Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-09-20
GOOD
COPPER
MEDALS
Athletes ICOmpIain Because
Gold" Medals We're
Only Plated Ware

San Francisco's amateur athletes,
who took part in the contests at the
Lewis and Clark fair, are roasting the
management of the fair through the
San Francisco papers on account of The
quality of the medals issued by it. The
athletes, who won the events, and re-
ceived the medals, claim they were rep.
resented to be worth $22.5O each, but
that as matetr Of fact, they are made
of copper, thinly plated, and are what
is commonly known as Pinchback, ,"
and worth in the market about $2.99 a
bushel. On the other hand, the fair
management calls attention to the fact
that it was honor the amateurs were
striving for, and that they got. 1t is
claimed the management couldn't af-
ford any better medals, and covertly
insinuated that the medals were as
genuine as the athletic performances.
Mr. Kerrigan says the value Of the med
ais was never given out, and this is
no doubt true-the management was
careful about that-but they were
called gold medals, just the same. True,
this might have been done in the in
terst of, and to save the feelings of
the competing athletes Few men would
care to have it heralded that they had
won a copper medal, or a brass door
plate, or even leather tag with the
sign manual Of the Lewis and Clark
fair or Portland General Electric Com
pany, or any old thing on it. It would
not look well handed down-a precious
heirloom through the future genera
tions. so the committee, adopting the
old motto, "All can," put.up the hot
test piece Of medallion bric-a-bric that
ever came down the pike, or up the
trail
OF course, at distance, one can
only deal with the subject, as its sub
stance is disclosed through the press.
It might be that there were other val
ues, which would make the intrinsic
quality back number. Not seeing the
medals, Of course, no opinion can be
passed as TO collateral values, non is ii
easy to weigh and estimate the worth
of the honor Of having received a real
gold-plated, copper-lined brass rivited
medal from hundred-dollar-a-month
stipendiary Of a bi-furcated, double
barrelled, semi.public corporation on
the classic litoral OF Guilds lake. The
design of the medal is not mentioned,
and this alone leaves its artistic and
commercial value and unknown quanti-
ty. II might be Of priceless value
from containing the leonine head Of
Hon. Jeff Myers, with a big bull en-
saddle on the reverse side with the |
motto, "oregon State Fair, Bully for
Jeff." Or, II might contain the clean
cut visage OF "Adress OF Welcome"
Goode, with the New York building in
the immediate background, and Ben
flying his. kite in the back
yard. On the reverse there might be
miniature electric light building ram
pant on a field dor (plated) with the
motto, "The world is mine oyster"
Of course, these are only suggestions as
10 the possibilities What the medals
really contain (besides copper is un-
known, but it will be readily seen what
l vast field there is for the fair man
,gement TO explore, and what a wealth
If artistic adornment might have gone
nto those medals TO make them almost
priceless. Until further information is
given out, the merits Of the case can