s of the country was
interested in Idaho's development, with the result that hundreds of
articles have been printed about the State's large showing at the
exposition in the newspapers of all States. The large number of gold,
silver, and bronze medals awarded to the exhibitors bore evidence of the
success of the work.

ILLINOIS.

To Illinois belongs the distinction of having held the first and, until
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the greatest World's Fair. Naturally
the State of Illinois at that time had a more immediate pride in its
showing and spent a vastly greater sum to gather and shelter its
exhibits than it could afford for an exposition outside of its own
borders; but it is not the opinion of any that Illinois has been
outclassed in any respect at the World's Fair of 1904. With
comparatively a small appropriation, when the $800,000 appropriated by
Illinois in Chicago in 1893, or the $1,000,000 spent by Missouri, in St.
Louis is considered, Illinois has taken a leading part in the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition. It has not only furnished its large share of the
attractions, but it no doubt sent to the exposition the largest number
of visitors from any one State outside of Missouri.

Only exhibits of a public character were installed at the expense or
through the efforts of the commission. Private enterprises, many of
which took exhibits from this State, were not assisted at the expense of
the commission; but the State exhibits were gathered, prepared,
installed, and cared for wholly or in part at the expense of the State,
authorized by an act of the Forty-second general assembly in 1901, which
appropriated the sum of $250,000 for the purpose.

The law provided for the appointment of a commission of 15 members. The
members of this commission as originally appointed were:

Samuel Alschuler, C.F. Coleman, F.M. Blount, I.L. Ellwood, D.M. Funk,
Jos. P. Mahoney, J.N.C. Shumway, H.C. Beitler, C.C. Craig, H.M. Dunlap,
J.H. Farrell, J.H. Miller, P.T. Chapman, C.N. Travous, C.N. Rannals.

The commission organized by the election of officers, as follows:
President, H.M. Dunlap; vice-president, C.N. Travous; second
vice-president, J.P. Mahoney; treasurer, P.T. Chapman; secretary, John
J. Brown.

Of the members originally appointed the following afterwards resigned,
viz, I.L. Ellwood, P.T. Chapman, H.C. Beitler, C.N. Rannals, Samuel
Alschuler, F.M. Blount, and were succeeded by John H. Pierce, Albert
Campbell, Wa