Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Part 65

The announcement of the death on February 27, 1903, of Mrs. Washington A. Roebling, the member of the board from New Jersey, was read and received with regret, and a committee was appointed to draft suitable resolutions, to be spread upon the minutes of the board.

On that day the following rules and regulations were adopted by the board, a copy being submitted to the National Commission and subsequently approved by that body on April 29, 1903, and by the Exposition Company January 12, 1904.

Rules and Regulations.

No. 1. _Meetings._--All the meetings of the board shall be held in the city of St. Louis. The regular meetings shall be held at such times as may be designated by a majority vote of the board.

Special meetings shall be subject to call of the president of the board, the president of the National Commission, or written request of five members of the board. The president shall convene the board in accordance with the terms of the request.

No. 2. _Officers._--The officers of the board shall consist of a president, eight vice-presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer.

No. 3. _Duties of officers._--The president shall preside at all meetings of the board and shall sign all requisitions for funds to be advanced to the treasurer, and examine and approve all accounts to be paid by the treasurer.

No. 4. _Duties of vice-presidents._--In the absence of the president the vice-presidents shall preside alternately from session to session, in the order of their official designation.

No. 5. _Duties of secretary._--The secretary shall keep a correct record of the proceedings of the board, and shall attend to the giving or serving of all notices of meetings. She shall conduct the official correspondence of the board of lady managers, and shall perform such other duties as the board may a.s.sign to her. She shall notify all committees of their appointments, and also the work a.s.signed to them. Previous to each meeting she shall make out an order of business for the chair, and also a list of standing and special committees. She shall make her headquarters in the city of St. Louis.

No. 6. _Duties of treasurer._--The treasurer shall have the care and custody of all funds coming into the possession of the board, and shall disburse the same only upon order of the board and the approval of its president. At each regular meeting of the board she shall render an itemized statement of all receipts and disburs.e.m.e.nts from the date of the last report, and shall whenever directed by the board deposit the unexpended balance with the treasurer of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company.

No. 7. _Quorum._--Nine members of the board shall const.i.tute a quorum for the transaction of business.

No. 8. _Executive committee._--The board shall elect an executive committee of seven members. It shall be the duty of the executive committee to devise plans relative to the work within the legal jurisdiction of the board and submit, from time to time, recommendations to the board for consideration and action with the view of making arrangements to appropriate committees. The executive committee shall elect its own chairman and secretary.

No. 9. _Standing committees._--The following standing committees shall be const.i.tuted and shall be elected by ballot, unless otherwise specifically provided therein: First, a committee on rules; second, a committee on work; third, a committee on awards; fourth, exposition rotating committee; fifth, an auditing committee.

No. 10. _Committee on rules._--The committee on rules shall consist of three members, and shall prepare and present to the board such amendments to the rules and regulations as may from time to time be found necessary.

No. 11. _Committee on work._--The committee on work shall consist of five members, and shall prepare and present to the executive committee a plan covering the scope of woman's work.

No. 12. _Committee on awards._--The committee on awards shall consist of three members, whose duty it shall be to collect and report to the board such information as will enable the board to execute intelligently the provision of section 6 of the act of Congress approved March 3, 1901.

No. 13. _The exposition rotating committee._--A committee of six members of the board, to be designated by the executive committee, shall be in attendance at the exposition from April 30 to December 1, 1904, in the discharge of such duties as may be prescribed by the National Commission, or may arise from time to time within that period, and appropriately require consideration and action of such committee. Four members of each committee shall be appointed at the end of each calendar month, beginning May 31, 1904. The appointments shall be so made that no member shall serve more than two consecutive months.

No. 14. _Auditing committee._--The auditing committee shall consist of three members, elected by the board, and shall examine and audit the accounts of the treasurer, and present to the board a written report concerning each settlement, which shall be made promptly upon the receipt of the treasurer's itemized statement required by rule 6.

No. 15. _Special committees._--Special committees may be appointed by direction of the board to consider matters not included within the jurisdiction of any committee provided for herein.

No. 16. _Amendments._--These rules and regulations may be amended at any regular meeting of the board by a two-thirds vote of the members present, written notice of proposed amendment having been given at least one day in advance of action thereon.

No. 17. _Order of business._--Reading of the minutes; reports of standing committees; reports of special committees; unfinished business; new business; adjournment. This order of business may be suspended at any regular meeting by two-thirds vote of the members present.

No. 18. Roberts's Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of this board.

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 a.s.sembly--our Chief Executive, President Roosevelt; ex-President Cleveland, amba.s.sadors 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 a.s.sembly. The enthusiasm was unbounded when, in turn, the President and ex-President spoke to the vast mult.i.tude. 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 Amba.s.sador Jusserand, of the French Government, and Senor 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 partic.i.p.ation in the ceremonies, represented the women of the country.

On Sat.u.r.day, 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 pa.s.sage 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 grat.i.tude 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.