The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-03-31
Commissioners so Decided and In
formed the Directors


BIackfoot fair held on Monday after
noon, the question of the purchase
OF the fair grounds by the county
was settled in the negative. The COM
missioners stated that in view of the
several weeks discussion conducted
by The Idaho Republican, the pub
licity given to the subject thru the
paper and by hand bills, and in the
articles written by various citizens
who had gone on record against the
purchase, they found the tax payers
SO evenly divided in their desires and
opinions, they did not feel like TAX
ing public money and buying some
thing which so many of the persons
furnishing it would disapprove.
The commissioners talked to the
officers of the fair about continuing
the good work carried on by them
so long, stated that they be,ie'ed it
was on the whole a good thing for
the county to have fair, and asked
If they did not think they could go
ahead and get more farmers inter-
,ested and cooperating and get It to
paying its way. Chairman Bond said
the work done by The Republican
the past few weeks had aroused
more study and more thought on the
question than anything else that had
ever been done, and he thought that
If the directors would continue the
work, that the farmers generally
would take an interest and many of
them an active interest.
The officers Of the fair stated that
they had considered all these things;
that they had tried many times by
many means to get farmers to do
that very thing and they had never
met with such general response as
they had hoped for, and they had
seen so much opposition and so much
unkind and adverse criticism of their
management the past few weeks,
they were not impressed with the
situation as being favorable or even
hopeful. They had found it all very
well in theory to get the co-opera-
tion of the country people, but in
fact and practice it did not exist ex-
cepting with a comparatively few
families. The directors had passed
a resolution to close up the fair and
not to allow the grounds used fur
ther for any amusements, and now
that the county decline to buy the
property, the question of what to
do with it in conformity with the
resolution spread upon the minutes
some months ago will be up to the
officers for adoption. &
Col. Fugate, speaking for the com
missioners, asked if they could not
increase the premiums and by that
means greatly increase the interest
and the size of the show. President
Duckworth replied for the fair that
this had already been done; that
they had tried widening the scope
of the premium list in the effort to
secure the attention of more people,
and they had tried doubling up the
amounts of the premiums paid, and
they had had the cooperation of
about the same people thru it all
and had come out with deficit each
year. The only time they ever got
out even was when they sold part
of the grounds for cash and paid
up the debts with that money and
when they got ex-President Roose-
welt to come for a speech and got a
great crowd and large gate receipts
coupled with storm later in the
day that cancelled all the races and
prevented their having to pay the
money out again in purses for the
afternoons entertainment. That dis
aster brought about by the weather
clerk after the crowds got in the
gates left them in the clear financi-
ally for that year, but it cheated the
public by giving them drenching
instead of the fun that was expected.
Commissioner Christensen suggest
ID that the city buy the fair grounds,
out that was said to be out of the
question, and it had been canvassed
md decided that if the city owned
t, and operated it, it would have
arder sailing than ever before, be-
ause it would be an acknowledged
own enterprise, and experience has
hown that the town alone or the
own and the immediate vicinity can
lot make it a success; it needs the
United interest and united efforts of
he county at large.
When asked if it were not possible
D get more support for the fair by
he business men of Blackfoot, 1t was