A Jubilee Review

Vol. I. DECEMBER, 1897. No. 2.

A JUBILEE REVIEW,

BY HORACE G. WHITNEY, MEMBER OF THE UTAH SEMI-CENTENNIAL COMMISSION.

The Utah Semi-Centennial Commission, now engaged in the task of winding up its affairs prior to giving an account of its labors to the Governor and the next legislature, has of late added to the possessions which will go into the state archives, a bulky scrap book containing the press reports of the recent Jubilee, clipped from newspapers in every part of the United States. A glance through the extracts shows that the opinions entertained regarding Utah's mammoth affair were as varied, curious and entertaining as they were numerous. On one point, however, all agree that the Jubilee in its uniqueness of purpose, its comprehensiveness, its novel features, and its perfection of management, is entitled to the name of a towering landmark in the history of western progress and development.

The varied opinions expressed abroad as to the Jubilee, after it was over, found something of a counterpart in those entertained at home before it occurred. The state of the public mind during the months the Commission was wrestling with the details of preparation was not of a character dis

posed to lend any great amount of buoyancy to the Commission's labors. Generally speaking, it can be said that that portion of the public which was not critical, was indifferent, and these conditions lasted until the celebration was well under way, until it began to dawn on the public mind that the celebration was something more than an Old Folk's Day or a Fourth of July hurrah; — that it marked an era in the history of Utah, and that not to be in it, of it, and a sympathizer with its purposes was to be separate and apart from the universal spirit of the hour.

It was, perhaps, not unnatural that the public, or a large portion of it, should have viewed the preparations for the event with a certain amount of indifference, if not of distrust. Nothing of its magnitude had ever been conceived in the prior history of the city; the people had had sorrowful and repeated experience with fakirs, boomers and workers-up of festivals and advertising schemes of all sorts and characters, while the business men of the city had been called on so often to aid various enterprises of a charitable or semi-public nature, that they viewed with feelings akin to desperation the prospect of another call of even greater magnitude. Before the influence of such large contributors as the Trustee in Trust of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who gave $2,000, and Z. C. M. I., which contributed $1,000, and the generously steady flow of money from friends outside the state, these feelings gradually disappeared; but before the money began to "speak" and the full plans of the Commission to unfold, it was subjected to some very trying criticisms; and had its nightly sessions been given up to conspiracies against the peace and welfare of the city, some of its decisions could hardly have provoked greater animosity in several quarters. The Commission was flooded with suggestions to the effect that in the past, celebrations had been given and no one called on for a dollar, and what had been done before could be done again; the idea of employing men to superintend the celebration and paying for ideas, was appalling to some of the critics — generally, non-subscribing critics; the extravagance of buying gold badges for the Pioneers was loudly inveighed against, and once an injunction by legal

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process was hinted at; while the wanton waste of building perishable floats and the sin of investing in such transitory amusements as fireworks was as bitterly declaimed against by another class of objectors. When Judge Colborn's resolution, presented at the session, December gth, 1896, and providing that "this Commission proceed to arrange plans for a celebration to cost not less than $50,000" was adopted, the community for the first time probably awoke to the realizing sense of what the Jubilee meant; opposition rather increased than diminished, however, and criticism on one hand and lethargy on another still prevailed to such an extent that the Commission resolved on what was then regarded as heroic treatment of the case, and called the public meeting at the theatre where the possible failure of the enterprise and all it meant to the city, was frankly laid before the people. Beneficial as the results of this meeting were, it was not till the Governor and several other prominent business men had taken in hand an active canvass in the city and throughout the state, that promises of financial aid began to assume proportions commensurate with the plans for the celebration.

Perhaps the highest praise that could be bestowed on the Commission is the statement that it justified the confidence the Governor had reposed in it; and that undiscouraged by the varied obstacles by which it was surrounded, it moved steadily forward to the accomplishment of the purpose for which it had been created, confident in the plans which it had conceived, and confident that if they could be carried out, their results would form their own answer to criticisms which had been raised.

The first mention of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Utah — it was not called a "Jubilee" until a few months before it occurred — is found in the first message of Governor Wells to the legislature read January 8th, 1896. He recommended an appropriation for an "Intermountain Fair" and that the celebration be placed in the hands of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, or some other authority, also that no state fair be held in 1896, but that all funds and energies be reserved for the Intermountain Fair of 1897. His suggestion found a ready response, and an appropriation of $5,000 was made in an act

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approved April 5th, 1896, to aid a commission of ten persons to be appointed by the Governor to "conduct a semi-centennial celebration in 1897 of the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the Utah pioneers in Utah." It was further provided that the Commission should control the celebration, that it should appoint a Chairman and Secretary from among its number, and that all its members should serve without compensation.

In November, 1896, the Governor made the appointments; the ten members named were Spencer Clawson, E. F. Colborn, C. R. Savage, E. G. Rognon, Horace G. Whitney, Mrs. Geo. Y. Wallace and Mrs. A. W. McCune of Salt Lake; Jos. Stanford of Ogden, John R. Murdock of Beaver, and Mrs. R. C. Easton of Logan. A majority of the Commission took the oath of office before Secretary of State Hammond, on November 20th, 1896; an organization was effected with Spencer Clawson as Chairman, E. G. Rognon as Secretary, and Mrs. Geo. Y. Wallace as Treasurer. Meetings were at once held and from the interchange of ideas it was seen that the celebration was to assume proportions which made further legislative aid imperative. The Commission therefore devoted its immediate energies to securing an additional appropriation from the legislature which assembled in January, 1897.

In his message read January 12th, Governor Wells recommended the giving of $10,000 more to the Commission, and from that date until the adjournment of the legislature on March nth, the members of the Commission labored to secure the passage of the bill for the additional appropriation.

The work was of the most arduous description, but they were at length successful, and by a measure passed in the last moments of the session, $10,000 was given to the Commission, $5,000 was given to the various counties to aid them in making a proper exhibit, and the membership of the Commission was increased from ten to fifteen persons. There had been several resignations from the ten first named by the Governor, and the fifteen who were appointed and who finally consented to act were Spencer Clawson, E. F.

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Colborn, E. G. Rognon, J. D. Spencer, Jacob Moritz, W. A. Nelden, E. A. Smith, W. B. Preston, Horace G. Whitney, Mrs. Geo. Y. Wallace, Miss Emily Katz, and Miss Cora Hooper of Salt Lake; Reed Smoot of Provo, Mayor H. H. Spencer of Ogden, and Mrs. R. C. Easton of Logan.

With the impetus imparted by legislative recognition and the possession of a $15,000 "nest egg," the Commission began its regular sessions six months before the Pioneer Anniversary date; progress was at the commencement quite slow: it seemed impossible to arouse any great degree of public interest during January and February, in an event which was not to transpire till July. Especially was it found impracticable to agitate the question of raising more revenue until the celebration was closer at hand. The sessions of the Commission, therefore, for the first three months*were generally given up to discussing the scope the celebration should take; laying out plans; receiving suggestions, rejecting those that seemed impracticable, culling from the mass those that were of value, directing the mass of correspondence necessary, etc., etc.

The discussions were often protracted, always earnest, sometimes heated; many conflicting ideas were advanced; many were the divisions that occurred on the various questions that arose, but finally, out of the whole mass of ideas advanced, came the residuum in the form of the general outline of the Jubilee as it was presented in the following July.

In general terms it can be said that the decision arrived at embraced two general plans: first, to make the Pioneers the grand central idea of the Jubilee; such of them as could be found, were to be brought to Salt Lake free of expense to themselves, and in all the festivities arranged for the occasion, the glory of the Pioneers and their achievements was to be the controlling idea; secondarily, the occasion was to be used for demonstrating the greatness of Utah as a state, and showing the development made in her fifty years of growth. Grouped around these two central ideas were, of course, a hundred incidental ones, and the decision of the Commission was that in addition to showing in pageantry the story of our material progress, the ideal should not be neglected, and proper prominence was given from the first to

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poetry, music, the drama, the arts, etc. Prizes of substantial amount were offered for the best poem on the subject of the Pioneers, for the best musical ode set to fitting words with the Pioneers as the topic; a considerable amount was set apart to construct the beautiful building known as the Hall of Relics, one of the most interesting features of the Jubilee, where were gathered hundreds of articles of rare and historic value. An appropriation was also made to bring from Chicago a cast of the statue "The Signal of Peace," the work of Dallin, a Utah sculptor. Utah's artists were engaged in a friendly competition over the designs for the invitations, programs, floats, etc., and in many ways the Commission took pains to make the celebration an exposition of the ideal as well as the real.

Probably the two subjects over which there was the most prolonged discussion in the Commission, were the question as to whom should be recognized as Pioneers, and the amount of money to be appropriated for their care and entertainment. The Commission, and doubtless the community, was almost evenly divided on the former proposition. In the history of Utah, the name of "the Pioneers" had by general usage and consent, been limited to the original band of one hundred and forty-eight which arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th, 1847. A part of the Commission favored making the survivors of this body only the guests of honor, and obtaining gold badges, presenting one to each of the Pioneers who still survived, and where dead, to their families. The other part of the Commission favored including in the term "Pioneers" all who arrived in Utah during the year of 1847, sending invitations to all survivors and extending the badge to each. This meant railroad transportation for some seven hundred Pioneers, who were scattered throughout the United States, and the expenditure of something like $7,000 for badges. The matter continued to be a subject of frequent and oftentimes heated discussion until the generous action of the railroads in giving free transportation to the Pioneers, regardless of their number, cleared the way for the adoption of the plan to include all survivors of 1847 in the invitation, which had been from the first warmly urged by Chairman Clawson. The

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action of the railroad companies cannot be too highly praised; it was, more than anything else, the one event that enabled the Commission to pay the Pioneers the homage they deserved, and the one event that assured the financial success of the Jubilee. The gift of the railroads, expressed in money, amounted to something like $5,000, and but for their generosity, the Commission might at this time be mourning over a deficit instead of deliberating what to do with a surplus. In addition to this gift several of the roads gave substantial contributions in money.

The glories of those beautiful July days in Salt Lake, when not only Utah, but Western America, united in sending representatives to do honor to the assembled Pioneers, are still too well remembered and are too well perpetuated in thousands of scrap books and by thousands of souvenirs and mementoes, to make it in anyone's power to add to the recollection. It can surely be said that those five days of revelry, of reminiscence, of pageantry, of dazzling illumination, of oratory, of song, of drama, and of the thousand forms of amusement with which the city was crowned, formed an epoch in the lives of thousands to whom such realities had before been but glimpses obtained from fairy tales or in dreams. It is a safe estimate that 50,000 people came to the city and mingled with the population in seeing the marvels with which the streets were daily thronged.

The unveiling of the monument to President Brigham Young and the Pioneers, with which the Jubilee opened on Tuesday, July 20th, was an event to which thousands had looked forward for years; Governor Wells, the foremost citizen of the state, and President Woodruff, the foremost of the surviving Pioneers, on the same platform surrounded by the snowy-headed Pioneers, was an impressively gratifying spectacle, and a significant one, in view of the many changed conditions and the historical thoughts it suggested. The parade of the Pioneer survivors from the Old Fort to the monument, headed by the remnants of "Dimick's" never-to-be-forgotten band, was a touching and impressive sight. Another event, brought about by a fortunate chain of circumstances, and one that caused almost a frenzied enthusiasm, was the arrival of

Hon. William J. Bryan, and his presence at the unveiling of the monument. Despite all the clamors that arose from the great assembly, he declined to make an address, and manifested thereby undoubted good taste. The thousands to whom the Jubilee would hardly have been complete without hearing Bryan speak, however, were given an opportunity at the Tabernacle concert the same evening, where he with Mrs. Bryan was a guest of honor.

In the afternoon of that day one of the most impressive scenes of the Jubilee took place in the Tabernacle. The assembled Pioneers to the number of more than 500 were tendered a public reception by the citizens of Salt Lake and the great auditorium was packed to suffocation. The prize poem written by N. Albert Sherman was read; the prize ode composed by Professor Stephens to words by Bishop O. F. Whitney was rendered for the first time by a choir of a thousand voices; there were speeches of welcome and a great finale was formed by the distribution among the veterans of the handsome gold badges which the Commission had prepared for each. Many were the tears of gratitude shed as with trembling hands the Pioneers accepted the testimonials, and it is safe to say that not one of the badges could today be procured from the owners for many times its actual worth. More than 500 badges were distributed; others were forwarded absentees, and up to this time, (October 15th), the number of surviving Pioneers recorded, nearly every one of whom has been sent the badge, is 710.

The daily parades, the wondrous stories told by the beautiful floats, the most magnificent aggregation of pageantry on wheels which thousands, at least, of the beholders had ever seen, all caused a sort of intoxication of astonishment. "The pageant of progress," the first of the parades on Wednesday the 21st of July, illustrative of the development of Utah from 1847 to 1897, was a most instructive and interesting spectacle; all the important events in the history of Utah were chronicled in some shape; the conditions prior to the year 1847 were reflected by a band of native Indians who led the great procession; following them in chronological order came "Jim Bridger's cabin," "Utah's first dwelling,"

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ox teams, the gulls and crickets, the first legislative hall, the first territorial legislature, survivors of the Nauvoo Legion, the Pioneer Band, the first sugar mill, etc., ending with representations of the conditions of trade and manufactures today. The leading bands of the state (a dozen or more) were placed at intervals through the parade.

Thursday the 22nd, the third day, saw one of the most unique and charming events laid out by the Commission. It was Children's Da}' and the parade was made up of 10,000 school children from Salt Lake, Weber, and Davis counties, massed in ward brigades and accompanied by miniature floats of all sorts and descriptions and drawn by Shetland ponies. As the 10,000 marchers passed the Pioneer monument on their way to the Tabernacle they cast flowers upon the pedestal until the great granite block was lost sight of in a confused heap of colors. A photograph taken of the monument after the children had passed, shows in a striking manner the beautiful effect imparted.

The night of Thursday was given up to a gorgeous representation of "Salt Lake real and fanciful," and certainly no such scene of brilliance has ever been witnessed outside of an oriental carnival, or a veritable Arabian Night's romance. "The serpent of the great Salt Lake" and the accompanying troops of phantasmagoria, all left a vivid impression, especially in the minds of the juvenile beholders.

The wealth shown by the county displays, to which Friday, the fourth day's parade, was given up, was a marvel to many visitors who had not dreamed that there was such a Utah outside of Salt Lake.

The culminating splendors of the Jubilee were reserved for the final day, Saturday, the 24th, the state's semi-centennial anniversary'; visitors from all parts of the United States agree that the reproduction of the famous original wagon train was the most complete, effective and pathetic delineation that could have been imagined ;old time covered wagons fitted up with utensils of fifty years ago, drawn by decrepit teams, here a horse and a cow hitched together, there two oxen and a horse, etc., etc., teams driven by women, others by children, wagons with one wheel missing, wagons out of which sick

people peered, all passed before the assembled thousands, no portion of which was more delighted and affected than the groups of Pioneers who were seated in prominent places in the reviewing stand. Such of the Pioneers as were able, and it is to be feared many who were not, joined in the parade and marched many blocks behind the carriage of President Woodruff, who rode in the procession and received with smiling acknowledgment the salvos of cheers which his presence evoked from the multitudes of lookers on. The night was given up to a display of pyrotechnics from Capitol Hill; it is safe to say that 75,000 people assembled on the hill or in its immediate neighborhood and saw the festivities of the Jubilee brought to a close. During all the five days visitors to the city were kept thoroughly entertained by the amusements provided, as incidents to the Jubilee. The Tabernacle was open almost nightly; at the Theatre interesting dramatic revivals were given by many of the players who took part in the performance at the opening night of the Salt Lake Theatre, March 6th, 1862; the great lake resorts were taxed to the utmost, and part of the Jubilee festivities took place at Saltair and Garfield; during the day, ball games, Indian exhibitions, cowboy tournaments, races, athletic sports and other amusements selected to suit every taste, kept the thousands of visitors in a whirl of excitement and pleasure.

During the progress of the Jubilee the Commission met daily to receive the reports of Assistant Director General Mc- Garvie who was intrusted with the executive details; Hon. Brigham Young, the director general, had been prevented by illness from participating in the preliminary work, but was able to appear during the parades. The reports received from all the departments and branches of the celebration in which the Commission had a monetary interest showed on the first day that the gratifying attendance had solved the financial problem, and it was with thankful hearts that the members of the Commission saw they no longer had reason to fear the outcome. The work had been distributed and assigned carefully, and each Commissioner was made responsible for certain branches of it; daily reports were made to the full Commission by the sub-committees, and every detail handled

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in a systematic and business-like fashion. Generally speaking, it can be said that while Chairman Spencer Clawson had an intimate connection with nearly every branch of the celebration, the seeking out of the Pioneers, their identification, the manufacture of their badges, and the souvenir cups were made his special departments; the Hall of Relics and the details of the unveiling of the monument were also largely in his hands; to Judge Colborn fell much of the literary work of the Commission, the beautiful invitation was the product of his active brain; to him and Mr. Whitney was intrusted the work of preparing the official programme. He was also chairman of the finance committee, head of the press bureau and later had charge of the tribunes. Bishop Preston is entitled to the praise for the great Pioneer train reproduction; Messrs Colborn, Rognon and Whitney were given charge of the advertising department. The mammoth task of supervising the floats was given into the hands of Messrs. Moritz and Nelden. Secretary Rognon was head of the Fireworks Committee; Messrs Smoot and Smith aided in this and in the financial and amusement work, though Mr. J. D. Spencer had immediate charge and entire control of all the amusements, from which the Commission derived their revenue. Last, but by no means least, the four ladies of the Commission were given control of the multifarious details of the celebration that came under the head of the artistic, ornamental, or aesthetic. In many minds the one feature of the Jubilee which will live longest — Mr. Bryan said that to him its splendor was bewildering — was the illumination of Main Street by night and its decorations by day; the credit for this belongs to the committee of which Mrs. Wallace was the head; the praise for the beautiful Children's Day Parade with the miniature floats and the Mother Goose illustrations, belongs to Miss Katz; Miss Hooper had charge of the design work, the awarding of prizes to competing artists, and the decoration of the Tabernacle, and Mrs. Easton was associated with the committees on design, decoration and music.

How the various committees and the Commission as a whole performed their work, the public can best judge. Certainly the members feel they will have nothing to blush for