Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-10-22
Horse Racing at Pairs.


ricnlture, in improving th, fruits OF
the earth, and the varieties of stock
which are the objects of the farmers
care, have great reason TO complain
that the fairs-County, State and Ma.
tional, have been so much given up
to horse racing. In very many ca
ses, everything else is made to give
place to what is called the trial OF
speed, but which is nothing short of
an old-fashioned horse>race, with all
the concomitants of betting and gam
bling, and drinking and swearing, TO
an unlimited extent. 1t is shame
that this species OF sport, as it is call>
ed, which is attended with so much
evil and 80 little, if any, good to any
industrial interest, should be allowed
to usurp tie place which belongs to
agriculture in it's different depart
ments. We wish once more to enter
our protest against the change, and
to say that, in our opinion, unless the
evil is abated, it would be better for
all concerned to discontinue iairs all
together. There is springing up all
over the country vicious taste for
horse racing, and the managers of
our fairs ought not to be the ones to
afford to it so much. encouragement.
A correspondent in the Pratrie Far
nler makes the following sensible re-
marks on this subject, which should
have weight with the managers and
officers OF agricultural societies:
Sin our County and State fairs the
farmers and other industrial classes,
for whose benefit the fairs are pur.
ported TO DO maintained, are the lxqt
thought of, and the least benefited of
any /; and, although the bone and sin
ew OF the country, they are obliged
to put up with apathy remuneration
of u few dollars for their products,
which have cost them perhaps, three
times the amount of the premium, to
get the grounds. For instance, sup
pose u farmer, living at some distance
from the exhibition, to have fine
COW which he wishes to exhibit. 1t
will take time and money TO fit her
up for competition, and then it will
cost from three to five dollars, if not
more, to get her to the grounds,
amounting in all, perhaps, to ten or
fifteen dollars aud then he stands a
chance of getting from three to five
dollars premium, # she happens to be
the best. At the very same time, the
society can afford TO pay from sixty
TO one hundred dollars premium on a
paltry tr0tting horse, which is OF no
earthly use to any one except a miss
cradle, gambling owner, who is bent
on swindling all whom he can bring
within his reach. But, says some If
there was no trotting there would be
no crowd Now, if it is merely for
the sake of seeing horse-race that
the crowd comes, it is fact to be la.
mented for we think it can be but q
fair demonstration that great pro-
portion of the crowd are shiftless peo>
pie, who go there, not for the sake of
benefitting and being benefited, but
merely for gratifying their love for
equine sport.
Now, should our societies exclude
all horse racing and things of the
kind, which are ofnc benefit to any
one, and which occasion so much dis
satisfaction to those VINO have things
of Importance to exhibit, and devote
their whole attention and funds to the
interests of the good, honest, substan-
tial laboring classes, who are at the
very foundation of our nation, farm,
ers and mechanics would then feel as
though the societies were interested
in their welfare, and they would all
turn out. and thereby give to them a
wholesome vigor, in place of the de-
grading stencil of betting and racing
These societies would then become
very beneficial to the nations welfare.
This is no new thing there are
several organizations of this kind in
the country, and 10 every instance,
we believe, they meet with success
We are told by friend that there is
one in St. Louis, conducted on this
plan, and he says it is largely attend>
ed every year, and that they have a
large ampitheatre, nearwhichis a ring
for .:the exhibition of blooded stock,
and for such their premiums range
from FIVE hundred to one thousand
dollars. and for all articles of farm
produce, as well as of mechanical
structure, sufficiently large premiums
are awarded to make it an OBJECT for
producers and manufacturers to bring
their articles for competition.
81 think, at least, ifthey should have
their horse-raciag at one time, and
agricultural show at another, there
would be fully as good attendance,
and better satisfaction generally"