Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-23
be FAIR AesoclA.
kvlAsLE RECORD
|eL,shM lent.
CONFIDENCE
OF HIS ASSOCIATES
Well Balanced Exposition the OBJ
ieets Of Which Wsrs Educational
Fair Has Grown immensely Under
Simpsons Management.
S-Republican.

Special to Times Republican,.
Des Moines, Jan. 23-At a meeting
of the state board of agriculture Sec
rotary John c. Simpson resigned in or
der that he might go at once to Min
nesota to accept a similar place there
The story Of the rise Of Mr.. Simpson
and his remarkable success is an in
! spring one. He is 4 Marion county
boy nd one OF his ventures away from
the farm was to go to Charlton and take
a position as an apprentice in print
! ing office. But he was not cut out to
be newspaper man and having learned
| shorthand and incidentally become in =
terested in fairs and racing he came
to Des Moines about ten years ago to
be clerk in the office of the state de-
partment Of agriculture.
! In this position he devoted himself
absolutely to the duties of the office
and learned every detail. 1t soon came
about that the board was looking for
! competent man to take the place OF
secretary. and as Mr.. Simpson had i'm.
pressed the members by his good quail
| tiles he was selected. II was great
surprise TO many that one who had
so little experience in fair managem emf
should be entrusted with this great
work, but the board had confidence IN
| him and the executive committee was
ready TO work with him in perfect har-
mony.
Held Confidence Of Associates.
| AS president after president came
| along each one found that Secretary
Simpson was made Of the right stuff
First there was Frazier. OF Bloomfield.
then Bob" Johnson. then W. w. Nor
row and later Charles Cameron. Pres
ident Morrow made one Of the great
presidents OF the fair association and
under his administration great adj
vance was made. But Charles z. Cam
, eron is really the veteran Of the board
and one Of the most capable fair man
ayers in the country and under him the
fair has gone on in wonderful develop
ment- Secretary Simpson has had the
full confidence OF each of these men. as
, well as the confidence of such capable
men on the board as Professor Cur
tiss. Governor Packard, w. C. Brown.
John Ledgerwood, R. T. ST. John,
Thomas Legoe. ]. P. Manatray. Elmer
Reeves. Michael Mcdonald, E. j. Cur
tin. Il. NJ. Wentworth. and others. They
have all worked with Secretary Simp-
son in perfect harmony.
1 Ten years ago the state fair was al
ternately paying expenses and then
losing out with deficit There was
/ lack of business ability in its manage
ment 1t seldom had any surplus 1t
lacked the confidence of the people SO
that it was impossible to get anything
! from the state. No improvements
worth mentioning had been made for
years. 1t was drifting along in the
old ruts. With the coming of Secre-
tary Simpson the fair was put on a
business basis. Money is necessary to
make d fair, and plans were laid for
increasing the revenue. Success at
tended every effort.
| We'll Balanced Exposition.
| The thought which has been back Of
Secretary Simpson all these years is
thar the fair is an educational institu-
/ ton, that it must be conducted for the
entire state, that it Is capable OF in
/ finite good to the whole state. that it
should be developed along all lines and
not q few and thus become a we'll ball
janced exposition, yet at the same time
there must be enough of the show
about it to attract numbers Of people.
The first thing is to give the people an
! exposition worth their while to attend:
then TO do that which is necessary to
get them to attend.
Under the management Of Secretary
Simpson the Iowa state fair has grown
immensely first in real merit, by rea-
son of the better exhibits Of livestock
and machinery; second. in permanent
buildings and improvements: and
third. in the attendance and good repu-
itation which the fair bears in the
state.
Secretary Simpson has insisted at
ali times that the organization should
be strictly under the control OF the
legislature and be in fact state or
ganiZation. Under this policy the board
has been, as it were. legaized and
made a state institution, and every
cent of the receipts and expenditures
Is accounted for. and report made and
published each year. The state audits
and approves the accounts in detail
every year. as is well known, and as a
result of this policy there has been the
utmost economy in expenditures and
total absence of any suggestion of
leakages.
1t has long been recognized that one
Of the greatest dangers Of the fair is
to- have a return to the old system Of
political control with its attendant
evils Members Of the board have
sought to avoid this at all times. and
in fact on the board have been men Of
different political beliefs and all pol
;t;o no ted