Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-01-30
Communicated
THE AGRICULTURAL As
ISOLATION.
Eds. Independent:

/ y
do not attend the Berkeley County
Fairs; much less, aid you pecuni-
arily, and especially the Changers,
as all Grargers are, or ought to be,
country people. Isuppose that an
answer to the question from them
will be satisfactory. You are not
aware, suppose, that the Grang-
ers and country people know of a
ring within the corporate limits OF
your town, who supervise and con-
duct every thing that takes place
in and around town, especially
when there are any "loaves and
fishes in tow" (If you think we
don't know this, you are very
much mistaken, for the blindest of
us can see sometimes.) So it was
with the purchasing of said Fair
Grounds, because it was Mr.. is
property, it didn't matter how
much expense it was attended with
it must be bought from him at q
cost of don't exactly know what
but as you state the whole
amount is $4,000, you, no doubt,
mean by that, the cost and inn
provements of the same, and yet
the grounds are not what they
ought to be. The buildings are all
good enough, but the view of the
track during the trials of speed, is
very poor, and it will cost an end
less amount of money to make it
what it ought to be. Any one
wanting to see race, must pay so
cents and bring his horse in and
ride from point to point. You
were not compelled to buy piece
of land that would cost so much to
improve.
The country people were not con-
suited about the purchase, Tor very
few of them), and now, in time of
need, why call on them ? Much
like drowning man catcheth t a
straw. You had two other sites in
anticipation. either of which would
have suited much better and could
have been improved at a much less
expense than the present one, and
the majority of the people would
have been better satisfied, both
mentally and physically. Mental
ly because it wouldn't have cost
near SO much, and physically be-
cause they would not have been
compelled to ascend and descend
the hill in going to and coming
from the grounds. Another point
at issue is, yotr sub-officers take or
assume too much authority for the
position. The gods" of the Fair
can go and do as they please, pro-
vided they wear few pieces of
ribbon in shape of a rosette. 1t
brings back the memories of war
times, when man only needed
one, two, or three yellow stripes on
his arm, and then he was monarch
of all he surveyed.
There was communication laid
before the Grange TO which / be-
long asking fer aid in the shape of
stock to relieve the association of
the incumbent debt, and was dis
cuSsed with much animation, pur-
POI ting to about the same points
that l have set forth in the above
remarks, and had a resolution been
shaped up it would have amounted
to about the same that l have sta
ted.
/ have spoken for my Grange,
and am satisfied that the rest of
the members Will bear me out in
what l have said, and if the old
adage of " Silence gives CONSENT"
be true, think the rest of the
Oranges entertain the same views.
AN EUREKA PATRON.
Patron" misquotes us. We
did not say the cost of the Fair
Grounds was $4,000. We simply
Said that the net receipts each year
would pay ten per cent, dividend
on that amount, and said nothing
as to cost. Patron" is also in
formed, that at the time the loca-
ton was selected, the Dictatorship
was composed ofthirteen members
from the country and eight from
the town. 1t is wonderful therefore
that eight men out voted thirteen
We opposed the present location,
and were beaten, and submitted,
and have never felt huffy because
we were beaten. That is an i'm
proper spirit, and if those who ia
vored Showers Hill had been bea-
ten, 1t would have been mean and
unmanly in them to have showed
their seurness by Withholding both
patronage and support. So far as
ribbons and rosettes are concerned,
we have yet to hear of any ungen-
tlemaniy act on the part of those
who wore them, and fany one
has exceeded or abused their posi-
tion, it is not right that q meritori.
Gus enterprise should suffer there.
for, but more proper that the often.