Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-21
a NEW PROPOSITION.

Since all propositions to advance the
best interests of the State are welcome,
and any that will enlarge and improve the
States annual xposition-which is now
closing one of the most successful seasons
in the history of the State Agricultural
Society-are worthy of attention, a new
one, proposed by Senator Caminetti of
Amador, should be considered.
In the matter Of exposing abroad the
evidences of her resources and capacity,
Amador county has been sleeping for
years; with suddenness she awoke to the
value of county exhibitions at the State
Fair, as means to the end all Califor-
mans desire, and as q result that commu-
nifty has astonished the State and itself by
the showing it has made of the variety
and Importance of its products. Fully
impressed with the high value of such ex-
hibitions, one Of the representative men of
the county now suggests that at the next
State Fair there shall be a grand fraternal
contest between great natural subdivisions
with the products of those sections. To that
end-and we have added some suggestions
to the original plan-all foothill and
mountain counties and parts of counties
should be classed together, all valley coun-
ties grouped, and all coast counties like
wise united, for the purpose indicated; or,
at least, two grand divisions should be
set up in competition, the valleys
against the foothills and mountains.
A sum of certainly $4,000 or $1,000
would have to be set apart as society
purse, to be divided between the two or
three great sections; to compensate their
units in part for the cost of the exposition
One section of the Pavilion should be set
aside solely for the valley exhibition, and
another and distinct portion for the hills
and mountains, the State society furnish
ing each with such heavy material for
erecting designs as it now supplies to coun-
ties. The friendly contests between the
sections should be unlimited, each being
given free rein to make the very best
possible showing, and each being entitled,
as now, to enter the individual exhibits
for the usual individual premiums Under
this plan the valley counties would be in
vited by the State Board to assemble by
representatives, and arrange for uniting
all county efforts for the great valley dis
play, and the hill and mountain counties
would be solicited to similarly organize
1t might be one of the offices of the Board
under this plan, and certainly would be of
county organizations, to solicit special
purses from citizens of means for special
displays; as for Horticulture, display Of
grasses, exemplifcations of the best meth
DDS in varied branches of horticulture and
agriculture, for the best exhibits of Cali
fornia wines under special conditions, for
typical exhibition of building material,
minerals and mineral products, articles of
manufacture, etc. These special premiums
would be offered for either valley or noun
tain sections, as the donors might choose,
in order to stimulate the one or the other
section, and would be supplemental to the
premiums of the State society. Under this
plan, small and large, rich and poor counties
in each section would stand upon level.
All fruit growth in section would thus
be grouped, all minerals, all woods, all
grapes, all soils, all woods, leather, clothes,
ETC., arranged in their departments
The splendid effect of such a grand
array can be easily fancied The an
nouncement of such fair would command
attention in the East and even in Europe.
The contest between two or three such
great sections of California would excite
the interest, generous partisanship and
pride of all our people, and as a result we
would have such an exposition as would
the special premiums, the society's award,
the purses that cities and towns could be
induced to add, and the inducements that
Boards of Supervisors and private individ-
uals would hold out would aggregate
$4,000, which sum would repay every
county of each section for the outlay nee.
essary for carrying out the plan. We be-
lieve the idea to be practicable; there is
nothing staggering in it; half dozen en-
ergetic business men detailed to the duty,
and consenting TO undertake it out of a
public spirited sense of benefit to result to
the State, could marshal the sections and
bring about the novel exposition. 1t