Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-09-13
THE ANNUAL THREAT.

Periodically the cry is raised about re.
moving the State Capitol and the State
Fair from Sacramento. Whenever it is
intended to coerca the people of Sacra-
mento for doing something somebody does
not like, or whenever they are to be pun
ished for alleged sins of omission or Of
commission. there is a shaking Of heads
and croakings of threatening that the
Capitol and the State Fair shall be re-
moved. The last exhibition of childish
ness of this character appears in the San
Francisco Eosadqg Post of Saturday, which
openly declares that the State Fair ought
to be removed to San Francisco, which
place it claims to BE- the geographical and
commercial c5ntcr of the whole coast.
Now the statement does not create the
slightest alarm to the people of Sacramento
or of the coast. The State Fair will not
be removed to San Francisco. Many
enterprising cities have established for
themselves great annual festivals. OF this
class st. Louis is the most conspicuous on
the continent. The ST. Louis fair brings
to that city annually from eeventy-fve
to one hundred thousand visitors, and
annually distributes 10 coin to the citizens
of that city about s4.0O0,00O. San
Francisco has not proven herself capable
of maintaining an annual festival Of any
magnitude. The Mechanics Fair has been
declining in interest for the past three
years, and this fact is not only not denied
but openly discussed by the thoughtful
and observant. The exhibition OF the
Mechanics Institute for 1851 has been
p actically failure. 1t was not an ex-
hibition of the order indicated-it was too
largely of the soap and candle kind an
exhibition Of great pyramids of soap and
huge mounds of candles a few days AGO
the Horticultural Society set on foot an
inquiry concerning the exhibit OF fruits at
that fair, and 1t developed that the fruit.
growers were not responsible for it, but
tina. the whole exhibit had been picked I'D
IN the markets This is fair example OF
the manner in which San Francisco,
through that medium, encourages the
people who produce. The art exhibition.
too. was made up largely cf loans. Now,
a loan exhibition is not an art exhibition
IN the true sense, for it is not an original
exhibit of artists work-not in any sense
an exhibition of the art culture OF the
people. San Francisco attempted to es-
tablish an annual authors carnival, but
after the first the effort failed. That COM
munity had the fact forced uron its intel.
iigence that 1t has not yet the elements
that come OF age and a settled state OF
society. and which are essential to the
success of such schemes
But concerning the State Fair, even in
our own locality, and internally in the
management of that State institution, it is
every now and then threatened that II this
or that interest is not permitted to control,
the State Fair shall be removed from Sac
ramento. Nc mistake of administration
OF the institution is considered, but that
the parties criticised arise and declare that
The first thing this people Will know the
State Fair will be removed, as though that
fear must be constant cloak to the
Vaccinations of rings, and gag to al
remark upon the mistakes and blunders
of administration.
The real fact is, that the complete d.
voroement between the metropolis and the
State viii forever prevent removal of the
fair TO San Francisco, wherever else it
might go. San Francisco has never done
anything for the State Fair. In all the
years of its struggling existence, San Fran.
cisco stood by and lent no helping hand to
it. Ga more than one occasion the Me
chanics Fair at San Francisco has been run
in open opposition to it. as though nothing
outside Of San francisco was worthy of any
consideration.
Now, San Francisco asks for the State
Fair simply because it wants to add to
itself another element OF absorption. There
is no other locality in the State that would
be in favor of the removal but San Fran.
cisco itself, and hence there is not the
slightest danger that it will so there.