The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-09
POST ELECTION OBSERVATIONS

=
There was an election in Shawnee
county last Tuesday. A large number
of people did not know it. The rest did
not care. The vote was the smallest on
record One-tenth of the total vote OF
the city of Topeka was polled-
It was this lack of interest which de-
feated the proposition to impose tax
of one-haIf mill for two years for the
purpose of repairing the state far
grounds, and forming a nucleus for
state fair fund.
If Topeka had pol1ed heavy vote, IL
would have given the fair ground pro-
position a majority Of from 5000 to 4,oOo'
which could not have been overcome by
country opposition If the people in the
country had been treated to cam
paign education" the opposition would
not have been SO general.
But there were other causes which
contributed to the defeat of the state
fair.
Two of these causes are to be encoun-
tered in all propositions of this nature
One is the unending opposition to the
city of Topeka by the country voters
Another is the amending opposition to a
raise in taxes. These causes retarded
for years the building of a new court
house, and the building of a new Kansas
holding of a state fair in the manner
proposed
But there were special conditions
which tended to prejudice the case of
the proposed state fair
People in general believed that the
county commissioners had manifested an
unfriendly disposition toward fairs and
race meets. Most of the opposition in
town was because of lack of confidence
in the disposition of the county COM
missioners to aid the fair. The fair
grounds have been allowed to go into
the rut. Buildings are going to ruin
Many thousands of dollars received by
the county commissioners as insurance
on buildings burned at the fair grounds
have been used for bridges and other
purposes entirely foreign to the replac-
ing of the destroyed buildings. The
| county commissioners have manifested
| no disposition to treat the fair grounds
| as an institution of any value except as
a cow pasture. This attitude on the
part of the commissioners made 1t hard
| for people to believe that they would
| take any interest in the profitable dis
| tribution of the $3.50 which it was pro-
| posed to place in their hands. If the
/ 5000 could have been handled by the
| Commercial club, or some committee of
/ c1t1ZenS, II is DeueVeQ Dy SOME There
would have been much less opposition
! to the proposed tax.
| Farmers are said to have generally
| opposed the state fair tax on the ground
| that Topeka should bear the expense of
the fair alone; that Topeka received all
| the benefit and should foot all the bills
| Also farmers are said to object to a
| fifty-cent admission fee to the fair; to
! "pay shows on the inside: to all plans
which may be adopted for defraying the
expenses of the enterprise, except the
one of cash contributions by Topeka
| people. It seems as though this could
| not be true. Intelligent farmers re-
| alize that the interests of Topeka city
| and of Shawnee county are one and in
| separable. A prosperous county means
| a prosperous town. Nobody makes any
money out of a state fair. The only rea-
son merchants want it is because it
stimulates trade, and stimulated trade
is the best possible thing for people who
live in the country. Cash premiums are
paid at state fairs. The farmers get
most of them. Horse races and other
attractions cost money. Everybody
city and country. pays the same admis-
sion fee.
It is regrettab1e that the state fair pro-
position was defeated. At a general cleo
ton, when heavy vote is being polled
it is believed that the proposed tai
would have received the necessary ma
jority. other elections coming, and
the state fair proposition is not dead We
bv a good ma iOrity