The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1871-10-05
THE ENTERPRISE.
Sweotwater. Thursday, Oct. 5, is L.
Eastern Division Fair.


vile, Ga, Express, Zone of our favor
tie exchanges when our eyes fell upon
an editorial, on the subject OF Agricul-
tural Fairs, and meeting as it does, our
sentiments upon this all imp rtant
matter, we transfer it to our columns,
with slight changes, in order to arouse
the people Of East Tennessee to a sense
Of their duty toward the Division Fair.
Thisds our last appeal, as we will not
have the opportunity Of again writing
on the subject before the 10th inst. We
quote from the Express, and apply the
article to the people of our county and
OF East Tennessee, as follows: "There
are farmers who tell us that they had
intended to exhibit so and so, at our
approaching Fair, but they had declined
putting themselves to any trouble about
it, as, no doubt, there were others who
would exhibit something better Of the
same sort. We would remind all such
citizens Of the fact that no more suicidal
policy could possibly be pursued to
thwart the aims and objects Of the Fair,
than o Re depending upon another to sup
ply the exhibition with the necessary arti-
cles in order to make it pleasing and
entertaining. 1t seems that the impress
sion prevails that, everything carried to
The Fair grounds must be deserving of
q premium, and if it does not get one
the effort is set down us u failure, and
the exhibitor is thereby discouraged
from ever making another. Ont of this
dissatisfaction frequently grows the
charge upon the several examining COM
mittees of tauortism, when, perhaps, it
was ahard struggle with the committee
to determine the difference between your
article or articles and some ones else
competing with you for the premium.
Perhaps, after all, the difference was
rather imaginary than real. The pre-
MUM must be awarded to one or the
other, but not to both, and, in n case
like this, where the articles are equally
meritorious, farorASm may slip in on
account of kindly feelings of some of
the committee towards one OF the other
Of the exhibitors. This, we are sure, is
o very natural sequence. We see it de-
monstrated in all the affairs of life, both
In Church and in State. But, says an
other one, l would enter something Mt
the Fair, but the premium offered for
the article which l propose to exhibit is
too small. Well, then we nre lett to
presume that you are after the intrinsic
value of the premium. Away with such
parsimony! Suppose there were no
premiums offered at oil, would it make
the occasion any the less interesting ?
Premiums are only designed to encour-
age a generous rivalry between the va.
rious classes of exhibitors, and cause
them to put forth a little additional ef-
fort to excel. Some do this but Others
do not. Those who do strive to exec
are certainly entitled to more credit than
those who do not. But enough on these
points.
What, may we ask, is the object o.
the Eastern Division Agricultural Asso.
citation, in having an annual FairP Have
the gentlemen who compose this Asso.
citation more to exhibit than other citi
zens of East Tennessee? Have they
more staked upon its success or failure
If it succeeds who are to be the benef
Charles? II it fails, who are to be thu
losers? The object of holding an an
nual Fair is to bring the people together
in order that they may counsel one will
another, and all together, on matters
touching the material prosperity of thi
section of country, and compare speci
mems of labor as the result of each one
effort during the year, so as to ascertain
what are the real resources of our coun
try, and to devise the best plan for thei
full development. Is nobody interested
in the development of these resource
but this Association Thousands O
good citizens and of capital will b
drawn into or driven out from on
midst, as the results OF observation a
these annual exhibitions.
Let the Fair be a failure, and th
loss that will be sustained by the citi
zens OF East Tennessee, will be irrepar
able; but let it be q success, (of whicI
we have no %fears,) and who can estimat
its value to the entire Division? TIL
people have it in their power to accom-
plish either end. Which they will dc
; remains to be determined. If every
body who can will determine to ente
something for exhibition, and do it, W
will guarantee the most gratifying sue
cess; but, on the contrary, if everybod
3 waits for somebody else to furnish tn
exhibition, we Will warrant the mos
| signal failure.