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Show IT THING GOING IN , : OPINION Of TIE LEADERS ' I Committee Works Until Late in Night and Takes Recess, Appalled by Stu-pendousness Stu-pendousness of Undertaking; Pro- . gramme for Tomorrow Not Completed launched in five years, and it will not have had its full growth in another five. Not a man who has grappled with the subject fully comprehends it yet-not yet-not even Mr. Harris. The Idea has grown since the first Invitations were sent out grown under glass with the strength of forced growth. And whatever what-ever may be the present outcome of it It is an idea which bad Us birth in the womb of eternal truth, and wil live and simply force its recognition from the people of this country. Great for Salt Lake. "It was surely a great thing for Salt . Lake, giving birth to the Idea, and she will reap a rich harvest of deserved advertising as a result. This is proof that thought Is a thing. as some of the old philosophers have said and this is a particularly big thing. -. "Although we have not yet formulated formu-lated a plan, we will do it I never saw a lot of good Westerners who could not work out any task set before them and when the real convention opens tomorrow, to-morrow, there will be a programme and a fully outlined method of procedure. And when this work leaves our hands , and is taken up by the conference proper, there will.be men enough and -big enough to divide the work and resolve re-solve It Into well-defined, systematized, .... ; departments. "It la the biggest thing we have ever' been called on to tackle In a business -way in years, and there is so much of benefit for everybody that none can afford to do other than pull together." . ONLY LITTLE TOWN IN IDAHO SENDS FOUR- KEN' TO "SEE AMERICA FIRST" New arrivals to "See America First" began making their appearance early this morning. Some Idea of the . earnestness with which the idea has been received can be had from the fact that the little town of Rigby. Ida. It only boasts 400 population,' but has 4000 people and a rich valley to draw on sent four of its leading citizens t. represent Its Commercial club. George ' A. Cordon, Joseph Woodmansee, C: W. Poole and J. W. Coucher went straight to the Commercial club and met Secretary Sec-retary Harris. When informed that only one delegate would be sec red! ted. the other gentlemen decided they would stay by and help "hold up the hands of their compatriot." "If we can do anything, we're here to do It and you can just call on us," was the slogan of Rigby. Maj. S. K. Hooper, general passenger agent of the Denver & Rio Grande, arrived ar-rived direct from Chicago this morning, morn-ing, where be had been in .attendance on the Transcontinental Passenger association's as-sociation's meeting. "I am accredited as a delegate from the road and from the State of Colorado as well," he said. "I am here to help in all and any way, I can. It is a great Idea and can b made to benefit this country greatly. I . have not met with the gentlemen at all -and can say-nothing about the plans, and scope. But at the passenger conference con-ference in Chicago the matter was , brought up.- While we could not do1 anything in the matter officially. It. was ' discussed liberally and the result was that many roads which are Interested ; will have representatives. For Instance. Robert Kerr, pasrenger trafllc manager man-ager of the Canadian Pacific, told jne ' he was authorizing Mr. Thompson, in charge of the passenger department of that road at Seattle, to attend and assist as-sist the movement in all ways possible. That is the spirit that seems to pervade per-vade the entire country. While no om- . cial action was taken the move was given a good big boost in an unofficial way." Gov. Chamberlain, who will preside as temperory chairman, is now in Lcs Angeles, but will a: rive tomorrow morning In company with Tom Richardson, Rich-ardson, secretary of the Oregon Development Devel-opment league. James T. Callbreath. Jr., secretary of the American Mining congress, arrived In the city today and will act as accredited ac-credited delegate of that body. Many others are coming In on the various trains from the four points of the compass. com-pass. Everything has bean put in readiness for the big banquet Friday night. The big armory hall has been decided upon-for upon-for this function and Secretary Harris hes called to his aid others who have . ripe experience ip. such matters and there will be no hitch in the physical arrangements of the conference and banquets, and other features. ' 'See America ,Firsf is a slogan to conjure with. The wonder is no one ever thought of it before.. Just think of three little words having the potency to draw together from all the Western States the biggest and brainiest men of these commonwealths: to beckon from Canada some of its leading people, and to unite the Southeast with the 'West in the effort to educate the American to follow the example of the European and familiarize himself and his children with his home first. It is a bigger slogan slo-gan than its creator ever dreamed of the biggest. In fact, that ever drew a great nation Into unity of action." Thus spoke one of the delegates to the great conference after he had spent five hours wrestling with the various phases of the subject in common with other members ef the preliminary meeting meet-ing last night. Five Hours of Discussion. Five hours were consumed in discussing dis-cussing the scope and plans to be adhered ad-hered to when the conference meets tomorrow. to-morrow. Five hours of earnest, careful, care-ful, painstaking Inquiry and discussion, j Not until after 12 midnight was the flrst motion made. And no sooner was it awade than a member of the preliminary prelim-inary committee arose and requested that it be temporarily withdrawn, "because." "be-cause." he said, "the subject was not yet fully understood and digested." And these earnest men, these men whose business is to plan and execute campaigns of education. ' fell to and worked earnestly an hour more on the matter. Sheer Bigness of Idea. Of such magnitude Is the subject that will be given the conference for settlement, settle-ment, that the only fear expressed by these men who are habituated to handling hand-ling "big things." is that It will get away from them through sheer bigness. big-ness. When the meeetlng adjourned last night It was not known when the convention con-vention would be called to order by the temporary chairman. These earnest men who have done things in the past, went to bed thoroughly worn out and slept late this morning. At 2:30 this afternoon they returned to their task and will laber all afternoon. A recess for dinner and recoupment will be followed fol-lowed by another session that will run far Into the night. "Army of Haystacks." The subject Is no needle in a haystack: hay-stack: It is rather an army of haystacks hay-stacks so big that they obscure all else. During the discussion last night, it was found that if the matter was allowed to grow to its logical proportions. It would not stop short of a bigger institution insti-tution than any single department of the National Government: that It must be limited, compressed, squeezed, crystallized: crys-tallized: that dead timber must be lopped off: that eliminations must be made, or it would require no less than a million of clerks to handle the matter mat-ter and a fund of 125,000,000 a year to meet expenditures. While it was agreed that even so stupendous a thing would be well for the entire country It would be national, of course It was also agreed that the task was beyond the Intention of the originators of the movement Praise for Salt Lake. All have united In agreeing that Salt Lake, in having originated the idea, has wrought far more grandly than she thought. The difficulty that confronts the gentlemen is to limit the scope of the project so far that it will not be unwieldy. un-wieldy. After hours of talk in which all phases of the question were discussed dis-cussed from all viewpoints and there was some pretty rough surgical work It was finally agreed that the scope of the project should be kept within philanthropical. sentimental and patriotic patri-otic bounds: that Mexico and Canada should be Included: that text books and hand books should. If possible, be employed em-ployed In the education department of the labor; that If possible some support sup-port of the National Government should be enlisted: that all sections of the United States, Canada and Mexico should be included. No Promotion Schemes. On the other hand, no promotion, no colonization, no advertising, shall be Included. Locality is to be eliminated. In one respect It Is to be national. It being considered that while Mexico and Canada are not of the United Staes, yet in a broad sense they are part and ' parcel of the country and inseparable In this sense. Calif ornian's Idea. "So large Is the Ides," said Clarence E. Edwords of the California Publicity bureau, "so pregnant with good for the entire West rather the entire country is this slogan, that even eliminating and crystallising down to the point of refinement, as we shall have to do. It is DroOOSjtln, aha- - aantyjfc vfc NfliUy j |