Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1907-03-29
OPPOSES SPECIAL SHOWS
James Elliott Would Combine All
Exhibits In One Big County
Fair.

DALLAS, Or, March 25-(To th
Edltor.)-I see by one Of your lat
issues that we are to have a specif
Cherry Show in the near future. Goo
for Polk county and Dallas 1t ma
be news TO you, Mr.. Editor, but fror
what have heard expect we vii
soon have special Cat Show an
possibly few jackrabbits, just t
make the thing look little NOR
spicy and humbug the people a littl
longer. Barnum said we American
people liked to be humbugged.
1 have no doubt, Mr.. Editor, bu
you will find fault with this rabbi
proposition and say it will be impos
sible for US to compete with severa
other counties. as there are counties
in Oregon that can produce 10 jack
rabbits to our one. Well, you know,
this can be very easily fixed, as we
can call this special cat and rabbit
show just about the time we hold our
annual Goat Show, right in midwin-
ter when the roads and weather are at
their worst. By this plan we can
advertise our special show open to all
comers and beat every state in the
Union.
l have been wondering for a long
time how long will the people Of Ore
gon allow themselves to be hum
bugged by these special shows, and
also at the way our agricultural
interests are being crippled at our
State Fair, where we ought to have
one Of the finest exhibitions in the
United States every year. Our State
Fair has become little more than a
gambling den-a place to demoralize
the youth Of our fair state and have
on exhibition class of horses that
Oregon has little or no use for.
Strange to Say, the people allow
these demOralizers to run our State
Fair at time Of the year to suit
themselves, just when a great portion |
OF our farmers are in the midst of
their hop and prune harvest and
many Of them are not through their
grain harvest and hauling. Hundreds
of dollars Of the prize money are set
aside for these things they call horses,
while we hayseeds may possibly get
$3.50 for fine draft stallion, brood
mare, or blooded bull, any one of
which is worth more to the state of
Oregon than all the race horses that
have been at the State Fair for the
last 25 years. Fine encouragement
for an agricultural fair!
think it is high time for us citizens
of old Polk county to wake up and
attend to our own business-business
that we ought to have attended to
years ago, the neglect of which is
losing us thousands of dollars each
year. Many of US think these special
shows do us much good. / certainly
think they do,just to a limited few ;but,
for every $40 they bring to the county,
good, well-arranged County Fair
held here every year some time in the
last half of October would in a very
few years add more than $1,000 each
year instead of $40 as it now is.
Why do we allow this kind OF man
agement to go along from year to year,
when we have county that has in it
everything to make Nation? Why
don't we use a little bit of common
sense, go to work and buy about eight
or ten acres in a central place In the
county and hold County Fair each
year? Such a location should have
good railroad facilities and water
works, both of which are vitality
essential to a first-class fair ground.
The ground is right here, almost in
side the corporate limits of Dallas,
where we could have good grand
stand on an elevated site in the center
Of the tract, with sheds all around the
edges of the grounds and a driveway
inside these sheds. On
this driveway we could show how our
heavy draft horses move when hitched
TO a wagon; then our carriage horses
In harness, our single buggy horses
and rigs, and our saddle horses and
riders. Inside of this enclosure we
,ould have plot of ground for judg-
ng our show animals. I
We would also have a very large
where we could display all
finds of farm machinery, farm pro
Iucts, ladies' needlework, butter,
read, and other farm products.
I'll you boys, twenty years from now
ONE of you will feel awfully sorry
nat you did not go into partnership
ilth that girl that took first prize for
read. You would never have known
hat dyspepsia was, had you been
mart enough to make the trade
This Mr.. Editor, is only a very
nall description OF what we can do
ght in this county. We have every
ing here, and In sight, and think
q time is ripe now. There is GER
inly nothing wanting but the will.
zee there is to be a Horse Show in
.Ilas next Saturday. Why can we n
{ get together and secure some large
II where all the citizens Of Polk