The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-08-08

doing all right. Why should we pu,
up money for your enterprise? You
manage 1t the way you want to. We
ask for no voice In its management
and we ask none of the profits you
make. Why should we sign up with
you to share your losses when you
have rainy day."
In vain did the five workers point
to their own work and the risk they
took and the non-proflts Of such
things done for public good. The
profit or gain was in educating the
public to better ways of farming and
raising stock, and in better methods
in many ways, and in attracting new
customers to the community from
distant places they had not been
drawing any trade from until the
fair started. The Downey merchants
and butchers and bakers and pool
hall men would not get in and do
their share. The FIVE workers as
sured them that unless the whole
town shared in the risk they would
themselves no longer do 1t for them.
They were willing to put up as much
of their own money as others put up,
and they were willing to 60 on and
do the work without receiving any
pay for 1t, but they were not willing
to carry the whole burden. They
told their audience that 1t would be
we'll to think twice before they al
lowed the D0wney fair to be closed
up and forgotten. It would mean q
step backwards for the whole COM
munity. It would mean a loss Of
trade and Of prestige for Downey and
1t would mean growth of selfish
ness with corresponding decrease
Of pluck and push and the spirit Of
enterprise.
But the business men Of Downey
closed their hands on what they had
made as If in fear OF losing 1t, and
filed out Of the meeting and never
have had fair since. Downey has
never shown the pluck and push
since 1914 that it had then. 1t has
been more of an endurance contest
than Of enterprise at Downey, even
tho 1t started out SO well.
Blackfot arrived at the same point
a few years ago and did not have q
fair for while, tho it retained its
grounds. 1t tried to dispose of them
and almost succeeded, then in its fail
ure it decided to rise to the occasion
and put on fair and do it right.
That was last year and it had a very
successful fair. This year it has
more workers than ever before, it
has fewer competitors than ever be-
fore, and it has more people to at
tend the fair than ever before. There
were many years when the business
men of the town had to carry most
OF the financial burden of the fair
and do most of the work and worry
ing. But now the farmers and stock
men have taken hold of it in COM
pany with the men of the town, and
with proper team work they will put
on a fair that will do all the good
things which were done by the five
workers at Downey, and when it is
over II there is q profit it will be used
to make bigger and better fair for
next year, while il there is a deficit,
it will be distributed among all the
people of the county and nobody will
feel it.
But the benefits of the fair are in
no wise measured by the money that
Is left after paying the expense nor
by the money the business houses
make by reason Of the fair. The chief
benefits Of the fair are in the de-
velopment of pluck and push; in
the study of better methods to get
better products; in the quickened
and concentrated study OF things
that bring better products and more
in the fun that visitors
have and the comparisons that are
made about where are the best places |
to live and to operate enterprises. |
A large benefit lies in the improved |
,eam work done by the various COM
nunities preparing their exhibits,
and In the team work done by the
men and women having anything to
10 to make some department or all
If the fair a success.
The next few weeks are the time
o be doing this team work. The
way to do it best is to forget self
md self-interest and consider only
he whole achievement to be &C
omplished by the combined efforts
II all the teams.