The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-07-18
Confession.

Last winter Geo. w. Riddle, of Man
chester, N. H., wrote sharp letter to
Rev. DR.. Spaulding editor of the New
Hampshire Journal, in which portion of
this agricultural department is reprinted)
denouncing us for our criticisms upon
DR.. Loring and the "New England Agri-
cultural Society,"" and intimating that
the Journal would lose support largely, if
we were allowed to continue our "at-
tacks." But now we see by report of a
meeting of the trustees of the society
that the truth of our severest criticism is
substantially admitted, even by Riddle
himself. The fact is that public opinion,
of which our articles were merely repre-
sentative, is too much for them. The So
ciety has utterly lost whatever standing it
had with the farmers by the gross favor
itsm and dishonesty of the awards of
its packed committees. We were ourself
for some years one of the trustees of the
society, and as much as ten years ago
tried, in company with others, to have a
proper organization of committees, but
got nothing but opposition, repression,
and sneering insult from DR.. Loring and
his little ring of bosses. Exhibitors
from Vermont suffered gross injustice
from those packed committees, and find
ing their trustees unable to effect any
reform, or even to get respectable hear
ing from the Great Mogul and his satraps,
they have almost entirely ceased to ex-
hibit, or to attend the society's exhibit
tions. The same state of things has had
a like effect elsewhere, so that for the
last five or six years the fairs of the soci-
ETY. have been scarcely more than local in
their exhibits and attendance. The man.
ayers have found the policy of giving all
the first premiums to "our friends" fatal.
The "phonographic report" of the
trustees meeting alluded to, as it appears
in the Ploughman, amounts substantially
to a confession of most that has been
charged against the management. What
we have been charging for years in print
is admitted fully. Mr.. B. j.. Stone of
Westboro, Mass, (not on the list of trus-
tees) advocated getting expert judges
from outside of New England, and pay
ing them for their attendance. He said
he had talked to DR.. Loring about it and
the doctor brought up the objection that
there are no experts! The doctor is too
modest to admit that he himself is an
"expert in STAYING off reform. We got
an even less satisfactory reply from him
on the same subject at the first exhibit
ton in Lowell. Mr.. Stone said he " could
not believe that the country is so desti-
tute of good judges of cattle that we can
not get experts enough to judge of the
thoroughbreds exhibited at our fairs. l
think if we adopt the Rhode Island sys-
tenn, the whole of New England need not
be behind the little state Of Rhode Island in
making great exhibition. When they
send for Rowland p. Hazard and Edward
Burnett of Southboro, to judge of cattle,
the exhibitors have not a word TO say
they know that they are competent men,
and men who will carry out their own
conviction in regard to cattle. Give me
man who knows what he is to Judge
rather than man whose decisions are in.
fuenced by favoritism.'
The chairman (name not stated, but
probably Loring's man Friday, Needham)
complained that this would necessitate
the employment of twenty-four men, there
being eight classes of cattle. Then there
were horses and sheep. Speaking to j
ID. Wheat of Putney Vt, he said, sarcas
tically, suppose it would be very easy
to find experts in Merino sheep, would i
not, Mr.. Wheat ?" Wheat's reply wa
not what was expected. Said he, d.
not know how that is. think / couIe
find gOad judges in every class" Tit
chairman thought the society could no
afford to pay judges, but he never has OBJ
jected to the expense of the annua
"blow-out " of the favored ring member
in Boston, at three or four dollars a plate
nor of the fine barouche in which "Presi
dent Loring" is carted round for exhibi
ton, in all his grandeur and pomposity
at every fair.
Thus spoke Massachusetts trustee, G
b. Hadwen of Worcester. Mr.. Hadwe
said;
There is great prejudice wOrking against TIL
society among breeders because they sag il
no use to take their cattle TO the NelC Engldn
Fair, for they are not property judged ii is n
etSe TO take cattle TO be judged at the New En-
land Fair, tohere the aohoLe thing is q farce
where the men who are appointed on coInmi
tees fail to come, and then The breeders are q
organized in the judges' tent, and nominate me
aoho 1tH 90 IN their JdUor. Now, know fro
personal experience and observation that til
best committee that was ever organized
judge of thoroughbred stock consisted of
committee of three, who knew precisely VIII
their work was, and could not well make
mistake. And that Is just what we want
do. We want when our awards are mad
that it shall be certainty that the commi
tees have done no injustice TO any competito
and consequently renewed the motion that
made last year, believing that better result