The record-union., 1892-04-30

Ing OF the State Fair That is nothing
less nor more than direct bid against
county exhibits at the State or at any
district fairs. There is no escape from
this conclusion. 1t ought to occur to the
commission that.instead of stimulating a
large and desirable exhibit at the dress
rehearsal this important fact will dilute
and divide energy in that direction. 1t
VIII, by division, materially depress the
effort OF the counties and of individual
exhibitors. Those that come with their
exhibits to the State Fair cannot go to the
dress rehearsal except at late date. and
are excluded from competition for the
extra premiums. Obviously it is the
worst possible policy for the two State
institutions to run counter to each other,
the hight Of unwisdom to divide the eff
fort of the people. The State Fair must
be held, is by law required, its date was
liked months ago. The State Board OF
Agriculture by two decades of experience
and admirable machinery, is excellently
qualified to aid in collecting county ex-
hlbits. 1t has offered to do so without
one cent of cost to the commission and to
give $1,000 in cash premiums for county
exhibits, but the conflict of dates referred
to amounts to fiat rejection of its profered
aid. II the commission deems this wise
action the RECORD UNION must beg leave
to differ with it.
Finally, this is not a Sacramento con-
Germ; it is not question of local jealousy.
Unfortunately the Commissions Vice
President appears to have been impressed
with the idea that the whole difficulty is
due to Sacramento. Let US disabuse his
mind of that error. The Board of Agri-
culture is State institution, and it's
membership comes mainly from counties
distant from the Capital. 1t is a State
body of equal dignity with the commits
sion and of larger experience in hand
ling exhibits of State products. Sacra-
mento has taken no action in the matter;
her people have not even made express
sion concerning it.
The whole matter can easily be adjusted
by abandoning the idea that two
months exhibit of the dress rehearsal is
necessary to accomplish the weeding-out
and rounding-up process. Six weeks is
ample time for that, and still time will be
to spare before the election. We venture
the suggestion, however, that the idea
that the prediction activities will in any
respect detract from attendance upon the
dress rehearsal is trivial aad quite un-
worthy of serious consideration.
Let the dress rehearsal be held at the
State Fair and along with it, Let the
aid, agencies, heavy cash premiums and
experience of the State Board be accepted
to that end. The exhibits will thus be
transported without cost to any exhibitor
or loss of any freight to any rejected
Worlds Fair exhibit. AT the conclusion
of the State Fair, if the commission de-
sires the exhibit can be put on view in
dress rehearsal in San Francisco, and
kept on exhibition until the following
spring, for that matter By this means
all county exhibits shown at the State
Fair can enter the metropolitan rehearsal,
and, in addition, such other county ex-
hibits as may not come to the State Fair,
and thus completeness be secured and di-
vision avoided.
This plan is not only feasible, but an
obviously superior one to that adopted.
1t will insure larger and better exhibits,
broader and more generous completion,
and can be made to net the commission
more-if it must needs go into the busi-
ness for coin-than it can possibly secure
by an exhibition in conflict with the State |
Fair, involving friction and contention
that must greatly weaken the effort to
make California's showing at Chicago |
superior.