San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-08-10
THE CITIZENS FAIR,
Explain Their Position on the Petit
ton for the Use of San Pedro
Springs Park.

Springs Park.
SAN ANTONIO, Tex, Aug. 9, 1893.
Editor of LIGHT, City:
DEAR Strive read your edi-
torial in the LIGHT, Aug. Sth, and
thank you for your endorsement of
the main proposition, i. e. that San
Pedro springs park is the place to
hold the Fair and that lease
should be given conditionally. The
freer the criticism and discussion
of this question, the stronger we
believe will be our claim for favor
able consideration by the Hon.
Mayor and Board of Aldermen but
we feel constrained to reply, in the
frankest and kindest way, to part
of your criticism.
In our opinion (and tbs possible
that we are prejudiced judges
your premises are entirely wrong.
We are neither spectators nor in
vestors asking from the city a
franchise which we think valuable
and in which there is great profit,
but, a body of citizens and tax pay
ers, who at the expense of both
time and money, are willing to
undertake to prove that, under
favorable conditions, a self sus-
tanning annual Fair is not an i'm
possibility. Every previous at
tempt, under less favorable condi-
ditions, has been failure and has
always been accompanied by
call, not to subscription to stock
or bond, but a donation, another
name for a subsidy. We do
not expect to get rich beyond
the greed of aVarice and as the
boys say only want chance for
our white alley. The length of the
lease, twenty years, is asked be-
cause, in that margin of time, the
payment of the bonds we propose
to issue is rendered easier and mols
certain. The character of the build
ings erected will in measure de-
pend, of course, upon the financial
support we receive, but it is only
fair to believe our Improvements
will be commensurate with our
success. The development of south
west Texas and the inevitable
growth of our trade with Mexico
make it more than probable that
an annual fair in San Antonio
will be international in fact as
we'll as in name. AS our
lease will be conditional upon
holding an annual fair, and any
failure on our part would give the
city the right to cancel the lease,
and take our Improvements, it fol-
lows that one year is the extreme
limit of time in which buildings,
&c, could, through any fault of our
association, suffer from neglect.
But as the stock is worcestershire,
the improvements and the lease
are the two things which give val
ne to the bonds, and as the sub
scribers to the stock will also be
the bond-holders, it is only fair to
admit that self-interest would
guarantee that our buildings will
be kept in good repair, be inhabit-
able, and have intrinsic value in
twenty, or twice twenty years. We
ask for the exclusive control of the
park for forty days, (about
one tenth of the year, be-
cause it is possible that
a trial would prove or could, at
some future time, protitably have
a running or trottiug meeting in
the spring. The time reserved is
simply providing for something
that may be in the womb Of the
future.
We may want to try popular
concerts during the fall, winter
and summer in our main building,
and il a small admission charge
to the building, not the grounds,
would prevent them being a drain
upon the associations treasury, we
would, of course, desire the privi-
lege of demanding it. We have no
operate tendencies, and if they
are ever developed we would eX-
pect to pay the city the usual
charge for such luXuries.
In regard to maintaining order
in the Park, we would say that
the city cannot give us authority
we are not willing to assume. In
brief we take a piece of the city
property, al ! acres in extent), for
which nature has done much man
but little which is neither bring
ing nor has brought the city one
cent of revenue, which for many
reasons is not used, as it should
be, by a vast number Of our wives
and children as public park, and
which presents, to put it mildly
an unkept and uninviting ap-.
pearance, and propose, that the