Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-10-04
MUSIC AND 0RATORY
Opening Of Spokane's Second
Annual Fruit Fair
NtARL 5000 IN ATTENDANCE
Governor Mcdonnell of Idaho Makes an
Address That Pienses the rig
Audience.

Governor William J. Mcconnell of
Idaho formally opened the Spokane
fruit fair yesterday afternoon. He
made happy speech, which was fire.
quently interrupted with applause.
The governor spoke from the band
stand, and every word could be dis
tinctly heard throughout the immense
building. The band played Hail Col
umbia" as the governor, Mayor Belt
and J. w. Binkley. president of the
| Spokane Bureau of immigration, as
| cended the steps.
| The governor was introduced by Pres
| ident Binkley and there was burst of
| applause from the large audience when
he rose to speak. He said:
| Mr.. Chairman and Fellow Citizens of
| Washington, Idaho and Oregon: We are
1 here for the purpose of formally opening
| this fair, for which enterprise you are
under obligations to the bureau of immi-
| grafton of the city of Spokane. For to
| this people entirely We owe this exhibit
| ton.
AS you have perhaps noticed. this struc-
| ture was not intended for speech making.
! Therefore will not attempt to perpetrate
| one upon you. For you must recognize
| how difficult 1t is to address an audience
| under these conditions.
| In common with other Idahoans, l am
| proud of Spokane-proud because we feel
that we built it. The brick in your mas
| sive structures were, many of them,
| brought from Moscow, Idaho, and the
| lumber in your beautiful edifices was
nearly all of 1t stolen from our state,
| Laughter).
| Every structure must have a good
| foundation to have it's permanence as
| sured. When your enteri- Using people
hi. f,1,
adorn your city they first dug deep into
| the soil and conveyed from the state OF
| Idaho massive granite blocks upon which
| the structure was to be erected. So 1t is
| with the erection of every structure,
| whether 1t be that of our human lives OF
that of our commemorative. The founda-
ton of our lives is laid in our public
| schools, our Sunday schools, our homes
and churches, and If that foundation is
| neglected the structure Is apt to be
failure. IL we would maintain our integ-
| rity as nation continue to uphold that
| beautiful flag with which this exhibition
is so lavishly decorated, we must lay the
foundation of our citizenship deep and
| broad in our public schools. So If you
make the state of Washington what ii
should be, one of the greatest and most
| promising of our sisterhood of states, IL
must be peopled by frugal, enterprisins
and Industrious people, whose industry
is well directed. You must organize as
| farmers, as horticulturists, as stock rails
ers, as miners, as lawyers and as news
paper men-not for the purpose of in
dulging in politics and making yourselves
| policemen or even mayors, but for the
promotion of the particular industry OF
vocation in which you are engaged, and
| by the building up of that industry or vo-
cation assist the enterprises of your
state, and by all pulling together you may
create a commonwealth of which genera
tons to come will be proud.
To you as citizens of Spokane l desire
to say, with all your push energy and
enterprise I am astonished that you have
not before now devised ways and means
to bring water upon the beautiful prairie
between here and Occur d Alene City and
Post Falls. Having been citizen of the
arid districts of the west for many years,
and having constructed the first irrigation
ditch in southern Idaho, i am accustomed
to judge of a country as l pass over it.
And / say to you there Is no better dis
| trict for horticulture than this extern
sive prairie to which I refer. For the
purposes of irrigation it is really better
than IL 1t had clay soil. Hayden lake
has ample water and Post Falls has am
pie power, while science has demonstrated
the method by which that power may be
conveyed-that of electricity. A pumping
station run by wire wires at some
| point on that lake would make this en-
| tire district bloom like the rose.
Owing to the fact that so large per-
ton of our state can not be cultivated
without irrigation, you have received
| thousands of immigrants that ought to
have settled with US in Idaho. The great
bulk of the early immigration coming
here, approaching the fertility of the sol
of north Idaho and its advantages of wood
and water, settled in Kootenai, Latah and
Nez Perez counties.
We in the northern part of our state
are looking forward to time when con-
gress will readjust our lines and make
you people of Spokane belt along oui
entire line, as you should be, a part OF
the state of Idaho. daughter and ap
plause).
1 now, ladies and gentlemen. by request
of the management, declare this fair for
maly opened. Q4ong appiause).
MIR. BINKLEY'S ADDRESS.
Before the governor was introduced
President Binkley made short adj
dress. One year ago, he said, the bu
reau of immigration had decided thai
an exhibition of the fruit and Other
products of the country would prove OF
great benefit. The success of the firsi
exhibition, held year ago, had in
, spired the present one. The fair, he
said, was intended to embrace the en-
: tire inland empire, and there were now
to be seen at this exhibition the prod
ucts of three states. The exhibits gave
tangible evidence of the great produc
tiveness of the country. A dozen year:
ago the planting of fruit tree in thi.
section was an experiment; it was now
an investment. The bureau of immi
grafton, he said, was much f1atteret
by the presence of SO many exhibits
The invitations to bring exhibits ha(
| been responded to magnificently. Spo
kane county, fruitful as 1t is, could no
have put up such an exhibit unassisted
He closed by extending cordial wei
come to the visitors and assuring then
that nothing was too good for them.
o. r. BALLOU OF MILTON.
At the conclusion of Governor Nc
Connell's address the band played an
other patriotic selection and o. r. Bal
lou. superintendent of the exhibit from
Milton, Umatilla county, Oregon. wa
introduced to speak on behalf of Ore
F. gon.
I'VE came here" he said, Eat tn
invitation of the management of thi
fair. and our reception has been cor
dial indeed. We have been made t
feel so welcome that we shall com
again. / first came here II years age
when Spokane was a village, and
very small village at that, and 1 cal
scarcely realize that this magnificen
city has sprung from that little village