New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-08-18
KANSAS PLANS
FOR FREE FAIR
Everybody and Evslybodys SIS
ter and Brother Invited.

III dnu bI0lIl6I InvIlo0.
SCHEME ENTIRELY 0RIeInlL
Free Idea Appealed Particularly .
Kansas Temperament % Il Would
Set tho Pace For Other States and
Other Fairs-kansas Will Blaze the
Way, 10 the Enthusiastic Slogan.
That Is what the people of Kansas
will say to the world next September,
when the first big free fair to be held
In the United States win be opened in
the capital city OF the state.
The admission gates will be thrown
wide open and kept open for the fair
week, Sept. 1917. Everybody. big. lit
tie, old and young rich and poor, from
east and west and north and south,
will be invited in, 10 stay as long as
they wish, and to come and 20 IA often
as they wish.
It was just like Kansas to pulp
the first free fair. It might be said
that 1t was eminentiy proper that Kan
SOS should do II, for Kansas Il nothing
II not original. Recently there was
much discussion as TO whether the
federal government should In some
way finance the south's cotton crop,
and It was decided Il would be i'm
practical Several years ago. when q
succession OF droughts had paralyzed
agriculture In Kansas and farmers had
no seed or money to buy It with and
thousands Of them wexe leaving the
state, the Kansas legislature promptly
convened and advanced 100000 to the
farmers with which to buy seed. It
was new and what some would call
q "paternalistic'' scheme, bat 1t was
the thing needed, and Kansas did it.
That Is her STYLE She meets every
emergency a. 4 comes, and neither
theories nor Nmloat1ons deter her. The
people Of Kansas are not fettered by an
enervat1ng conservatism. They are pro-
gressive ana Independent In thought,
and they are forward looking They
are not bound by the past or afraid to
blaze new trail. That's how they
came to be In Kansas. They and their
fOrebears were trail blazers.
So If something new comes along
and 4 looks good to Kansas. Kansas
is not afraid to try it, and in doing SO,
II their thoughts go cOntrariwise to
the remainder Of the country, it
doesn't make a particle Of difference to
the people OF Kansas.
Consequently when some one sug-
gested that the Kansas State Fair as
sociatiOn's annual exhibition be made
free fair Kansas said right away:
"Weli. it's new thing and looks good
and will give US lots Of advertisement.
Let's try it,
That was the spirit that carried the
free fair In Kansas. Its new, looks
good and will advertise US" The peo-
pie Of Kansas like to start something
new, and they like to advertise their
state. The shriners of Topeka are now
out on the coast. In Topeka there is
one of the best amateur bands in the
United States MarshalFs band. Some
one suggested that the shriners take
Marshalrs band with them. It num-
beers forty first class musicians. To
peka promptly raised popular sub
scription Of nearly $4,000 and sent
Marshalps band on q tour of the Pa
cific coast to advertise the city. That
spirit peFvades the whole state Of
Kansas. There are $4,000 square miles
of Kansas. and there are $4,000 square
miles Of Kansas patriotism
SO the free fair idea appealed pecul-
iariy to the Kansas tempecament-it
would set the pace for other states
and other fairs. Kansas would blaze
the way. =
The Kansas State Fair association
has been holding fair exhibitions for
thirty years. It is one Of the Oldest in
the west. It Is composed OF Topeka
business men. Some four years ago
the fair needed new building and
other improvements, but because Of
the droughts and crop failures the
stockholders did not feed IKE going
down into their pockets. 30 the people
Of the county (Shawne9 were appeal
e64p and voted $4,000.
But uni0ckily two q. thEee cOnsecu-
tive years Of constant rains during fair
week followed, and financial loss. ~
suited The Fair association found It.
self In a bad way. IS
As necessity II the mother Of In
vention," the tree fais plan WAS sug-
gested as the best way 20 solve The
fair problem The county already .hav-
ing considerable investments Ii vas
decided 10 open the sa4es and make
the fair free, provided tho people would
vote small tax (one-fourth Of MIN
with which to pay the fair premiums.
It cannot be said who originated tho
free fair idea, but the flrst men 20 urge
7 were =. A. Borman, former prest-
dent OF the Fair association, ana Nr.
p a