The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-02-12
Horse Racing and the Fair.

|
deplored. When an organization OF
that kind has the reputation Of run.
ming behind II has an effect upon the
attendance, no matter what the at
| fractions may be II IL q situation
that has to be met and one that the
people of the county have right to
be informed upon. The society is of
the people.
The question is, what can be done?
II is an easy thing to give Q mort
gage upon the fair grounds for s15,-
600, but the giving Of the mortgage
docs not pay the debt, neither does II
solve the problem Of how to avoid the
deficiency of from $1,000 to $4,000
year, which will only 60 to increase
the Indebtedness. Next year another
mortgage would he necessary unless
some one could be found who would
advance the money without security.
The methods Of the past few years
have failed. That does not have to
be conceded. The history of the SO.
ciety's finances proves 1t. There have
never been more earnest men at the
head Of the society, and every year
additional attractions arc secured to
draw the people, yet the people do
not draw. Where then, is the errorf
| According to the opinions Of q great
many people 1t is In the fact that too
much money is given In some direc-
tions and not enough to the speed
classes. The fair is, primarily, for the
good of agricultural interests, but II
the people do not turn out and pat
ronize 1t, the exhibitions must close
| down and agriculture would have no
encouragement.
Without entering into any discus
sion Of the moral side of horse racing,
the fact remains that racing is one OF
the attractions. Every fair has rae
ing, but every fair does not have at.
tractive racing. 1t is the exception
for Canton to have first class races,
and the reason is plain. There are
not classes enough and the purses
are not large enough. The people
who go to fairs like horse racing and
no matter what the other attractions,
when the races are on, the cattle
u.
races that attract the town people
as well as those who are from the
farms
Right against the fair ground is
Canton with population of 10000
people. Yet they do not attend the
fairs. Why? Because they are in the
habit of saying that the races are no,
good. OF the 10000 or more people
in Stark county, fully $4,000 live In
the cities Of Canton, Massillon, AL
lance and the various smaller towns
They are not interested in carrots,
beets and jersey. To them chesters
and berks are only hogs. But a horse
race. That is different thing. The
sporting blood runs red in the veins of
the town resident just as 1t does in
the farmers boy who whips up the
old nag and makes her go some when
he is going to and from the fair.
The remedy is right here. Some.
thing must be done to attract from
that crowd Of $4,000 people. They
have the money and will go II the rae
ing is good. 1t may take them some
time to realize that the fair manage.
ment means business when It says
good racing They do not want to 70
there and find that the classes have
been filled with a lot of blind en-.
tries.
There Is economy in good purses
and well arranged classes. No horse
man wants to come even after a good
purse II he has stable unless he can
find places for all his horses. The
expense is too great. The scheme
then should be to increase the purses
and add to the number of classes so
that horse owners can ind engage.
ments for at least the majority of
their horses. The classes should not
be fxed six months ahead The fact
is that they should not be determined
upon until the summer ts well ad-
vanced and some idea has been form
ed as to the number of horses eligible
to certain classes. Local horsemen
should be consulted to see what races
will get them In attendance. Local
horses attract the crowds.
If purse of 5000 or $500 is given
and there are six or eight entries,
more than half the purse is paid back
In entrance fees. so that there IL econ.
omy In that. The four winners each
pay 10 per cent Of the purse, and that
insures 40 per cent. The non.money
winners each pay per cent. This
would reduce the purses fully ons-hslf
and In some instances the entire
purse might be returned. II is done
In other places.
Down at Minerva, where all the
exhibits could be loaded into a big
moving van, and where the stock
show is practically nothing. racing il
paramount Last year that fair paid
It's stockholders IL per cent dividends,
and that too without any help from
the state or the county. In this coun-