The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-22

remember right, Rev. Mr.. Fisher, in his
day here, put a stop TO this advertising
business from his pulpit.
shall We Hold u state Fair In
West Virginia Next Fall:
Brooke COUNTY, January 10.
Editors IutcllISsneer.
Was there q State Board OF Agrlcnl:
ture established IN West Virginia.? II
40. who are its officers and what are they
doing TO make our State compare iayor'
ably with the adjoining States oil ONO
and Pennsylvania? II We have no such
department would it be out OF place Tor
some suggestions to be made in regard TO
ia organization. A Secretary should be
appointed with a very small salary and
meeting called for the city Of Wheeling,
asking each Agricultural Society through
out the State to send a representative
(proyiding there be not more than one
such society in one county, Tor the pur-
pose Of electipg therefrom a President
and Vice President, with twelve directors,
and 10 have control Of the organization
for one year, four Of these to serve one
wear, four to serve two years and Tour 70
serve three years. Let the first work oil
ibis new Board be to lind a suitable place
for holding q State Fair next Fall and
not 10 hold the Fair on any count!yis
grounds unless the county organization
will agree to advance for premiums at
least Eve hundred dollars, and have. their
grounds repaired and improved for the
reception Of the great State Fair. Inc
twelve Honorables constituting the Board
should work free, as it is for the good Of
their own State. After the starting is
complete there should be an annual meet
ing appointed for the special discussion
OF some Of the most interesting subjects
relating to agriculture. These sugges-
tions are offered on The superstition that
no such a Board exists in the State.
May / have the pleasure OF having your
views on the point at your earliest con-
venience. Very Respectfully,
We deferred immediate reply to the
above communication until we could con-
suit with a prominent worker in former
fairs held on Wheeling Island. He has
been kind enough to furnish us with his
yiewsat some length, and after reading
them we herewith proceed TO give our
correspondent the benefit oil them in a
condensed form: Our friend does not
seem to enthuse very much over the idea
Of u State fair, although he does not pos
lively discourage it. His experience,
however, in the old organizations has
taught him that there are many more
drawbacks connected with such a move
ment than inexperienced persons are apt
to take into their calculations. Notwith-
standing, however, these drawbacks he
inclines to the opinion that il a general
cooperation, such as Mr.. Gist suggests,
could really be enlisted throughout the
State, a creditable State fair might be
held. The expense Of such a movement,
however, would be lsrge-several thou
sands Of dollars--and a great deal OF
money would be needed at the very out
set as sina qua non to success. The
last few fairs held on the Island were
mainly successful, go far as they could be
considered ever pecuniary successes, by
reason Of the horse racing feature com
nected with them. This feature, while
.distasteiul to many persons, is after all
the only one that can be relied on to ill
the Golfers Of an agricultural society. Al
least SO it has'proved at nearly all fairs Of
late years.
The fashion of the country is now get
ting to be to hold Agricultural and
Mechanical Exhibitions in the promi-
nent cities, as for instance at Cincinnati,
Louisville, St. LOUIS, Chicago and Pitts
,burgh, and these are to a~considerable ex'
tent monopOlizing public attention. True,
they are not stock fairs, to which fine
horses, cattle and sheep are taken, but
they are made very attractive to farmers
owing to the extent Of their general iu-
dustrial bearing on agriculture, in the
way Of improved implements and mach.
inery. The railroads do all in their
power to induce farmers to attend them
by putting down fares very low, and thus
afFording them once a year a chance TO
visit the large cities at a very small ex.
pense. With these exhibitions a State
fair in West Virginia would necessarily
come in competition in the fall Of the
year.
Our friend is Of the opinion that the
most suitable place to hold the proposed
fair would be on Wheeling Island, for the
reason that the grounds are ample, and
to some extent already prepared, but for
the still stronger reason that the Island
Is the centre OF a ten miles circumfer-
ence that embraces at least one hundred
thousand people, and in the midst, as 1t
were, Of a rich, p%opulOus and productive
country lying on, both sides Of the Ohio,
in three States Of the Union, The Ohio
country tributary to Wheeling has always
been a leading support to our fairs, and
Pennsylvania has also been an important
factor. To make "a State fair asuccess
here a great deal OF interest would
have to be enlisted, not only in this
State, but also in the two States named.
Merchants and manufacturers would
need to be im%portuned to send their
goods and wares for exhibition. All
people having extra fine stock on their
farms would have to sec some gain In
sending it to thsLfair before going to ex.
pence In that direction. Therefore, as
We have said, a large fund must be pro.
yided or guaranteed in advance, Can
this be dOneH This Is the important
question. 1t is one that a only be