San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-28
SAN ANTONIO AND THE FAI

The San Antonio International Fair
and Exposition has been a success.
OF this fact there are not two opinions.
The exhibitors who have made the
display, the visitors from abroad who
have attended, the directors and man
ayers who have had charge-all unite
in this one opinion, the fair has been
| a success. In this opinion also concur
our merchants and business men,
| MANY of whom took no stock in the
enterprise and have had no words of
encouragement for it until now, that
| thew see how much trade well man.
aged and patronized fair will yearly
| bring to the business of this city.
| There are merchants here who have
not even visited the grounds, so great
| has been the rush at their counters
during the past two weeks, and yet
| they have done nothing, given moth
| ing to make the fair o success, or help
defray it's natural and necessary eX-
penses. 1t is not right, it is not just
| that the directors of this fair should
| be obliged to meet it's premiums and
running expenses out of their own
| pockets making good the deficit from
| their personal private funds, while
| the general business of the city which
derives so great a benefit, pays little
or nothing for the maintenance of the
| fair.
Had good weather prevailed during
| the past two weeks there is no rea-
sonable doubt that the fair directory
would have paid all premiums, purses
| Il M and have had
some surplus with which to meet the
building indebtedness. 1t does not
seem proper to ask the management
to do more than they have done this
wear, and all deficiency should be met
citizens, particularly those who have
so many strangers in the city. While
the doors of exposition hall remain
open our citizens of every class should
throng the building if for no other
purpose than to show their apprecia-
ton of what has been done by few
public spirited men to give San Anto-
Mo a place and creditable place
among exposition cities. While the
verdict has been so universally favor
able to this fair, it is recognized as a
fact that only beginning has been
made, and that with proper encour-
| agement from our home people very
material addition to the buildings and
other improvements would be made.
| This en- enlargement could come in no
better way than for our citizens to
show an interest in the fair by gen
eral attendance during the
closing hours and by taking
some steps to assist the stock
| holders to meet the premiums
purses and running expenses so as to
involve no additional outlay on their
part. The time in which to make sug-
gestions for next years exhibit is not
now. That will come later. The work
of this present is to encourage these
gentlemen, who have already put
their hands in their pockets to the
tune of $4,000, SO that they will feel
like making strenuous efforts to i'm
prove upon the work of this year and
carry out into actual practice what
their present experience has taught
| them. This much is demonstrated
San Antonio can hold a successful
fair. The one other thing not so clear
| ly demonstrated is the permanency of
that fair. This depends upon the gen.
eral support and patronage and en-
| couragement and cooperation of our
home people, not more than twenty
per cent of whom have even entered
| the gates. San Antonio cannot afford
| to lose the trade, and the advertise
ment, and the new citizens, and the
investments, and the S10O,00O to $780,
900 cash annually that this fair will
bring. For such returns, and they are
| sure not uncertain or speculative,
some effort is certainly worth while.