The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-28
DOMAIN OF THE FAIR
NAMES OF SOME OF THE Elk
PERTS WHO HAVE 1T IN
CHARGE
MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMY

Two Chief Essentials in the Sue
cessful Continuation of Such a
PFoject-The Various Departments
OF MinnesOta's Great Industrial
Exposition This Year Are In Most
Capable Hands.
OF the scores OF thousands of people
who will visit and enjoy the state fair
next week, how many will stop to think
OIL tho wise forethought, the palnstakiug
labor and the months OF systematic effort
which have contributed to make the great
show the successful affair which it is
certain to be? It used to be the theory
that anybody could run a fair" The
exhibits were brought together in a hap
hazard sort Of way and the continuity
and completeness Of the display depended
largely on the prosperity and generosity
of the various lines of industry in the
community All this Is changed now. The
making of a fair is a matter of business
1t requires as careful training and as
long experience as any other enterprise.
Expert knowledge is as essential as in
Hour milling railroading. The success
of the fair after modern conceptions of
what fair should be depends upon the
most careful management, strict econ
omy, business methods in everything,
and large measure of that rare execu-
tive ability which makes the great bust
ness enterprises Of the day financial sue
cesses.
This condition as a part of the newer
theory Of fair handling has been recog-
nfzed in Minnesota for some years, and
1t is attention to this principle which has
made the Minnesota fair the greatest
and best in the whole country For
some years past the officers of the Min
nesota fair have generally been chosen
with regard to their fitness for the du-
ties to which they are called. The State
Agricultural society has, in most cases,
chosen good business men for the board
Of managerS-not only men representa-
tive Of the various sections of the state,
but men well known to have ability, in
tegrfty and interest in agricultural af-
fairs. AS much as possible the managers
have been selected from among men
known to be experienced in fair work.
Without in any way discrediting former
boards, it is safe to say that the fair was
never in better hands than now. Presi-
dent John Cooper, of st. Cloud, Is an old
fair manager. He served on the board
years ago, and knows the fair and the
state from the ground up. He is a man
with hosts Of friends and no enemies that
anybody ever heard of; popular, oblging,
businesslike, with good executive ability.
No better helmsman could have been
chosen to guide the fair craft of 1899.
The two vice presidents, Chester R
Smith,, of st. Paul. and George H Part
ridge, of Minneapolis, are representative
hUC Of h6 two Ie,,.r
the state. Mr.. Partridge is of the great
Minneapolis dry goods concern of. Wy
man, Partridge u CO. He has made a
conspicuous success as a wholesale mer-
chant, and is one of the best known of
the younger business men of the West
Mr.. Smith is member of the real estate
and loan firm of Smith & Taylor, doing
business in st. Paul and the state He
was chosen to his position on the recon-
mendation of the business men of ST.
Paul. On the board Of managers proper
are c. N. Cosgrove, of LIE Sueur; J. NJ
Underwood of Lake City: w. M Lig-
gett, dean of the agricultural school; J.
H. Letson, Of Alexandria; N. s. Gordon
of CrookSton, and J. c. Curryer, of Man
kato. Scarcely one of these men but is
an authority on agricultural matters, and
most of them are experts in one or more
lines connected with the fair. Their Sc
lection as superintendent of the several
divisions of the fair has been made with
| reference to their peculiar fitness. For
instance, Col. Liggett Is in charge of the
cattle division, and will be as long as he
! Is a member of the board-which every
one hopes will be long as he lives in
the state. Col. Liggett could well take
charge Of any division of the fair, for he
knows every detail by heart, but his spe-
cial love for cattle and his wonderfully
complete knowledge of everything per-
tanning to stock raising makes it fore
| gone conclusion that he will look after
the cows and bulls
For some of the departments it is nee
essary to go outside the board, as there
are not enough men to go around. So
Leslie Parlin, of st. Paul, will manage
the poultry department again; B. D.
White, of st. Paul, will have charge Of
dairy produce; Luman G. Pryor, editor
of Farm Implements, will be superin-
tendent Of the farm machinery division;
w. ]. Monro, of Morris, has charge of
privileges, and o. c. Gregg, as usual, of
the farmers institutes The cash will be
handled again by that veteran and ex-
perienced treasurer, f. J. Wilcox, Of
Mortified. Few. if any, of the men in
charge of the divisions but have special
| experience and fitness for the work. And
this may be said with special emphasis
of E. w. Randall, the secretary and ex-
ecutive head of the fair. Mr.. Randall has
been connected with the fair in various
capacities for, perhaps, ten years past,
and knows everything about the institu
ton, almost to the very nails in the floors
of the buildings. Before he became sec
rotary he was for several years in charge
of the premium list, and entered on his
duties as executive with a most intimate
acquaintance with the exhibitors at the
fairs. Born on a farm in the state of
Minnesota, he knows the conditions sur
rounding farming in this section perfect
ly. He knows the needs of the farmers,
the possibilities of development the best
educational methods and above all the
men themselves. Combining with his gen
eraI knowledge of the state its people
and it's resources, the rare knack of
handling men and managing all sorts Of
people under all sorts of conditions, Mr..
Randall has qualifications for the posi-
ton of secretary or executive of such an
institution as the state fair which few
men possess. All this can be said with
out the suspicion of flattery, for these
qualities are so well recognized in Mr..
Randall by those who know him, and
have seen his work. that the statement