The Bismarck tribune., 1925-02-12
STATE AID TO
FAIRS KEPT IN
HARD BATTLE
House of Representatives Re,
fuses to Kill Four Fair
Appropriations
BUT HITS CORN SHOW
Refuses to Create New Ap-
preparation for Benefit
Bismarck Show

Efforts to strip fairs now recop-
nized by the state of appropriations
which have been made at many ses-
sions of the legislature failed in
the House Of Representatives, in q
close and hard fight, yesterday aft
ernoon. The House, however, afte,
approving appropriations for fairs at
Grand Forks, Fargo, Minot and
Mandan, refused to recognize the
North Dakota State Corn Show, Bis
marck, for which the Senate had
made $1,000 appropriation for the
first time.
The fight opened in the House on
divided report Of the appropria-
t'ons committee on House Bill No.
al. appropriating $4,000 year for
two years for the Northwest Fair at
Minot. The majority Of the COM
mittee was for killing the bill. -
Rep. Burkhart, Ward county, open
ed with a plea for the Minot fair.
He said it was a new fair, establish
ed two years ago, and he believed
it had made more progress than any
other fair in this length of time.
Debate Opens
Rep. Vogel stated the opposition to
the fair appropriation bills.
"No session has had the nerve to
take this thing by the nap of the
neck and settle the problem" said
Mn Vogel. "There is only one thing
to do-settle this problem once and
for all time. These fairs, this and
the others coming up for discussion,
are not really state fairs in the
strict sense of the word. Do you
realize that this is the only state in
the union that has two state fairs ?"
Rep. A. G. Divet, Cass county,
held brief for the fair appropri-
ations. He pointed out that if the
legislature fails to make the appro-
priations asked the property of the
fair associations returned to pri-
vate corporations. In the case of
the Fargo fair property worth $780,
O0c would be returned to the private
association, he said.
1T may be a mistake to have an
agricultural fair in an agricultural
state," said Mr.. Divet, "but l do not
think So"
Mr.. Divet said that cit won't ruin
anything in my county of Cass if
you don't make these appropriations
but l think it is beneath the dignity
Of the state to refuse aid to some
thing it has property interest in"
The motion to kill the Minot fair
appropriation failed; SO to 81.
The House then took up the COM
mittee report on the $4,000 appropri-
alton for the Missouri Slope Fair
at Mandan for two years. The bill
was recommended to pass, so to 4S,
despite the report of the majority
of the appropriation committee to
kill the bill.
The next fight came on the ap-
preparation of $4,000 fos the state
fair at Fargo. The vote was 81 for
killing the bill to So against, on di-
vision, and roll call was demand
ed. On the roll call, the House
voted, 56 to So, in favor of the ap-
preparation for the Fargo fair.
Grand Forks Fair
When the House then took up the
$4,000 appropriation for the fair at
Grand Forks, Rep. Burkhart opposed
it. He said he voted for the appro-
priation for the Fargo fair believing
there should be one state fair, but
he opposed the Grand Forks appro-
priation, because he did not like the
system of having two state fairs.
Rep. Ferris of Nelson county, how
ever, declared that he favored al
ternating the affairs. He voted
against the Fargo appropriation but
favored the one for the Grand Forks
fair. The vote for the Grand Forks
fair was So to 81.
The four fair bills willlbe on the
calendar for final action Thursday.
Bismarck Corn Show
The next fight came on the Bis
/narck corn show appropriation bill;
and there was more debate on it
than the others. Senate Bill 65 pro-
posed a 81 900 appropriation for two
years for the North Dakota State
Corn Show, recognized it. and estab-
lished it. There were three reports.
The majority of the appropriations
committee was for indefinitely post
poning the bill, the minority was for
vassage with the 81 900 appropriation
and the second minority report pro.
posed to cut out the appropriation
but give the corn show state recogni-
tion. The final action was to kill
the bill. '} :. y =
Rep. SWEET, Kidder county, said
Ethat "since other cities are getting
whack at the treasury, Bismarck
ought to get some."ao @s,7@t; 5'f..e
Rep. Watt, Cass county, however,
declared the appropriation was .zner-
tied. The Corn Show, he said, comes
in the, fall when, corn can be obtain
ed for display, while the other fairs
are held. too early. He said he had
visited the Bismarck corn show and
felt it helped to boost diversification.
Rep. McCay Of Sioux county vigor-
eusly supported the appropriation,
and said the Bismarck corn show had
done much to- promote corn raising
among Indians, in Sioux county. Rep.
Sagen, Rep. Thompson Of Burleigh,
Rep. Starke. of Starke county and
others supported the bill, while Rep.
Hempel, Rep. Nogel and Ferris op-
posed it. Rep. Thompson Of Burleigh
county, who made a fight for the
measure, changed his vote to mo"
the prevailing side, when he saw: the
bill would be lost, sand announced
his intention Of moving for. recon
sideration the next day, but Speaker
Larkin. ruled that some business had
intervehed and he! would not enter
tain Thompson's motion. The op-