The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-08-28
'EsS THE PEOPLE OF KAN.
SAR.
Claim. eft the state Fair.

4OIChAS august To- 1S81- |
The State Board of Agriculture,
of the people, ieel
constrained TO address yen in 3
plain statement of facts, and u few
earnest suggestions as to your reia-
tioDs and duties in connection with
the forthcoming State Fair.
The holding of Fairs does not
itself to our Judgment as
work best calculated TO attain the
ends sought in the organization and
maintenance of q State Board of
Agriculture. II brings it into q
supposed rivalry with Organizations |
which should act warmly as auxili- |
aries. It alienates, for the time be- |
ing, sections of the State remote |
from the Fair, disappointed in am
billions for its holding in their local
itY. Ii renders the Board liable to
criticism and unfriendly feeling, in
the unsatisfactory adjustment of
competing claims and disputed
questions always incident to such
expositions. 1t absorbs the time
and attention OF the Board, at q time
when the whole State should have
such attention at the local Fairs.
We are convinced that the bust
ness of holding Fairs legitimately
belongs to associations organized
for that specific purpose, and the du-
ty of q State Board of Agriculture
to foster and encourage, and of the
State Legislature to aid by wise leg
islation these local industrial organ
izations. Then there will be a re-
lati0n of confidence, . systematic CO.
operation, which will enable the
State Board to gather, collate and
send back 10 the people an annual
harvest of facts and experiences of
| Unreasonable value to the State.
Holding these views, still we did
not feel authorized to drop this hith-
erto important feature without first
consulting the popular Judgment.
We feared that those who had SO
long looked upon sour Annual
Fair" as the chief, if not the only
Legitimate work of the Board,
might look upon it as g revolution
without reason, and ii was resolved
to hold this Fair, putting it before
the public in practical form, IS q
rational Harvest Festival and Com
petitive Exposition OF the indus
1 SA4C6 "a SS0tCg ~ POS54Olc
from the Objectionable features OF
such exhibitions.
i We now come to say TO you, that
this y air, which was looked upon
as q mere incident in our work, 6
trife In its scale of values, has been
wrought by unlocked for circnm.
stances into q matter of prime con.
Germ to this Board, and to every cit
izen of the State. We now believe
that the results of the proposed
Fair are of more vital consequence
t and will have q more marked efiec,
upon the condition and prosperity
of the State for years to come, thar
any pending question or enterprise
Believing this, we come 10 yoI
with An appeal addressed in deer
: earnestness to your reason, your pa
, triotism, and your interest.
Our eyes cannot be closed 10 thI
fact, nor can our ears deny the dec
laration, that disaster, severe anC
grievous disaster, has befallen
large portion ofthe producing pop
ulation of the State. Some local.
ties have lost half crop by chincI
bugs, q broad belt has suffered al
eqal.loss from dearth of rainfall, anC
, to these must be added the still great
3 err calamity of a devastating inflow
of grasshoppers, consuming the sub
stance left as the fruit of summer
toll. These blows have been strucI
with such force and rapid success
sion as to almost paralize energy
crush ambition, and blot out hope
The first sight of disaster is oil
ways the worst view we get of it
each look thereafter discovers SOM
> unexpected exception, some kindly
cause for gratitude. At drst thil
Board were beset with appeals Il
suspend the Fair, and not mock dis
tress by a festal gathering in honor
of the harvest king, with O skeleton
rafting its fieshless bones in every
face.
Believing we held q public trust
and had an important duty to per
} form in giving steadiness, if possible
to condition of things not unlike
ly to produce panic, ten fold more
damaging in its effect than the cause
which produced 1t. we have uset
extraordinary efforts to obtain ful
and reliable Information as to thS
true condition of the State. W.
know that up to July the promise
} was shove the average yield O
years, for corn, ead not much below
for potatoes. We know that the
gathered crop of wheat was ten pei
cent, at least, above, instead of ter
per cent. below the average Weld
; as claimed by the Commission OF
Agriculture. Fruit was admitted
by all to be more than abundant
We were satisfied that no inconsid.
cradle quantity of the old crop OF
corn was still In store, and that fam.
Inc could not be one half SO neaI
Our doors as supposed by those
stune to despair by total loss OF
their only crop, and others, who are
never so happy as when peddling
some tale ofreal or imaginary harm
We now say to you, that Kansas
is not 6eggGred, but rich in ability
to feed ereTY citizen. No appeals
need be made by our Executive to
the Secretary of War for army
rations, nor by philanthEopists for
charitable contributions from be-
You'd our borders, Is neiEhbor
states have been forced to do al
ready. Patience and courage on
the one hand, and open handed
maniiness on the other, will feed
and care for all Onr people, bridg-
ing them safely over 10 smother
and abundant harvest.
But the cry has already gone out
of "chinch bugs, drouth and grass
hOppers," to be crystalized into q
damaging public belief. unless we
send authenticated truth close up.
on its track to contract il. Suffer.
ing much Tess than our sister States
of the west, from grasshoppers and
short crops, we are in . condition
TO suffer much more than they
from misrepresentation.
YOu, the people Of Kansas, have
the power TO nip this impending
evil of misrepresentation in the bud,
by contributing to make the Fair OF
September 7th, 1874, an exhaustive
and truthful exponent of the prod.
ucts of the soil, the condition Of the
industries and the faith and endur.
ance of the people of Kansas under
adverse circumstances. If every
county in the State is represented
by the best of its herds, its flocks
aud its fields, if you make such a
showing Is we kEOsC you can make,
and believe it your duty to make.
then our Annual Fair for the.vear
1874 will be to the State its proud.
est and its most profitable Yipdica-
ton.
We appeal to every citizen, whose
pride and whose property are inves.
ted in Kansas soil, 20 give active
aid AID effective work to accem-
plish this end, especially do We APP
peal to the Press of the State to
work devotedlY and vigorously in
shis behalf. We ask local societies