Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-31
PRICES 80 HIGH THAT
POOR MAN CAN'T ATTEND
Labor Leaders Plan TO Ask Legislature
to Remedy Existing Conditions. BY
Doing Away With state Board Of
Agriculture and Putting Fair Under
state Management.

bers OF the Trades and Labor assen1;y
accuse the management of charging
excessive prices and using unfair
! methods toward union labor and claim
that the fair which closed its gates last
evening was one of the creates: out.
RACES perpetrated on the people Of the
| state of Iowa.
Prominent members of the labor or
CARNATIONS say they are going before
! the state legislature this winter to at
! tempt to secure a change ir the law by
which the state shall take over the
| state fair and do away with the state
! board Of agriculture.
During the past week conferences Of
indignant men were held at the labor
| headquarters. In consulting the low
| they found that the state fair is in d.
] rect charge of the state board Of arri-
culture, and that this board Of agri-
ulture Is made up Of members chosen
by the county fair associations. the
| boards of supervisors and other Or
Plantations.
The union men say the board does
not represent the state at all Accord
ms to tie law the land AMI buildings
belong to the state, but the tair assoc
citation is not a state institution ana
the state does not reap any of the
benefits from the fair.
Grievances 70 ee Aired.
The main issue with the Des Moines
labor unions is the fact that non-u union
carpenters were employed in the con-
struction Of the bleachers at the fair
grounds. They say that every year
some action Of this kind against union
labor has taken place and that it now
must stop.
The matter Of settling the union is
sue will be taken up next week. ]. F.
Gray. business agent for the carpent-
ers union. has been appointed chair
man Of committee from the trades
assembly and will request a confer
ence with the state board next week.
The other members Of the committee
are Seamans, Scott. Donahue and
Hardy.
On the result Of this conference will
depend the future action of the union
men. A few say that no matter how
the affair is adjusted, they will take
the fight into the legislature and de-
mand that the law be changed 50 that
the state fair association in the future
will represent the people.
Reports of alleged exorbitsnt charges
at the fair grounds this year have
been made at the union meetings.
Union Men Stay Away.
There were more than 5000 union
men of Des Moines who stayed away
from the state fair this year on ac-
count of the attitude of the associa-
ton" said J. F. Gray. Il was offered
a complimentary ticket and l refused
to go.
The matters have gotten so that
the association charges such high rates
for concessions that local men who run
stands at the fair grounds have to rob
the people to come out even. 1t is a
holdup game. If we are going to have
a state fair. let's have 1t fair and de-
cent"
Other union men are just as EN-.
phatic. They say that the association
has overstepped the mark this year and
added the last straw. Men report that
the charges have increased everywhere
along the line. They point to the all
legged excessive charges for seats in the
grandstand. charges Of % cents for
bleacher seats. which should be free,
they say; charges for the horse show
and assessments right and left.
What we want to know is, who
owns this state fair?" said J. c.
Walker.
Every Charge Too High.
1T has got so that a poor man can
not go to the fair. The charges have
become SO excessive that our own peo-
pie here in Des Moines have to stay
away. A charge of so cents is made at
the gate, so and Is cents and 81 for
n q nd 80
II you want to see the evening per-
association places a tax for the show
IL the pavilion, The stands are charged
such excessive rates that the persons
running them have to hold up the
people.
The state board is to blame for this
condition. If this is to continue. the
state fair must be taken over by the
state and run in the interest of the peo-
pie and not in the interests Of few
persons. Think OF the poor farmers all
over the state who coIae to Des Moines
and think they are attending show
put on by the state. If they bring their
families with them 1t costs them in the
neighborhood Of $40 a day at the
grounGS alone"
outrage, says Walker.
ITS an outrage" continued Walker.
THE association does not pretend to
accommodate the people. The poor
man who goes to the fair with his
family can not afford to pay for grand
stand seats and he Is deprived entirely
Of seeing the races and the vaudeville
stunts on the track. He can only walk
around the grounds and look at the
stands until he is tired and then go
home.
This is fight for the common peo-
pie, Of which you and are part. 1t
must be fought out now. We are among
those people who can not afford to go
in autos and be held up at every turn.
We have q right to see those things
and for one will not give up until we
have q change out there"
Regarding the use Of non-union car
penters in building the bleachers, the
fair association is quoted as saying 1t
was unable to get union carpenters to
do the work. J. F. Gray says this Is not
correct. as he offered to furnish the
fair association any number OF men,,
from 10 to 100. but the association de-
clined to employ them.
Profits Are Dig.
The daily attendance record this
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= ~. 4