Tacoma Rescinds Invite to Filipino Commissioners
The Chamber of Commerce cites lack of funds for the cancellation of a high-profile diplomatic visit.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
It has been decided to withdraw the invitation extended to the Filipino World's fair commissioners to be the guests of Tacoma. Lack of the necessary funds is the reason. When a letter came to Mayor Wright some time ago, asking if the commission would be entertained here, a favorable reply was made. It was up to the Chamber of Commerce to provide the ways and means, but that body did not feel equal to the task when it was found that the expense would be between $2,000 and $3,000. The organization had about exhausted its entertainment fund in showing a good time to the officers of the battleships stationed at American Lake during the encampment, and some of the business men declined to put up for the entertainment of the Filipinos. The commission consists of 41 members, representing the commercial, educational, political and agricultural interests of the islands.
“The organization had about exhausted its entertainment fund in showing a good time to the officers of the battleships... and some of the business men declined to put up for the entertainment of the Filipinos.”
This withdrawal reflects the complex racial and political dynamics of the Philippine-American War era. While Tacoma sought to project itself as a gateway to Pacific commerce, the city's financial priorities—focused on the local military encampment—revealed the limits of its international hospitality.
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