The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-28
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY IS.
TWELVE PAGES.
The srate Board of Agriculture.

We make il e rule 20 give every one who
is criticised in our columns a chance TO be
heard in his own defense, and in accord
ance with this rule we this morning pub
Iish a communication from President
Davidson Of the state board OF agriculture
IN reply 20 certain structures made upon
that board in a recent issue Of THE SENTI-
MEL underline signature of ''Hayseed." We
also print letter from another member of
the board in reply to "Hayseed." We
have no personal knowledge of the facts
In controversy between "Hayseed" and
the board, but we do know that Hay
seed is a gentleman who is abundanty
able 10 take care of himself in a discussion
Of this kind, and we have no doubt that he
will do so.
While upon this subject we improve
the opportunity to reiterate the opinion.
previously expressed, that the state board
of agriculture. as at present constituted.
ought to be abolished. We have no criti-
-ism to make upon the gentlemen who
compose the board, in their individual ca
racities, but the board, as such, is total
!
ness, if it ever had any. The annual fairs
given under its management are not a
credit TO it, or to the state. The board is
practically a self-perpetuating institution.
Notwithstanding the disclaimers OF Presi-
dent DAVIDSON and anti Hayseed."
The system under which MEM
bers are elected is not in accordance
with sound publicpolicy. Under this sys-
tenn the board has become thoroughly
fossilized institution. II is at least twenty
five years behind the times. It's methods
are primitive. Its annual exhibitions are
cheap John affairs. 1t does not fairly
represent the various interests which are
Notwithstanding the statements of the
esteemed gentlemen whose letters We
publish this morning, it is, and always
has been, decidedly partisan in its COM
plexiOn. Mr.. DAVIDSON tells Us that il
now consists of eleven republicans and five
democrats. Our information is that il
stands thirteen to three in favor OF the re-
publicans. THIS may not be correct. but
we belive it to be true that always, since
the creation of the board, the republicans
have had a very strong-and generally
an overwhelming-prep in its
membership. The recent election of a
"red-hot" democrat for secretary occurred
simultaneously with the assembling of a
legislature democratic by nearly three TO
one, and under the circumstances can
hardly be regarded as conclusive evidence
of the nOn-partisan tendencies OF the
board 1t is true that the former secre-
tary, Mr.. ALEX HERON, is a democrat, but
he always found himself very lonely, po-
litically, in the board. OF course, party
politics should have nothing to do with
the state board OF agriculture, and our OBJ
lection to the present arrangement is not
based upon the fact that the republicans
have managed to retain control of it dur
ing all these years. Our objection goes
deeper than that, although that fact shows
that the existing system is not good one
We think the board should be fairly
representative Of not only the agricultural,
but the live stock, the mechan-
zeal and the general business in.
terests of the state; that the
annual fair should be something more
than a pumpkin show and a iakir's con-
eress; that new blood shOu be injected
into the board from time to time, new ideas
adopted, and new methods introduced
in a word, that the fair should be kept
abreast of the times and made worthy, in
ell respects, of the great state of Indiana
Several bills providing for a reorganiza-
tion OF the board have been introduced
IN the legislature Two of them have
been published in THE SENTINEL. They
are very similar in their essential features,
providing, as they do, for the representa-
ton Of various interests on the board, for
it's entire separation from party politics,
aud for q new and popular system of
electing members. We trust that one of
these measures, or something equally as
good, will become a law at the present
session.