The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-09-14
State Fairs,

Everybody cant AFFORD the time or
money, but especially money, to visit
the big show at Chicago. Everyone
that would like, can't afford even to
visit the Dallas fair, which we are told
is to be the best ever held. These fairs
are wonderfully effective educational
institutions, when conducted on wide
guaged principle. They are all so con-
Quoted, if we may believe the free and
unlimited statements coined by their
promoters, and passed by them as
sound currency. But very slight &C.
quaintance with the way the so called
agricultural fairs are run shows that
with the exception of one interest
horse racing, it is upon a very mar
gauge indeed. They all start out well,
but it is only question of q year or
two, and they fall away from their
high principles and degenerate into
horserace meetings, attractive only to
the professional gambler and suckers
who got the straight tip" direct from
tire owner or trainer, and hope to &C.
quire wealth by backing their fancy,
often with some one else's money.
One of the reasons, and possibly the
main reason, for this lapse from first
principles is that the managers of the
fairs find that the race track draws
more gate money than the agricul-
tural and stock display and they Gull
tivate the most attractive department.
Fairs are not held to advance the agri-
cultural or stock interests, nor yet to
encourage the development of the
rcce horse, though nomiDally these are
the objects aimed at. Fairs are pro-
NOTED and managed by the leading
business men of live cities for the bene
fit of the promoters and incidentally
that of the city, and it is therefore not
surprising that principles have to give
place to pocket BOOKS. The sporting
public can always find money to in
dulge their tastes and few hundred
miles offer no obstacle to the attain
ment of their object. 1t is somewhat
different with the honest workingman
of the city and the farmer. 1t is true
that the former has lots of mouey and
the latter is Just rolling in wealth from
the proceeds of his cotton crops, but
they hava't passion for spending
their money year after year in visiting
one town, be it ever so attractive. The
city must be large and attractive and
the center of a thickly populated
country to have any chance of holding
permanently successful fair.
To be successful in state like Texas
fairs must be migratory. If there is
one country in the world where per-
manently located fair might succeed it
is England, but even there their great
agricultural fair, the Royal, never
shows in the same county
oftener than once in ID or Is
years. 1t is moved to as widely apart
districts as possible every year, and
there is spirited competition between
towns for the honor and profit con-
nected with its visit. There is no
horse racing or sporting element in
that show, but it draws the crowd
every time. That's what we need in
Texas We have enough towns able to
supply the needful to hold a fair once
in five or six years. There is no need
for a permanent show ground or ex-
pensive buildings for exhibits; people
don't go to fairs to admire the archi-
lecture of the buildings. If one.talf
the energy now being wasted over
utopian schemes for the benefit of
farmers was used in establishing such
an institution as indicated above it
would have more chance of success
and be more creditable to its pro
mOters,