The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-28
AID MEN TO HELP
Put Shoulders to Wheel Of
State Fair Project.
What Kansas Has Lost by Aban-
dOning a Fair.
THE MINNESOTA CASE.
How the Annual Event Is Man.
aged There.
Secretary Badders Talk on
Municipal Advertising.
THE MINNESOTA CASE.

club room ADJOINING the quartz VI
the Commercial club. On account of
the rush of the season it was not
possible to arrange a program for the
occasion, but the thirty members OF
the club present listened to a discus
sion of municipal advertising by Geo.
s. Badders secretary of the CONNER
cial club, and short talks on the prop
osition for a great state fair by Frank
p MacLennan, F. NJ. Ball and E. w.
Rankin, president of the Ad club
This question of a fair for kansas
which will advertise the resources OF
the state and will incidentally give
Topekans the opportunity to show
vast throngs of people that we have
most attractive city, is considered Dy
the members of the club as being of
the greatest Importance at the present
time
This Advertising club is organized
principally to advertise the business
of the individual members and the
city ITSELF said Mr.. MacLennan. "Of
course, we are all interested in ad-
vertising Topeka and Kansas.
'I believe that Kansas has lost a
great deal in the last few years in
aband oning state fair. Several years
wears ago l used to attend the fair
in Topeka and was one of 100000. We
have our wheat, corn, coal. gas, oil,
zinc, live stock and many other indus
tries but we as yet have no means OF
showing the people of this and other
states what we have and what we pro-
duce.
81 believe that this Advertising club
can be of great assistance to the State
Fair association and can help build up
a great fair We are going to ask the
club to help us by talking and aiding
later in a financial way purpose
which will be benefit to Topeka and
the state"
The Minnesota Fair.
F. NJ. Ball then told of the great
Minnesota state fair. He said:
1.-THE first thing that L remember
was when I was a boy hearing every'l
one talking of the Minnesota state ex-
position, which was the forerunner of
the state fair. 1t was one of the
things that the whole region was in
terested in. There gradually grew up
tanned and st. Paul and Minneapolis
became Interested The fair ground is
between the two cities
'fThey have magnificent race track
with a steel grandstand. The agricul-
tural exhibits have lately taken up
nine-tenths of the space. During the
week of the fair the cities of Mime
apolis and st. Paul give up everything
else. 1t is the gala week of the year.
1.-THE chief attraction of the fair is
the racing. Last year automobiling
was the big feature. They have some
acrobatic or other feat between the
races. They have on st. Paul and
Minneapolis days from $4,000 to 1O0,-
900 people on the grounds. Each city |
tries to exceed the other in number
1.-THE people go great distances to
see the fair. The streets in ST. Paul
and Minneapolis are decorated by the
sources of the fair are now sufficient
to make things pay out. If Topeka
could get in the public eye through |
having fairs each year it would be as
. Oh, t. -
pie would consider the fair and To- !
peka as one"
E W. Rankin followed up Mr.. |
Balls talk by giving some more facts |
about the Minnesota fair
THE advertising value of the fair |
is tremendous" said he. ITO us it
would be an advertisement of really
greater Importance. Relatively, agri- |
culture is more important in Kansas |
than in Minnesota, as Minnesota has
other great industries. I believe that
the state fair has had as much to do /
with advancing the agricultural in
terests of that state as agricultural
colleges.
"A fair would put Topeka on the
national map as nothing else would
do. There is nothing that could COM
pare with state fair built on broad
lines. We, as citizens of Kansas.
should put our hands to the wheel
and push things along.''
w. c. Stephenson spoke upon the
advantages of getting factories to To-
cate in Topeka, and also emphasized
the necessity of keeping Topeka be-
fore the people,
Bidders Talk on Advertising.
George S. Badders spoke on mu-
nicipat advertising in part as follows:
BE honest. 1t is not only right,
but it is best. No city should adver-
tise anything but what it has to offer.
A merchant advertises his wares in
order to dispose of them, and their
good quality increases his trade. A
city's good qualities is what it has to
offer to newcomers. If they are up
to grade, as advertised, it increases
the city's population, prosperity and
renown; but if its advantages are
dissatisfied and disgruntled and goes
away to advertise the city in a way
that tends to hurt its growth.
1.-THE fundamental necessity to a
prosperous city is its hcalthfulness.
Climate, of course, has great deal
to do with this, but the city govern
ment should see to it that a proper
sewerage system is kept up; that
healthful water is supplied at low
rates; that its streets and alleys are
we'll paved and kept clean by being
swept and sprinkled every night (note
that say at night; that proper SUI
pervision over food supplies is had;
that a good system of lighting and
ponce pTOlecLlOn aIOrQ6C, and
these secure low insurance rates. That
by means of ordinances the price for
public utilities such as street cars
telephones, telegraph. etc, is kept
within reasonable bounds, sufficient
to produce fair return on these in
vestments.
"All these points of good civic gov
eminent should be advertised, as we'll
as many others, such as having
good, active, wideawake Commercial
club, than which d city has no better
asset, because it is usually through
this medium that city's advantages
are made known. The transportation
facilities. good roads; its manufacture
ing plants and openings for new en-
ferprises; the cost of raw material
and fuel; low freight rates: the bank
ing facilities; it's wholesale and retail
Enlszar. ifa lighting. heating. water