The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-10-08
SUNDAY SHOW
ILLEGAL, HAYS
TELLS FAIR BID.
Races and ConcessiOHsWe
Violate Two Sets of Laws,
Judge Holds.
DIRECTORS THEN CALL
TODAY'S PROGRAM OFF
Closing Day of County Fair Big
gest in History of
Organization.

On the advice of Judge Edward D.
Hays, the Board of Directors of the
Fair Association yesterday morning
| determined to cancel their program
for running the fair today.
Judge Hays counseled that to run
the fair with races and all the conces-
| Slons in operation would have been in
| violation OF two sets of laws. The city
ordinances provide that it is illegal to
operate the concessions, the wheels of
| fortune, the merry-g o-round, the Fer
| rs wheel, the tent shows and similar
feateurs, and he declared the State
avs rule against the racing feature
1t would have been perfectly legal
or the Fair Board to open the Fair
grounds today with the free exhibits
the various halls as the only fea-
lures.
The members of the board, however,
tecldcd that to run the fair on that
| BASIS would have been assembling.
They argued that the public would pay
omission fees at the gate expecting
o see the rest of the fairs features
in operation.
They would have expected to see the
concessions in full blast and to see
racing meet. 1t would have been I'M
possible for the Fair Board to give
these features legally, so it was de-
termined to call the entire day off.
The fair then closed at o'clock last
night after the largest day in the his
tory Of the association in the Cape.
The statement issued by the Board
Of Directors in regard to the canceila-
tion Of the Sunday fan. is as follows:
The directors of the Cape Girardeau
Fair and Park Association desire to
announce, officially, that the fair will
close at the usual hour on Saturday
evening, October =, 1915, and that
there will be no fair on the Sunday
following. The board desires to sub
nit to the public its reasons why
Sunday fair WAS considered and why
it decided not to hold the same, as fol-
lows:
On account Of the bad weather dur !
ing the carly days of the present fair
thousands of people were disappointed !
on account Of not being able to attend |
A very large number of the best peO-
pie Of the community then began to |
urge upon the Board of Directors the |
adviSabiiity Of holding the fair open
on Sunday. At the same time there
were others who opposed Sunday
fair. The board desired to do the
thing that the apparent majority of
the people wished to have done, keep
ing itself at all times within the law.
They thereupon sought the advice of
counsel and obtained a legal opinion
as to the right to conduct the fair on
Sunday.
The opinion of the attorney was
to This effect: The law
would permit holding the fair on Sun
day, and charging gate admission.
and would allow the eating and drink
ing privileges to continue, and sane
ton the floral exhibits. stock exhibits
and other free attractions and enter
on the other hand some of
the attractions that are very popular
and no doubt induce many persons to
pay gate receipts for attendance, al
though perfectly lawful on week days,
are in violation of ahe city ordinances
if conducted on Sunday; moreover the
horse racing feature Of the fair, which
appeals to d large majority of the Wis
TORS, is forbidden on Sunday by the
avs OF the State.
The Board of Directors have no de-
sire to run counter to the ordinances
Of the city nor to the laws of the
State. They feel that the things for
Didden by the city ordinances and State I
avs could be eliminated from the en- y
.ertainment and yet leave very at
.ractive fair But the public, on pay p
ng their admission at the gate, if the y
air were held, would reasonably ex-
,ect to see the whole fair. They would q
De disappointed in finding many at p
I.