St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-13
Want ALL The FACTS.
That Is the Public Desire
With Regard to the State
Fair.
There Is a Heavy Indebted
ness, Now Where Did
1t Begin?
The Same Story of Profit Was
Told of the Merriam
Regime.
An Institution of Which the
Public Is Entitled to
Know.

1t does not appear that there is any.
cogent reason for Disgusting from the
public the exact financial condition of
the state agricultural society; but, on
the contrary, there are the best of rea-l
sons why the public should be given ev
cry detail of the business of the society.
1t is public society. 1t carries the dig
nifty of state organization, directly I'M;
der the fostering care of the common.
wealth, and is partially supported by an;
annual appropriation from the public
treasury. But, notwithstanding all this,
there is reason to believe that, if the ex-4
act truth is not withheld from the pub.
lie, the facts are presented in such
way as to partially conceal the truth
and give it in an obscuring light. This
is well know N all over the state. and
has been so seriously discussed,
and even SO ferceiy animadverted
upon, that it is possible the
board of audit will make such show
ing as will present the facts as they are,
and allow the public to draw their own
conclusions as to the merits of the man
agement for the past few years. 1t is
well enough known that their friends
have claimed that under the presiden-
tial direction of William Il. Merriam and
William M. Bushnell the fair associa-
ton has shown profit at the annual
fairs. Two years ago, and down the
line, it was claimed that Gov. Merriam
had made the association self-SuStain-
ing, and this fact was used in groom
ing and booming him for governor. In
shOrt,it was generally accepted as fact,
Last fall the same statement was made
from the same source as regards the
administration. of President Bush
nell, land that urbane and popular gentle
man was Wined and dined at the
Metropolitan Motel as a recognition
of the fact. But it is now
developed that the association is deeply
in debt, and that this shortage occurred
under the administration of either Mer-
riam or Bushnell, or both. The Bush
nell administration accounts for a por-
ton of the shortage by explaining that
it paid an Indebtedness of over $1,000
incurred during the Merriam regime:
and if this be true, the society was not
then run at a profit, or even on self
sustaining basis, as has been claimed.
What the public wants is the exact
trut h, and it wants the truth in such
shape as will either confirm the stories
that are floating about the state press,
or forever silence them. For instance,
S. NJ. Owens, of the Farm, Stock and
Home, says this in an interview:
1.-The report to be submitted to the
next annual meeting Will show that the
deficiency for 1888 was s5,279.O2, and
that the last official report of
the secretary of the society came
within 50, 165.42 of the truth. At
the beginning of 1889 the society was
$5,27902 in debt: it is now in that condi-
ton to the tune of SIT ,02i.02, showing
an apparent loss for the year of S12,752.
The total receipts of the society for the
year 1889 were $46,70S.31. OF this sum
S2.43G.51 was in the hands of the treas
urer at the beginning of the year:
$4,000 was given by the state, 81, 1875
was realized from rentals of grounds
and stables. and sale of property, max
ing the actual earnings of the fair S3S.-
089.05. The expenses for the year reach
the enormous total of 56,023.S0. There
fore, while the apparent loss for the
year was $12,752, the real loss to the So
ciety and the people was sd 1868. 26.
There was charged to the permanent
improvements, however, S6.0l0.g3, but
that only served to make wear and tear
good; it added nothing TO to former
value of property,
1.-The aggravating feature of this I'M
fortunate outcome lies in the fact that
there were no natural or unavoidable
reasons for it. 1t would be impossible
to conceive of better weather for fair
than prevailed while the one under con-
Sideration was being held, and the pre-
ceding season had been unusually pro-
ductive of farm crops OF all kinds:
therefore, neither weather nor crop
failure can be held responsible.
''There was paid for premiums. in
Guiding plate, medals. etc., S9157.13;
showing that it took about So to pay
81 premium on farm product, mani
testify too much. Entrance fees to the
races yielded S2,SS9.50; but the stakes
amounted to s6,961.50, which may well
raise reasonable doubts as to the gain in
advertising, bin posting, etc, S9,3le.29,
while the receipts from sales of
tickets, including grand stand tick
cts, were but s3O,2l0, show
ing that considerably less than
$4,000 paying visitors were in attend
ance during the eight days of the fair,
or say All average of 1000 q dave In
view of the fact that within radius of
ten miles of the grounds probably $780,
coo people live, the conclusion is forced
that the money devoted to advertising
was not judiciously nor intelligently
expended, or that the attractions offered
did not warrant such an expenditure.
The military display. which, it is safe to
say, did not influence the sale of $40
worth of tickets, cost the society nearly
$4,000. Police service cost 81, 1868, at !
least five times more than was neces-
sary. The machinery DEPARTMENT is
said to have cost nearly $4,000. besides !
500 deadhead tickets, though not dol
lar is paid by it for premiums"
President Bushnell has authorized
the statement that the receipts for 1889
were S47.S62.14, and the expenses
So, 1898, making the deficit S15,513.25.
Taking these figures Us basis. it is flg-
ured that there was profit for the year
as follows:
Prior Indebtedness paid 81, 1858
Permanent improve
Observation-Disclosures. 1897 IS
$I7,7l2 81