The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-09-06

Rev. JNo. HARBOUR IN his Sunday
L Jrn.Ag seInUu gave scathlng crlu-
cis.u Upon tie course Of the fair manage
melt III suffering liquor selling and
gambling ~ Ue openly carried Oh during
the recent exhibition. This action OF
the fair ASSOCIATION was all atlront 10 all
decent citizens and had much to do with
the slim attendance given. However
the matter may be looked at, ii Is not
the rabbie or beer guiding crowd that
gives success 10 u lair. These are in
very small proportion TO the decent, re-
speclable and, II you please, church
going people, but the atiront given the
latter was too PLAIN 10 be mistaken and
the gate receipts show that 1t bad the
effect that might have been expected.
Certainly, with an open saloon ON the
grounds nom which the association had
received lis quota Of profit, the attend
ance of the large number of our citizens
who never 90 into the thirty or more OF
those places already running i'll the city,
could not he expected. Neither could
the cooperation of many OF our business
men be looked for. No, the licensed sa-
loon was bad mistake and We are con.
WINGED that the infringement must feel
the truth of that fact by tins time. But
let US look at IL few other things. How
many of our business men took the pro-
per interest in the tAlT? OF course, the
~, tnr Etlrh
action, but a month ago when these
business men should have been rousing
themselves TO make the fair a success
and reap for themselves the benefit an
enterprising cooperation al it would
have brought, the l:quor selling had not
been thought VI. And suppose that If at
thai lime these gentlemen had taken
hold in the right spirit, and said to the
management, I'VE are going to make
big show at your fair; we are going to
see that II is success; we can make II
so; but We don't want you to allow any
liquor selling or gambling on the
grounds" Does anybody for a moment
suppose that the management would
not have been more than glad 10 accede
TO the request? There is more than one
way of looking al this question. The fair
is or could be made great benefit to
Mankato i'll many ways, and could be
rendered as successful as the one at Ro-
chester-it-tI.at is all-if our citizens
and business men would take hold to-
getheT, work together and give the pro-
per encouragement. We shall have TO
get over this 'if' or our city will never
make many further strides forward. The
small iealousies must be smOthered, the
chickering's closed and Willingness eX-
hibited TO help someone else TO make
dollar even if We don't get share OF 1t.
All prosperous towns and all successful
enterprises are made such through the
uLsel6sh, united and willing efforts OF
q o., [ rc"tiy or indirectly interested,
aLu MAaE"to will never become much OF
a city or eTe4. have good fair until our
citizens learn the necessity OF such ac-
ton. The fair management made mis-
take in one or two instances, but while
we are discussing those errors let us re-
member that it was only through the eff
forts of one or two gentlemen that the
fair was given at all. If there had been
the same degree of unseltish labor and
interest on the part of those who are
now wont to find fault the mistakes
might have been avoided and success
made of the enterprise that would have
redounded TO Nankato's credit. Let a
lesson be learned from these experience
es. Let the management be careful in
the future TO consider the wishes and
feelings ofthe substantiaiand moral por-
tons of the community, and let the lat
ter hereafter take hold early in the sea
SOD to give the fair the benefit of their
united and best efforts.