said by the members of the National Commission
then present to indicate to you that we withdrew or abandoned
our demand for arbitration if the right of approval or
disapproval was not accorded the National Commission? And if
nothing was said by us evidencing such an abandonment of the
demand, what answer have you ever made to such a demand? If your
conversation with the members of the National Commission in your
office that day was not intended to make the impression on them
that you assented to sending the awards to the National
Commission for approval or disapproval, it was as misleading a
conversation as I ever listened to, and both the other gentlemen
of the National Commission who were present agree with me in
this view.

Right here let me suggest that in the future our written
communications be answered in writing. We will then at least
have a record in writing.

We reiterate that we are not looking for trouble or work, but as
the representatives of the Federal Government we do not propose,
if we can prevent it, to acquiesce in having the awards of this
exposition promulgated without our approval when we think the
law devolves this duty upon us. If your second letter of the 4th
instant, in which you state your understanding, is the course
your company proposes to take about this matter, we reiterate
our demand for arbitration as contained in our letter of October
18. We suppose it will not be contended that we have lost the
right of arbitration. We insist that there be no official
promulgation of the action of the superior jury until such
arbitration shall have been concluded.

Awaiting your early reply,
Very respectfully,

JOHN M. ALLEN,
_Acting President_.

Hon. D.R. FRANCIS,
_President Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company,
Administration Building_.

Under date of November 8, President Francis replied to the foregoing
letter as follows:

NOVEMBER 8, 1904.

DEAR SIR: Your communication of Saturday, November 5, was not
read by me until yesterday, Monday, November 7, and was
submitted to the executive committee to-day. I can not say
whether the tone and spirit of the letter, or the statement that
you misunderstood the position of the Exposition Company, was
the more surprising. I desire to state emphatically that at no
time have I eve