Morris tribune., 1905-09-09
E. w. RANDALL AT THE FAIR.
BuIwark of Uroanity Breasts Many
A Storm.

A Storm.
| St. Paul Daily News: "A soft
answer turneth away wrath.
If it didn't Secretary Randall of
the Minnesota State Agricultural
society might even now be chanting
canticles with the heavenly choir.
During fair week Secretary Ran
dall's chief business is with men OF
wrath, and women OF like temper,
His chief protection from the angry
host is his ability and his willingness
to give to every one the scriptural
"soft answer
When thu lady exhibitor from
Crooked Creek learns that her
China Cochin didn't get the prize
that she thought it should get, the
lady sallies forth tc find "that secre-
tary, and see about it," When the
cattle dealer from Denver, with
thousands of dollars worth Of blood
ed stock on exhibition, thinks that
the management isn't playing fair"
the secretary must be drought to
time" The concessionaire, worried
by the police, rushes with his tale of
woe to the big white house on the
hill-"just wait till he meets that
man Randall. -,
i He meets him-they all meet him.
There isn't a more appoachable man
in the state than this same man
Randall, And if you are one of the
| wrathfulI host there isn't more I'M
comfortable place in town than the
visitors chair in the secretary's
private office. His frlendliness con-
trasts SO strongly with your unfriend-
illness, if you have grievance, that
you are at disadvantage from the
very start. Before his genial smile
you begin to feel like crouch, and
under his cordial hau3grip the wind
oozes out of that big puff of trouble
with which you were going to squelch
the affable secretary.
Secretary Randall's amiability isn't
a cultivated virtue, either; you realize
at once that it is as much a part of
the man as are his kindly brown
eyes, his firm, even voice, his ready
wit, or his tact. 1t is tact that makes
him discuss poultry in SO interested
way with the lady from Crooked
Creek. In listening to his disserta
tons about Cochins she forgets the
prize she missed. It is tact that
leads him to discuss the wonders of
Pixies peak with the turbulent
cattleman from Colorado, rather than
continue the petty bubble over blue
ribbons. In enthusiasm for the peak,
in a glow of state pride, the cattle
mans troubles fade away, never to
be recalled. And it's tact, nothing
more, that Gains the fiery concess
ionaire and sends him back to the
Midway. convinced that in the sec
Rotary he has lifelong friend, one
upon whom he can connt to do 'Lhe
fair thing"
And SO it is from morn till dewey
eve. They come with complaints,
with praises, and worst of all, with
mere idle talk to take the precious
time of the busiest man in the North
west. The remarkable part OF it is
that Secretary Randall has been do
ing this same thing every year for
almost dozen years. The first year
be liked it, the people liked him, he
was reappointed, and the state fair
board has kept on appointing him
every year since then because his
unusual executive ability makes !
HIM JUST the man for the place.
His responsibilities and his trials !.
agree we'll with the genial secre
tary, for his almoet youthful up
pearance contradicts his own state
ment that he is Jogging along il
the forsies." 1t makes it hard t,
believe that Secretary Randan's
eldest son is a professor in one Of
the state schools, and that biz
second son has already attained
voters age. 1
With his wife, these two sons and
a little daughter of Z, Mr., Randall
/ L