Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1895 — ON A GRAND SCALE [ARTICLE]

ON A GRAND SCALE

IS THE ONLY MEASURE FOR IN- . DIANA'S GREAT CENTENNIAL ~j i The* MfttehkM Resources Wh Ich Won Id Make Possible a Wonderful Kxposition. on tsie Subject by Conmiis- , sioners i*rey, Cum back and Maou. Philip W. Frey of Evansville has broad ideas as to the great centennial proposed as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the organization of Indiana territory. Be says: ; —— “The importance of making the celebration of Indiana’s centennial abroad and comprehensive one, cannot be overestimated. It might as well be resolved by the.oomtuission at the outset, and understood by the. citizens of Indi-* ana, that to inaugurate this celebration oil anything but a scale of grandeur, both in conception and execution,wopid at once write failure over the whole. “Indiana cannot afford iu this day And" generation to call the attention of the entire uniofi, and of the world, to her position as a great state, in a small and narrow project. It should combine not only an epitome of its resourcefulness, but a stroug picture of its history in the civil and military glories of the past 100 years. And the whole should - b©—a-—stirring incentive —to —future achievements in economics and patriot ism. “To my blind the commission should early ascertain what the sentiment of the people is in this direction, but if they should find that sentiment to.be at variance with that general idea, the entire matter should be abandoned rather than that it should fall short of these ideals. As to what permanent £hape this should take, it is yet too early to speculate. But it seems to me that whatever is done, if should be in some fitting way. so as to furnish for posterity the perpetuation of these ideas. Upon these lines it seems to me that the whole state would unite, because of its importance to the state and its citizens.” v. . -r

Indiana’s progress. “What do you think of"'the proposed centennial celebration for Indiana?'" —was asked Hon. Will Cmnback of Greensburg by a press representative. “I am enthusiastically in favor of it.” _ Mr. Cumbach replied.—“l am a native of this state, and haye been over the etate many times—have been in every County, and am perhaps as familiar with the resources and progress of the state as any citizen of the state. Until recently but little was known of our state by the world outside. The progress she has made in every department of human affairs has never bean published by our people as in other states.. Indiana has never been boomed or advertised. I have been in about forty other states and I think Indiana has less wa=te land than any state I have seen. We cannot only farm almost the entire state, but there is a larger portion of fertile and productive soil in Indiana than any of them in proportion to her territory. No effort lias been made to let the world know what we have done. amT are doing in agriculture, beyond the exhibit we have made at our state fair.

“As a consequence hundreds of thousands- of people; have passed over this great central, state, going to the west and thte-northwest seeking a home, not think ing it worth win:e tcreven stop and see what we had in Indiana, They went farther and. pure ha. sod poorer and dearer iiM 1 ... ’ .. haver how better Railroad transportation than ailv of them. But a few counties- have one railroad and most of them several. —Opr excellent gravel roads - enable the farmer to-haul .heavy loads of the product of his farm to a —railway station !• • shipped to the ■ eastern cities or .to the more convenient markets of. Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville or thncijinari. “ We have all th e improved machinery and tools for. farming, We have the best breeds of horses, cattle, .sheep and hogs. There is no State that excels us in all things pertaining to agriculture. “We have the finest- stone of any Etate in the -west and are supplying the world from our inexhaustible quarries “We have coal in abundance and our natural, gas field -is the best yet found and seems to be as strong as when first discovered. “The indications are that before 1900 comes, we will have also the largest 01: supply. It is just being developed. “it would fake too leug to tell ah the I'fesuuTces of ffiis great central state “We have the very best possible school system and the largest school fu: : of any state with perhaps one exception. Our colleges and universities are s<- ond'to none in the nation. “Our writers*}and literary men and women have attracted * the attention and won the praise of the cultivated people of tlie civilized world We have in Indiana every element of a highly civilized and progressive people" This proposed celebration will furnish the opportunity to bring forward and exhibit to‘the world what we are and what we have accomplished. If, a full and complete showing is made, it will be of immense advantage to the state. It will double our population in the next 10 years. The term Hoosier will havg a different meaning to the world otffside. lam glad to see that the people of the state are thoroughly in favor of JflM-celebration and they want it in a style worthy the great occasion. The commission will no doubt formulate a plan that will do honor to the state. ” , MUST BE WORTHY THE STATE. Hon. Thomas J. Mann of Sullivan is one of the commissioners from the Second district, In expressing his views on the great project, he says: “In regard to the proposed centennial celebration of Indiana territory and state, I believe for various reasoua-that it should be held, and held in the form of an exposition, because in no other way that I can conceive ca!n the past, present and -future of Indiana’s greatness be so clearly and fully made known to the general public aud her own citizens as well. “The first thing I would cpnsider, however, in an undertaking of this kind would be the amount of money necessary to carry it through successfully, giving au exhibit worthy the state and creditable to her citizens. In no event would I recqmmeud a reckless, extravagant outlay of money. Can it not be done without this, aud without, the state being worthily and creditably represented in such au exhibit them it were better to not attempt it. The safe, careful, prudent business man always considers well his investment before

making-TtT Whether or not it will redound to his own good and profit. So in this proposed celebration, would the citizens of the state be justified iii mak- • ing a jndieious. reasonable expenditure along this line? 1 for one unhesitatingly say yes:-that a reasonable amount ill hivn»<f. fronds, expen&eh, for various reasohW, would bring to its i citizens a rich reward. -._• ; “Asiswelt known in events of this ; kind that have gone before, Indiana has not been represented as she should have been, o: iu a way Cither worthy or creditable tb her. It is with no great amount of state pride -that Indiauians call to mind her exhibit at; the world’s fair, and the Voukl be said .of her at the ]iitc:i!.,ti(iii.d Envo-iiion at New Orleans in lus.j. Yet in the face of this,'What might be termed “incomplete exhibits,” we tire told that she carried away as many or more first awards, at each place, as any state of the Union. Of this I believe her own citizens are not generally aware; neither is the general public awarfrof the errpa-' bilities or possibilities of. our state. In the proposedcelebration there are two or three objects that should bo kept iu mind. The first should be to show to the world as strongly as possible (it can not be overdone) \vnat Indiana is. Second, to let her sister stales and all nations see her as she was- a century ago, as nearly as possible, and then her' advancement and achievements through the intervening decades of the century in the world of human endeavor; or, in other words, the great feature of the event should be a retrospective view of the century just then ended—a glance backward showing the progress made by the state in ail branches of science, industry and art. The third and last object of course is to create within the breasts of her owli citizens a just and reasonable pride, bring her into closer and more friendly relations with hdr sister states, as well as to establish better relations with the Commercial countries of the earth For present purposes, what I would say liiight all -be classed under the first object set out—

■• '-- WHAT INDIANA IS. “The very first thing to be remembered in this is, that within her borders the center of population of the United States rests, thereby making her eligible and available to rnorepeopie, to give such an exhibit, than arfy-’ other state of the union, Standing as she does in this great sisterhood of states sixth inpoint of population and wealth, her own citizens know that in several particular advantages she takes still higher rank than this. Nowhere on earth do 1 believe they have a better or more productive soil than may be found here in Indiana, one capable of producing a greater number or variety of products of equal quantity and excellence. Another thing to be said in its favor is its great lasting qualities. Many of her great fertile fields that have been in cultivation and yielding their bonntfeous harvests for one-half, three-fourths, c.r almost the entire century, are today producing as much or more and better products than a half century ago, and that, too, in the face of but a comparatively small outlay in the way of fertilizers.

“This point I would have brought out as strongly ns possible- by \vay oUlIx-c hibit of all Her products in the shape of grain, vegetables, fruits, etc Following tiiis would come her timber, net resources and possibilities in that line; her great coal fields, employing thousands of liven, and sending the product throughout the —country;, her stone quarries, of which there are none richer or better, or of liner quality, being.used in alindst Qf the etHWKhljr/i ll Wnn oroer mrectioiis; her great natural gas fields, furnishing light and fuel to her citizens, as well as inviting, the manufacturer ffrom every quarter of the globe; her great school system.of which there is none better; her manufactories and manufactured goods;'embracing articles userHtaralmost every quarter of the>civilized earth. All these things, and many others too numerous to be called out here, flint the occasion itself would develop as it took shape, that would represent some point of interest and value and as well be a credit to the state, should and would be -called out and given prominence in au exposition of this kind. Having so many natural advantages, as was said at the outset, and that she had not been truly and properly represented in expo-sitious-in which she had taken’ part, I certainly think a celebration might be made that would return to her citizens many fold. In doing all this, as said before, I would favor no reckless or lavish i xpondit-ure of money, but only in s&'tv judicious investment; nraking- a part, at least, of her exposition permanent, by preserving everything possible,of all that was best in every department in some suitable building erected especially for that purpose—a state museum, as it were—and as the years went on adding thereto, as strides in the arts, sciences and industries are made. This would enable future generations to look back witji some degree of comprehension upon the great advancement of Indiana territory:”