The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-08-08
GOV. ANTHONY VS. A STATE FAIR.


among farmers and stock men that We
! should have 4 Kansas State fair. State
pride as well as every substantial State in
terest demanded il. kans.S is the champi-
on agricultural State. She leads the world
in rapid development. She is first among
the States in the production of corn per
acre. and fifth in the total of bushels rais-
ed In wheat she is eighth in average per
acre, and eighth in total product. In the
average per acre and in her total product
she stands first in rye. And so, combining
all her products, she surpassed not only tho
foremost State bnt the foremost Nations Of
the world n her display at Phii-ielphia,
and as suitable acknowledgment President
HAYES gave us the first appointment OF an
agricultural expert IF. I. Baker, alas , TO
write up The agricultural display at Par
is
Farmers Of the East, desiring TO visit
Krnsas at the most favorable time, are
writing letters inquiring when and where
the State fair will be held. They t,ke il
for granted that when the fogy states are
model, will not lose its laurels in ,he race
The people OF Kansas wonder why We
have no State fair. 1t is year when our
crops will show to better advantage than in
&c. We have State Board of Agricul-
ture, but it is now 50 long since We have
had our last State fair tn At We have almost
forgotten when.
The last, we believe, was held in Leaven-
worth, its management by Geo. Il. Anthony
was 60 offensive that it proved failure.
He would Empress Anthony" so strongly |
Oh this institution of Kansas" that he
stamped it out. "Died of too much George |
T. is its proper epitaph.
But he must have revenge for his own
failure and make Fair impossible for
Others. Turn to page six Of The Fourth |
Agricultural Report" and read his parting
parihian shot al State Fairs" The article
is Enthusiastically his. lie SAYS:
"The emancipation OF this Board from
'shor business" has proved satisfactory re-
lief. State FANS under the auspices of the
State, and at the expense of the public
treasury are more than ''humGug' ere
a gross ruong." C''Humbug' was the word
he used in his Medina address concern,
the dignity Of labor. The dignity OF la
Dor is a INVITA- humbug." And so
State Fair is also "humbug."
But he further says:
The practical result of such "Sho,ns," as
generally conducted, are Of as little value
10 og fctd 'ue as a circus. They afford amuse-
nent TO the thoughleSs ve1ation to managers,
iisgus 10 the thoughtful, with profit only to
he hotel keepers, peanut peddlers and those
who bet on the right horse We do not ,
wonder that tradesman in small to,ons like
Lawrence, Topeka, Fl Scott,
Wichita, &C., Ed should desire the State
% make an annual show for their benefit ,
,ut We do wonder how, in the light of the
past, it would be possible for the State to
econd this business desire
Such language may we'll become the au- ,
hor of the Medina, n. V, speech against 5
he dignity Of labor, the man who made ,
'tate fairs failure, and who said he would ,
'reck the Centennial display rather than
i've up his place in its Board, but how does
suit the farmers and stock men of Kan !
as. How does it suit the small towns" ,
ghere State fairs have been held?
In 1877 the State Board, Geo. T. An
hony presiding, gave one reason for not !;
holding fair that year, that it would Sc
iously interfere with the work Of the Sec
etary,' whoae labors should not be inter. .
cred with by any extraneous work. See
age 235, 237, OF Fifth Agricultural Re- !,
'ort. The Secretary, his work constantly
was not dee med by His Excel
ency too busy to receive the appointment
D Paris in 1873. r
But in 1873 we were fortunately rid of .
;ov. Anthony as President OF the State d
'oari. A good man--John Kelly-was put .
a his place. Unfortunately, however, the !
Az makes the Governor, CT etseio, q mem- p
er OF the State Board of Agriculture. The b
aleful presence and influence were there Z
the January meeting, (Is7s, 10 cast their si
nadow and leave their blight-io empress t
.uthony," if we may use his words, "that p
ne image should not be ersdicated for fiftv b
ears o.
Anthony, as ever, vas opposed to a fair, a
ut it was not popular to say go. He must il
efeat it BY indirection. So he offered res u
lutions and proposed committee osten- p
bly, with view to having 4 fair, but tax o.
q good care all the time that the terms b
should make 4 fair impossible. nj
was provided that the Board would hold ss
fair for the people, provided the people Il