The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-09-26
BETTER RURAL
SCHOOL URGED
From Erlds < paily.

Governor A.. o. Eberhart and a
baseball game were the headliners
at the Garden City fair yesterday
afternoon. While the governor was
addressing large audience in one
part of the grounds, the Good
Thunder sluggers were putting it
all over" an aggregation that was
made up of players from everywhere,
but was advertised as coming from
Lake Crystal. A few of the players
are residents of Colonel Neff's town.
A-llarge crowd of, fans witnessed the
game. Governor Eberhart was aware
OF the fact that ball game was in
contest when he reached the grounds,
but he was ready TO speak and ex-
pressed himself as willing to take
his chances of getting an audience
in such an emergency. He talked in
competition with a merry -goround
atjthe fair at Motley on Wednesday
and drew the crowd away from that
amusement device. Consequently he
was satisfied to deliver himself in
the face of counter attraction.
= Discussed Rural Schools!
Governor Eberhart was introduced
toI about 1000 people by Honorable
George w. Norman, president of the
Blue Earth County Agricultural SO
ciGty. The first part of the gov.
errcr's address was devoted to his
faVorite theme-rural school CONSOLE
dation. He expressed himself in
favor of consolidating the rural
schools so that these educational in
stitutions can be better graded and
the boys and girls from the farms
can be given the educational advaE
tages to which they are entitled.
He favored system of education
that will benefit the greatest mum.
Der. Instruction in agriculture
should be given in the rural school.
Everything should be done to better
the conditions in the rural districts
and the result will be more boys
and girls will content themselves to
remain on the farms. While mil
lions Of dollars are being expended
to beautify parks and create amuse-
ment grounds for the benefit of the
boys and girls in the cities, but little
is done TO make the life of the sboys
and girls on the farms more agree
able. Their wants and desires along
these lines should receive the atten-
ton that they deserve. The gov
ernor urged the farmers to give
more attention to scientific farming so
that the soil shall be more produc-
tive.
Public Utilities Measure.
Governor Eberhart devoted the
latter part of his address to a dis
cuSsion of the public utilities meas
uIe that he is advocating for adop-
lion in, Minnesota. He..is in favor
of a state public utilities commission,
claiming that such commission
will be In a position to serve the
people in a more satisfactory man.
ner because. they viii not be ham
pered in their labors and ilVestiga-
tons by local influences. He pro
poses a public utilities commission
along the same lines as those which
operate in New York, Massachusetts,
Wisconsin and New Jersey. OF the
5000 hearings which these commits
sions have decided but twenty have
been appealed to the courts and in
each instance the decision of the
commission was upheld by the
courts. The governor declared that
every. public service corporation
should be regulated TO the end that
equitable rates are charged for the
services rendered. 1t is his wish to
place Light, power and heat into
every home in the City, village and
on the farm ana his scheme Of d
public utilities commission is a
means to that end, so he declared.
The farmer is entitled to the same
comforts that are enjoyed by his
neighbor in the city. The governor
decried the spending Of SO much
money to punish crime and said that
more money should be devoted to
its prevention. Fathers and mothers
can exert an influence for the better.
ment of their children. He stood for
county farms as another means of
creating an interest in farm life Il
Viewed the Exhibits.
At the conclusion of his address,
Governor Eberhart was rendered an
informal reception. He then viewed
the exhibits and expressed his pleas
ure at what he had seen. He stated
to The Free Press that of all the
fairs he has visited this fall, the
Garden City fair is entitled to the
praise for having the largest and
best display Of vegetables, and the
corn exhibit was especially praised
by the governor.
Governor Ebefhart spoke in Farm.
ington yesterday morning and he
came to Mankato on the Milwaukee
train, reaching here at three o'clock
in the afternoon. He was met at the
depot by Alba Lewis, who at once
conveyed him to Garden City in an
auto. The distance of fifteen miles
was made in less than thirty mini
utes On the return trip to Mankato
the governor was shown for the first
time the Rapidan dam. Before
leaving the fair grounds he was
the guest of number CT gentlemen
at a luncheon in the dining hall.
uStx xlsar{ fad