Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-10-02
The Comfy Fer.


the 18th inst, you state that the reason
our fair did not turn out better was be
cause We did not use enough printers ink
and that nothing succeeds nowadays that
is not advertised well We haze the RICH,
to expect that yourself and every citizen
of the county is interested in the success
OF our County Fair. For four years. now.
we have paid you for publishing our pre-
mium list, and have always paid you your
price therefor. But for two years past
you have scarcely mentioned tie Fair in
Your paper. This last spring you agreed
to have our books out by May 1st, but
when the fire cainc-May 25th-you still
had the books unfinished Yet all sum
mer you did not mention the Fair in 80. +
paper. You kept back the issuing of our
premium list until in August, so we could
not advertise by their distribution through
the county, and although we paid you the
price for 1900, and more than the regular
price for eight extra pages, and you was
behind in the time in which you was TO
get them out, yet you never even apollo
glzcd through your paper for your own
neglect and tardiness Is this treating the
Society as you should have done under
the circumstances: What incentive have
the Society to advertise when they cant
get it done after paying for it?
1t appears to the Society that you have
been a little penurious of yoUr ink, willie
you was willing to take full pay for ali
you agreed to do. But there is another
view Of this matter. Our Fair was good
one except III the Hail. Tne ladies and
merchants of this city do not take The
pains they ought to in filling he hall with
fancy articles Our merchant; are in
some respects cxcusable on a count of the
busy time they are having now in getting
into their new places Of business. Dut
the ladies of Independence ought to take
hold and help eli up the hall with fancy
goods every year. We have Il much let
ter hall than any OF the adjoining counties.
We have Il nice large two-story building,
with shingled roof and good floor, well
lighted and finely arranged for exhibiting
articles. II the other counties around lis
the halls are made Of rough boards, with
out windows, without floors and without
shing!cd roofs, yet their papers stete That
thelr exhibitions are very fine and attrac-
tive. Our exhibition Of cattle, horses,
hogs and poultry was as good as any of
the surrounding counties have had Or will
have. But in the line of fancy goods,
pantry stores, and domestic manufactures
that is in the departments that the ladies
should contribute to, was meagre. Now,
Mr.. Editor, | bear no malice towards YOU
for not blowing the Fair beforehand, nor
toward them for rot contributing to it.
But hope YOU will next year print the
list in your paper and keep it before the
people, ant. that the ladies will I'll! the
hall with goods, so that it will hot be 4
mcagre show
REMARKS.
The above communication, though with
out signature, will doubtless be recog-
nized as coming from one Of the officers
CT tic Agricultural Society 1t seems
that our mild remark of last week, that
possibly the Fair had not been advertised
enough, hit on Il sore spot, and the public
are given to understand that the nol-suc-
cess of the County Fair which everybody
is attributing to unskilful and penurious
management, was, after all, due to the
shortcomings of that pack-horse for the
sins OF the community, the printer.
Doubt IS, the back of this much offend
ing public servant, being broad, he is eX-
pected to shoulder this load with the rest,
and not murmur But Re proposes this
time to depart from the usual rIle of
silence, and examine tic above scrced q
little
First, we arc told that we have had the
printing of the Premium Lists four years,
at our own prices, and that therefore We
are obligated to contribute an unlimited
amount of advertising for n thing, and
not only this, but furnish our 0'on copy.
Before we proceed to consider the equity
of this demand we wish to correct one
mistake by our caustic correspondent.
We have not had the Premium List to
print at our own prices. BY importantly
and representations of the poverty Of the
Agricultural Stock Company We were in
duced to make considerable concessions
on the Premium List for the first year,
in fact, did it for less compensation than
would have been charged by almost any
other office in the State The officers of
the Agricultural Society insisted OH max
these prices precedent for the succeed
ing years, and thus have procured their
printing eheape. than it could be had else
where. Another fact bearing on this
point is that the Society has made from
advertisers, every year, from $40 to $50
clear profit over the cost Of the books.
On this score, therefore, We do not fee!
the weight of obligation resting heavily.
We acknowledge that the Premium List
for this year was, for good and sufficient
reasons and from causes beyond the con
troll OF anybody, considerably delayed.
For the reasons that these causes We're in
avoidable, VIC have not thought TO apollo
gize for the delay in publication, though
had we supposed it would have salved the
abraded dignity Of our correspondent, We
should doubtless have done so i'll due
form.
But to return to the subject of advertis-
ing the Fair. Our caustic correspondent
makes the statcmcnt--Which is not true
that the BULLETIN has net mentioned the
Fair all summer, and on this charges us
with culcapablc neglect and indifference
While it has been our practice to pub,
fish without charge everything furnished
us by the management, and much beside
calculated to make our County Fairs sue
cessfui, we wish right here to protest
against the idea that We are any more OBJ
Hgated to advertise the Agricultural Stock
Company for nothing than we are the III
dependence Manufacturing Company, or
any other organization for profit. The
Agricultural Society is a company whose
stock is a subject of barter and sale, and
which expects sometime to declare divi-
dentls, and which some folks arc malic-
ious enough to intimate, has already de-
\ Il