St. Paul daily globe., 1889-09-07
The Southern Minnesota Fair
Is Proving an Unprece-
dented Success.
A Great 0utpouring of People
on Both Thursday and
Friday.
Residents Of Olmsted County
Among the Most Hospit-
able Living.
The Fair to Wind Up in a
Blaze Of Glory This
Afternoon.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
ROCHESTER,, Minn., Sept. 6.-"God made
Olmsted county and the Rochester girl, and
then was satisfied to rest from His works"
That was the way ST. Paul gentleman sized
up the situation on the day Of the beauty
show at the Rochester fair. OF course, the
Rochester girl can't help being pretty, be-
cause there is everything around her to sug-
gest beauty. 1t is in the air, so to speak, and
has left its impress on the landscape in such
glowing tints the reflection must shine on the
human face. never come to Rochester but
that feel as the Apostle Peter did on the
Mount of TRANSPORTATION" lit is good
for me to be here" and that it is my duty to
erect an altar of praise. If there can be such
q thing as q landscape TRANSPORTATION, re-
vealing the glories of the land beyond the
flood, it might be right here in the Zumbro
valley. This has been an interesting week in
Rochester-one of the best in the history of
Southern Minnesota fairs. The weather has
been of the made-to- order kind for fair, just
enough OF rain sprinkle to give the far
mers an excuse to quit their farm
work aud attend the fair And they
Minnesota day, and what all out
pouring Of people there was. There were
delegations from st. Paul and Minneapolis
and from nearly every important town ia the
as far west as the Dakota line. But the great
bulk of the crowd was from the surrounding
country. the farmers with their wives and
children, and from z o'clock in the morning
until 2 in the afternoon there was an unin-
terrupted procession of wheeled vehicles
passing through the entrance gate. The State
Fair management may be happy if they have
such crowd any day during their. eXhibi
ton. What impressed me particularly was
the appropriateness of the crowd to the ex-
hxy nc I "a 10 n
there were just the ones you would expect to
see at an agricultural fair. They were mainly
well-to-do farmers and their families who
could tell to nice point all the good quail
ties and detect the blemishes of the live
stock; who knew beet from a carrot; and
who took an interest in discussing the mag
niicence of farm products. The exhibit is
one to attract their attention. l have never
seen a better horse show anywhere. The
cattle, swine and sheep exhibit is above the
average, and the products of farm. garden
and dairy are just what one would expect
from section so famous for its fertility.
Nor are the esthetic features of the fair over
looked The decorations of the main build
ing are highly esthetic, the cereal awning
over the floral display in the center OF the
building being gem of beauty.
l was struck with the number of prominent
st. Paul farmers who are in attendance at
the fair Here are those horny handed sons
of toll, Gov. Merriam, Senator Davis Senator
Scheffer. Representative Ives, and others of
celebrity, all looking as fresh aad cheerful
and tidy as it is possible for farmers who
have just quit the harvest field to spend
few hours with their brother farmers from
the southern part Of the state, in discussing
this seasons crop, and the prospect for the
next. take it that-the prospect for next
years crop is of most absorbing interest to
some of them. 1t is one of the PENALTIES OF
being governor in This state to have to attend
all public exhibitions and deliver formal
address. And yet l am not sure but it is one
of the highest functions pertaining to the
executive duties. At least there have been
some governors who never did anything else
worth mentioning. Gov. Merriam is just
fairly started in on his trial trip as a county
fair orator. This is his second week, but
there are four weeks of continuous service
thought he would like it. Bully" was the
reply. Then 1 knew he was taking an inter-
est in cattle shows by the readiness with
which he had acquired the dialect
of the grange. Still 1 thought l
envious glances upon Albert Scheffer who
had escaped the misfortune of being gov
ernor in Fair time, and was mingling in the
crowd with the unrestrained freedom of the
independent farmer who doesn't care
whether election day comes or not, The
governor is mingling business with pleasure,
as he went out this morning TO make a per-
sonal inspection of the insane asylum, and
to examine into the methods of treating the
stitution. in order that he may be enabled to
act more intelligently when he comes to
pass upon the report of the investigating
committee.
The hospitality of the Rochester people is
proverbial, yet there has never been a
warmer display of it than in their generous
reception to the governor and the members
of the legislature, who are here as the guests
Of the Fair association and of the board Of
trade, The reception ceremonies ended
xujtb n Cook hnnSn NIGHT
and il is no eXaggeratiOn to say that series
of more brilliant after-dinner speeches never
fell upon the ears of delighted audience.
1t made one proud to be Minnesotian after
listening to this intellectual talk from Min
nesota's distinguished sons. Over fifty men,
bers of the late legislature assembled in
response to the Invitations sent out, and
they were reinforced at the BANQUET board
by prominent gentlemen from all parts OF
the state and score of Rcchester's leading
citizens, who acted as the recep.
tion committee There was all Of
the sociability without any of the
boisterousness that have known to dIstin-
guish legislative banquets elsewhere. Gov.
Merriams patriotic remarks struck a respon-
sive chord in the heart of the asSemblage.
Congressman Dunnells speech WIS rich in
"reminiscences and delivered in style to i'm
press the auditor with the intellectual force
of the speaker. Senator Scheffer, who was
elected lieutenant governor pro TEN. in the
absence of Mr.. Rice, was never In a happier
mood. and dwelt in glowing terms upon the
virtues of our state congress. Speaker Graves
and Representative Stevens lent spice to the
occasion with their anecdotal speeches.
Judge Start, always profound and scholarly,
paid tribute to Rochester, which ought to
be preserved IN the annals OF the queeLly
citv. Representative Ives talked of 1.-THE
Boys" and revived many tender recollec-
tions of bygone days. Letters of regret were
read from Senator DuranE and Representa-
tive Hoyt who had been assigned tOasts, but
were unable to be present. But the cap
sbeaf of this intellectual harvest was the ad-
dress delivered by United States Senator G.
X. Davis. His theme was 1.-THE Minnesota
Man. and his speech was universally pro-
nounced to be the happiest effort of his life.
The subject was an inspiring one for the
great orator, and most grandly did he
handle it.
Before closing want to refer to matter
the Rochester people are discussing, and one
inswhich our ST. Paul people are Interested.
| refer to a scheme for establishing direct
railroad communication between st. Paul
and Rochester ] learn that in consideration
of bonus of $4,000 the Kansas City road
will buIlQ line from point above Dodge
Center to Rochester. The Rochester people
are fully awake to the necessity for securing
this line of communication with the capital
city of the state, and surely our st. Paul job
bers must see the advantage that it will be to
them. Now that freight can be brought from
the Atlantic seaboard to ST. Paul by way Of
the Canadian and lake lines at as low a rate
as it can be delivered at Chicago, it is high
time that the Twin Cities should drive Chi
cago out of our Southern Minnesota field.
Rochester is now at the mercy of one rail
road, and should have deliverance.