The daily sentinel., 1905-06-22
Priority Rights

1t is with considerable amusement
that we quote the following from the
. Tuesday issue of the Montrose Enter
prise;
Grand Junction has given up it's
| fight for the dates of the Western
Slope Fair and will hold the Mesa
County Fair September 12-16. \
wise move"
Even If the foregoing were true. it
would be far from n wise move. as
the dates named above are those of
{ the state fair at Pueblo. The Grand
I Junction fair is second edition of
the state fair and counterpart of it
I for the people on the western slope
The quotation as given is either a
lack of knowledge of the facts, or a
deliberate misrepresentation. Grand
/ junction has in no sense been making
making a fight for Montrose's dates,
but quite the reverse. II is Mont
rose that has been making the fight,
and the Mesa county fair officials
have merely stood on their priority
rights, and on their action of months
ago. For the benefit of our readers.
we 20 into the following details, all
being official:
The executive committee of the
Mesa county fair met on March 4. as
soon as it had received notice of the
selection of the dates of the state
fair. and in line with their policy, Sc
lected the week following the state
fair, or the week of the Sth of Sep
tember. The following day notices
we're sent to every fair and racing
association in Colorado, including
Montrose announcing our selection
Six weeks later, or on April 10. the
association had letter frfom c. E.
DUNCAN of Montrose. asking again
for our dates, so that. as his letter
reads, I'VE can arrange our dates so
we can get some of the horses from
your place" Some tine later, after
numerous telephone conversations
with our officials. they informed us
that we had taken the dates we HAD
INTENDED taking.
Still later Montrose attempted TO
make the point that our dates con
flicted with approximate dates that
they had used in some past years
but, of course. they never considered
that in making our oates we had
taken into consideration the former
Peach weeks, of which our associa-
tion is permanent successor and
which had always been held close to
the middle of September.
Horse racing being an important
amuse ment at any fair, Montrose
contends that horsemen coming west
from the state fair would prefer to
reload at Salida, and go humping
over Marshall pass, and be forced
against their will to spend a week on
the very inferior track at Montrose.
when they could come in horse pal
ace cars over the broad gauge to
Grand Junction, spend n profitable
week here on the second best track
in the state. and, then, If they We're
satisfied with the inducements of
fered at Montrose, and If their track
was put into fit condition. they could
load here for there, only half the
distance as compared with the Salida
trip.
Everybody who was at the Mont
rose fair last year remembers that
their races would never have filled
and would have fallen fiat had it not
been for the Grand Junction horses.
And certainly none of the local hors-
es would go up there in preference
to racing at home with both fairs
on the same dates
Nobody places any credence in
Montrose's S assertion that they have
sufficient pull with the railroad Of
ficials that the latter would give
them excursion rates and refuse the
same to Grand Junction.
Every person in Mesa county feels
that our officials position is well
taken. and they are in turn assured
the best fair ever given in the state.
outside of the state fair, and in fact
the latter will have to do well to pass
ours.