The Topeka state journal., 1908-03-27

NEAR The MARK.
Nine Thousand Dollars for the
Fair Fund.
Trials of the Committee on
Their Soliciting Tours.
TOLD TO COME AGAIN.
Feel That Their Work Is Not
Appreciated.
What a Big State Fair Means
to Topeka.
TOLD TO COME AGAIN.

One of the members of the soliciting
committee for the state fair fund stat
ed today that they had practically
reached the $1,000 mark at noon. There
was no dinner today nor round up of
the committee members, nor will there
be tomorrow. but Monday noon will
see something doing and at this time
a cheering announcement is expected.
The committee has had its troubles,
has been put off from time to time by
those who should give promptly ana
met with refusals in quarters where
they had a right to expect liberal do
nations, yet its members are in no
way discouraged, and all declare that
they will surely raise the $lZ,0oO, nrsl
decided upon as the sum necessary to
make the fair a grand success. Most
of the members of this committee are
busy business men, and they feel that
while they made good progress IN the
work, yet they should have raised at
least $500 every day this week they
were out They left their business and
gave their personal efforts as well as
their own subscriptions to this work,
and believe that all progressive cltl-
zens who have the good of Topeka at
heart should at least respond promptly
with whatever sum they can afford to
give IOG Ile SldlG ldII 1QilO-
Said a member of the committee to-
day: Many business men, when So
licited for money for this fund tell us
to come again, and often we have gone
to these people two and three times
We have at least $1,000 in view that
we will get only by going again ana
again to these people for the money.
Thev do not seem to realize the hard
ship their dilatory tactics impose upon
this committee all of whom are neg
lecting their own personal business
from day to day in order to help land
a big state fair for Topeka.
Some men when approached for
money say that they have been giving
support to a fair here every year and
that it has never amounted to much.
They have a mistaken idea of the mat
ter entirely Not one cent was raised
here last year for any fair. Topeka
has not had a state fair since 1892. For
the last sixteen years we have had
only a little county fair, and have rails
ed only from $4,000 to $4,000 each year
for this purpose. This small sum raised
in so large a city as Topeka could not
be regarded as a drain every year.
This year there will be $4,000 spent
on the state fair. Horse races will be
only one of the features. 1t will be
an old fashioned country fair and the
effort will be made to have farmers
from every section of the state COM
pete for prizes. We should have 100,
600 visitors here fair week. Consider
ing the facts of the case, no one should
consider this fair fund as burden.
All of our business men and tax payers
should help this thing along and help
the committee and encourage them in
the work. This $4,000 fund is going to
be raised. The committee are deter
mined, and not at all discouraged by
the small sums raised one or two days
1,ie anlx xxriII 71xy
have to work longer and harder. We
have raised $4,000 in ten days of active
work. That is not so bad. The big
donations, of course. were received