indian feasts and dances, the shan battles, the souvenirs made and sold by the inhabitants of the camp were all highly appreciated by the thousands of visitors who witnessed this curious exhibit and carried the souvenirs with them to their homes. Geronimo, the Apache chieftain, who but a few years before had caused the white men so much trouble on the western frontier, was one of the Indians in attendance and "turned many an honest penny by selling his autograph and pictures."
An interesting and dramatic incident connected with the presence of the Indians at the exposition was the meeting between General Miles and Geronimo. One day during the Jubilee Week the Indians were lined up for review and General Miles and his staff occupied seats in the grand stand. The officers in charge of the Indians noticed that Geronimo was restless, looking up into the grand stand as though trying to locate some one. At last he caught sight of General Miles and recognized him. Dismounting from his pony, he started for the seats, brushing away the people as he passed, and finally reached the general's side. He extended his hand and in his limited English said: "How, General, I am glad to see you." Miles had captured Geronimo some years before and had dictated the terms of surrender. When he saw his old enemy by his side he was somewhat surprised, but as he reached out to take the old chief's extended hand it was quickly withdrawn and Geronimo threw his arms about the general. Miles returned the embrace and for a few minutes they stood thus, neither uttering a word. Then Geronimo grasped both the general's hands and pumped them up and down vigorously several times. General Miles then took from his
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coat a Peace Jubilee badge and pinned it on the bhie uniform worn by the chief, who looked at it for a moment and exclaimed "Good." When the great audience learned the true meaning of Geronimo's greeting a great cheer went up, to which the Indians responded with another cheer that was carried to the most remote parts of the camp. The old chief then was given a chair near that of General Miles and the two warriors watched the sham battle that followed, thinking, 110 doubt, of another battle in which they had taken part, and which was no sham affair, but a stern reality.
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