Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-04-12
Illinois and Iowa state

Ahe Suate A8ricultural' society or III
linois have given out the impression
and have attempted to circulate 1t ex
tensively, THAT their board was defect
ed by the board in this State, in thei
efforts to prevent the holding of boil
fairs from falling on the same week.
The facts before us furnished by Mr.
Melendy, President, and I. M. Shaffer
Secretary of our State Agriculture
Society, will show thatthe Iowa Societ,
did all In their power to prevent tn,
two fairs falling on the same week
and without further comment we will
give the facts in the case, leaving ou
readers to determine for themselves.
SIN September, 1865, the Iowa Socie
| ty selected the last week in September
for the fair Of 1867. The Illinois boart
was duly notified of that decision. In
January, 1867, the State Society ratified
the action of the September meeting
1866, and voted down an amendment
fixing the time two weeks later in Sep
TENDER. On January 11th, the Illinois
board was notified Of the date second
time to avoid all possibility Of con.
fiict. The Illinois board did not ad.
journ until January 10th, and in the
face of these facts, which the President
admits in letter to Mr.. Shaffer. dated
March 18th, they choose the same week
which Iowa had fixed upon more than
three months before"
January 10th, Secretary Reynolds, Of
ILL.,, writes to Mr.. Shaffer: rt.E
ssThe time fixed for that 1.-THE fair) OF
1867, / regret to say, Is the same as
yours. Our stock men and mechanics
are unanimous In demanding that the
Illinois State fair be held during the
week ne2t preceding the ST. Louis fair,
80 that they may attend both easily
and so forth. ''If your board had hap
pened to fix upon the week before the
one selected, exhibitors from this State
would have started with you, stopped
with us, and then proceeded to st.
Louis. ~ do not feel at liberty
to urge q reconsideration on the part of
your board, but hope they will see the
matter as we do.n This letter was an
swered Jan. Oath, in which this Society
recited the history given above. Sec
rotary Reynolds answered Jan. 2Sth,
declaring 1.-THE fact which controlled
the fixing the time of holding our
State fair for 23d to 18th of September
was, that the ST. Louis fair Is to be
held the week following. A large
number of Illinois exhibitors ,ciU at
tend the st. Louis fair, and, If ours
should be held the same week, would
either divide their shows, or not be
with us at all. So that, if ours is held
in the South part of the State, or at
any point easily reached from all parts
of the State, our board consider 1t in
dispensable to have ours come off the
week Immediately preceding. 1 re-
greet that in this instance it has brought
yours and ours together, but the dilem-
ma had to be met i'm some way"
Mr.. Shaffer states that "this letter
but, owing to my absence, was not no.
ticed until Feb. IL. The Iowa execu-
tive committee met Jan. 80, at Clinton.
We resolved to adhere to our original
time, but, learning that the Wisconsin
State fair was also Sept. 80, 1 wrote the
President Feb. IL, suggesting that we
change to Oct. s, and also wrote Secre-
tary Rey nOlds to the same effect, under
date of Feb. IL. On Feb. 10, our presi-
dent telegraphed me that the time had
been changed to Oct. 1, and i'm due
time stated that the date would not in
terfere with the time of the fall cleo
ton. Secretary Reynolds acknowl-
edged my letter of Feb. II. on Feb. l6,
received here Feb. 81. He says: "The
fact is just as told you, st. Louis fair
is believed to affect us more seriously
than any other. Having learned that
the st. Louis association claims the first
week i'm Oct. to commence on the It'll of
that month this year, and that their
fair will be held commencing then, /
have already taken steps to obtain, if
possible, the consent of the members
of our executive committee to postpone
ours week later.n g.
"This action was not known to this
society until two days after our change
was made; and, when the executive
agreed to postpone the Illi-
nOis state fair so that Ii would immedi-
ately precede the st. Louis fair, this
society had no formal notice of it; nei-
ther was ID known to myself except
through letters from Mr.. Emery, of
Chicago; DIR. Sherman, assistant secre-
tary, and A. b. Mcdonnell, president,
in reply to my circular in
forming them of the change we had
made. These letters reached me March
IA, or three weeks after the 'steps"
were taken On the same date /
wrote our president, inclosing the
above letters, and leaving the whole
subject with him whether or not to go
back to Sept. 80" #...
"These facts need no comment. The
most careless reader will discern that
the "efforts of the Illinois board to
prevent the fairs of Iowa and Illinois
from falling on the same week. have
not been especially herculean; that
Iowa did try to accommodate Illinois
and Wisconsin; that the Illinois board
had an eye single to the st. louis fair !;
and that Iowa 10 still willing to accom-
modate the people Of both States, If 1t
he follnR nOSsi bio ~