The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-19

Gus condition or we are not-either we
i have not.
IF the state of Kansas cannot afford
~ start state fair now itAcan never
anord II, and in Starting it the legis-
iature should start it literally 1t will
De waste of valuable time to give
htCie money In support of this great
1 project: for it is a great project and it
| cannot succeed without the backing of
| the state any more than our great uni
versity, our great Agricultural college
ana our great Normal school could sue
ceeo without the backing of the legis-
lature.
An Investment of Big Promise.
You should bear in mind that the
] state fair is an investment. You spend
| some money to get more money back
| You make exhibits to bring more capi-
tai and more people to the state by
reason of the showing made. A good
| Furthermore, it ought to become self
| sustaining because it will have an in
come IN gate receipts, in exhibit en-
tries and in the. sale of privileges.
Last fall there was the state fair of
Hutchinson there was "a state fair of
Topeka and there was the Kansas ex-
position at Wichita, all three creditable
exhibitions but not one of them was a
real state fair. Each one of the cities
| named misbranded its goods and each
could have been prosecuted under the
hdHSdS Sldle pure 1000 lSbW W1lACL pr
hibits labelling products that which
they are not.
zone of the opponents to the state
fair, member of the legislature, told
me yesterday that Kansas could not
afford to do anything for a state fair
this year because the last legislature
had appropriated more money than was
available and that this legislature
would have to make it up.
''Now, gentlemen, you have troubles
of your own without going to past leg
isIatures to cripple you. You should
not let a dead horse of the last session
prevent you from exhibiting your live
racers of today.
Ready for Fair Now or Never.
ITO remind you that Kansas is really |
prosperous 1 want to quote to you from
the report of the state bank commits
sioner made a few weeks ago, when he |
said the cash deposits IN the Kansas
banks were 1857 ,000, 900, per capita of |
over 800, which is a greater per capita |
and a greater total than ever before In
the history of the state. So much for
that.
Nov as to last years products lead
ing up to these large bank deposits
Secretary Coburn says. and am sure
you will not question him as authority,
that the total value of the farm pro-
ducts of Kansas last year were $277,-
900, 1000; that the values of live stock
the total agricultural and live stock
values of Kansas for 1908 $475, ,0OO, 900,
nearly half a billion.
These figures, says Secretary Co
burn show that last year the products
of Kansas were eleven and one-half
million dollars larger than those of any
previous year in this states history
They also show. says Mr.. Coburn. that
the values of farm products alone We're
$104. 100000 larger last year than the
average production of Kansas for
twenty years last past
1.-THE wheat crop of Kansas last
-
wheat crop in the previous history OF
the state.
''The tax commission is the author
ity for the statement that under the
new tax law 100000 of personal
property not before taxed at all was
brought onto the tax rolls for 1908
The total amount of taxable property
in Kansas last year was 2,451,oO0, OOO.
Now, gentlemen, IF Kansas is not
ready now to father and foster state
fair when can she ever be ready!
Need State Fair Advertising.
E'WhiIe Kansas has grown marvel
ously in wealth, in the development
of her resources of every nature and
kind she has not grown as she should
have grown in population. This is
sad admission to make, but we all
know it is true. Country south of us
in Oklahoma and Texas and west of
us in the Panhandle and in New Mex
leo has grown in population at our !
expense, until today land is cheaper
in eastern Kansas than it is several
hundred miles southwest of US in
part of the territory which We used
to refer to as the The Great American
desert
What we need, gentlemen, in my
opinion, for the greater and more {
rapid development of Kansas is a state
fair which shall be an object lesson
and an education to our own people
and a source of wonder to the immi-
grants from other states and coun-
tries who will desire to live in the
state which produces the wealth
which we can show at state fair If
this state would permit us to make the
exhibit in its name. Ill
I'VE need more people in Kansas
the railroads need more people, they
have given us lower passenger rates
and we hope to secure lower freight
rates. What we must do for the rail-
roads is to encourage immigration to
the state in order that there may be
more people to carry. and more goods
to transport. in order that the rail-
roads. may increase their volume of
business and thereby make good
profits at the lower rates, all for Kan
sas growth.
Incentives to Young Farmers.
what can be a greater incentive
to the youthful farmers and stock
breeders of Kansas than to give them
an opportunity to display their
wares and see the products of their
fellow Kansans and the best products
that would be brought to a state fair
from other states desiring to show us
what they can do and who can en-
courage and benefit us in that way.
'In the fair at Topeka last year we
had great poultry exhibit. We had
a great dairy exhibit and we had a
fine showing of swine, but regretted
to observe that the best hogs and
the most of them, came from Iowa.
Nebraska and Missouri. We have bet
ter hogs I think, but there was no