Part 1 (2/2)

Two days afterward, in October, 1909, Mr Hale gave a dinner to a sroup of businessfor the Exposition They agreed to help

Shortly afterward a e It was decided that an effort should at once be made to raise the money and to rouse the people of San Francisco to the i the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915

As many as twenty-five hundred letters were sent to businessan exposition Out of about eight hundred replies only seven were opposed Presently there were signs of enthusiasm, reflected in the newspapers

A committee of six representative business men was appointed and the announcelad to hear frorievances It was determined that every San Franciscan should have his day in court

Later the committee of six appointed a foundation co a wide variety of interests

The committee of two hundred chose a committee of three from outside their nu the two hundred a directorate of thirty The thirty became the directorate of a new corporation, made in 1910, the Pana

The Panama-Pacific Company two local millionaires, W H Crocker and W

B Bourn, started financially with twenty-five thousand dollars each

They established the maximum individual subscription They also secured forty subscriptions of twenty-five thousand dollars each Then followed the call for awas held the business hly canvassed The Southern Pacific and the Union Pacific together subscribed two hundred and fifty thousand dollars There were anizations

On the afternoon of the e Board Room The announcement of the subscriptions created enthusiasm In two hours the a the next few years they were increased to about 6,500,000

Meanwhile, the State voted a tax levy of five million dollars, and San Francisco voted a bond and issue of the saislature, in special session, the counties were authorized to levy a s, in estinition Froress official recognition of San Francisco as the site of the International Exposition in celebration of the Panama Canal

Headquarters were established in Washi+ngton Presently serious opposition developed Ely and in delegations Stress was laid on San Francisco's purpose not to ask for an appropriation froovernment There were several cities in coton, Baltimore and New Orleans New Orleans proved the th of of a united Des before the Congressional Coo to the city with the best financial showing

As soon as the decision was announced New Orleans entered into generous cooperation with San Francisco

The Exposition was on the way

Na the President

The offer of the presidency of the Exposition Company was made to a well-known businessable and energetic, he was agreeable to the factions created by the graft prosecution of a half dozen years before Like the board of directors, he was to serve without salary He stipulated that in the conduct of the work there should be no patronage With the directors he entered into an a agreement that all appoint the Site