The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-09-15
Oregon State Fair.
To the Farmers and Mechanics 0;
OREGON:

To the Farmers and Mechanics of
| Oregon:
The undersigned, Board Of Mana
gers of the Oregon State Agricul-
tural Society, desire to state a few
facts in regard to the Annual State
Fair of 1882, to the end that its man
agemcnt may be better understood.
The speed department of the Fair
has for years been source of vexa-
tion and trouble. not only to the
Board, at its annual meetings, but
to the Society in general, and the
argument for years has been, on the
one side, that too much attention
was paid to it, and too much money
| offered, and on the other hand, that
the Board had given no encourage
ment sufficient to induce a fine dis
play of the best horses. At the an
nual meeting, Dec, 1881, it was final.
| ly concluded to assign this depart
ment TO a committee, who should
| agree to pay the money they might
offer, and that they should receive
certain receipts especially derived
from that department. But as addi-
tioDal inducement to make this
change, we cite the fact that the
premiums for speed have been given
for years at loss to the Society.
while those interested have urged
that this department was not proper
ly managed, and that, it ought to
pay, and could be made to pay its
expenses. In order to satisfy our
selves in regard TO all these matters,
no money is offered this year for
speed trials. If the experiment
should prove successful, it will have
cost the Society nothing. and will be
basis for their further action, and
we deem it just to say that our course
was not governed by any committee
of horsemen, or any agent of COM
mittee, and that there was no dicta-
tion on the part of any one. 1t was
the carrying out of desire often ex
pressed by very many friends and
members of the Society. In; regard
to the receipts, we feel assured that
they will be proportionately as good
without the speed department as
with it, and that the plan adopted
will insure as much success and as
much money to pay the premiums in
the other departments, and the ex-
penses of the Fair, as if no change
had been made.
The premiums of the Society then,
for this year, are offered to the far
mers and mechanics of Oregon,
Washington and Idaho. In the, de-
partments of cattle, sheep and swine,
as we'll as in agricultural implements,
we are quite certain the display will
be creditable one. We urge upon
the farmers and mechanics, then, to
use every effort to make their de-
psrtment attractive. 1t YOU dislike
the course which he's been pursued
by the officers of the Society tie
remedy at the annual election is an
easy one, but if the State Agricultural
Society is to grow in favor and pat
ronage, the friends Of every depart
ynent must seek to make its annual
fairs attractive. While we are free
to admit that in some Instances, the
premiums are not as large as they
should be, certainly in the depart
ment of grains, and some others,
there can be no ground for complaint.
At all events we have acted as we
thought best for the interests of the
Society, and offered all we believed
it could afford to pay. More than
this, You would not expect US to do;
less than this, we feel certain, has not
been done.
Let there be strong effort made,
then, to increase the interest and at
tractiveness of all the departments at
our coming Fair, and let your aim
be to strengthen public confidence IN
the Society, and to assist in placing