The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1874-10-15
hf ia faasalith.
a taay's Opinion of Trials Of
Speed.

| NPSSNs O.
PORT PENN, October 18th. 1874.
| G. p Johnson, Esq.-Deor Sir;-From
some comments made in the Middletd,pn
Transcript, last Saturday, l find that my
letter which appeared in the DAILY
GAZETTE on last Friday week has been
entirely misreprescnted, and 1 III lst
| therefore again trespass upon your DOL
,,umns. First. however, j must correct "a
statement which the premium list con-
vinccs me made in my last letter. |
said there were on exhibition cakes and
pies; and premiums were given to q
cakes and 3 pies. Now, | was ON the
grounds when the exhibition closed on
Wednesday evening, the first day, and
| am very sure my estimate was then COR
rect. | did not return till the afternoon
of Friday, and on entering the house
hold department found that nearly hll
| the fruit on exhibition tAere had been
devoured! Cakes, rusk. biscuit, and
presume pies were rapidly fol owing suit,
| and at sunset hardly vestige of any
thing edible remained! did not care
to publish such gross mismanacement to
| the whole State, so sent an article to the
ITdnscr pt calling the attention of those
| more immediately in charge to this and
some other things needing correction.
No one likes, however, to be told of er-
rors or III; stakes, and reckon the cditoc
feared to give offence, so suppressed my
communication. l am therefore com
PEELED to explain my mistake in n more
pubic manner.
The Transcript says sneeringly-"o our
Exhibition may not have been quite so
extensive as the Maryland State Fair or
the Chicago Exposition, but this was our
first year. Now, if the editor had not
wished to misrepresent me he need not
have mentioned the Chicago Exposition.
to which did not allude, and he should
have stated that the Maryland State
Fair, which l described and compared
with our recent Exhibition, was their
first year also, and twenty years ago
at that. How much better should even
n first exhibition be now than then? lie
adds, this is the first complaint that
has come to our ears" How many com
pressed | cannot tell, but do know that
my letter i'll the GAZETTE has been On
dorsed by men of the highest standing
in this and other States.
The gist of my whole article, however,
is completely ignored by the editor of
the Transcript. | described the Mary
land Fair as a specimen of what Agricnl-
tural Fairs used to be, and ought to he,
and the recent Exhibition rs what they
now are. even when counted success.
From the marvellous difference conclud-
ed that something extraneous to the Ag-
ricultural Exhibition makes the success
of Fair now-a days, and what that
something is, no one, on examining the
schedule of premiums, can doubt. As
high as $40 was offered for the fastest
trotter; while the highest premium ont
side the race course was only SO. That
these large sums are made up in part, at
least, by the fees required for entering
the horses only makes it more and more
gambling concern and the whole thing
Is governed by the National Trotting AS
sociation. BY the good name of our far
mers l demand what has that to do with
farmingP And in their name | demand
that our Agricultural Exhibition be not
hereafter disgraced by horse racing; then
those who will indulge the cruel, brutal
Jpropensities of their natures may be
known as jockeys and not as farmers.
With regard to the uncalled for fling
| at those who have not paid their sub
Iscriptions, may add that some hoped to
have an Agricultural Society which would
be a credit to the State; but finding
whittier the Society was drifting they
became thoroughly disgasted with it
AMI the success of the races would rem.
der them still less inclined TO identify
themselves with what is in reality only a
Trotting Association.
Now sir, it is not for me to thank YOU
for the space l have occupied in your
paper; your own conscience will reward
you for placing the GAZETTE ON the broad
platform Of morality and humanity; and
am glad there is one paper in the State
which will not suppress a demand foI
horse racing to be put on the very low
level where it belongs.
EITIE NJ DILwoRTH.