VOL. L1V.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JAN. 14, 1899.
NO. 2
INDIANA INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION.
Tha Annual Meeting: of the State Board
of Agriculture.
Live Stock  Associations,  Etc,
STATE   BOARD OF AGBICULTUBE.
The meeting of the Indiana State Board of
Agriculture convened in annual session at the
State House on the 3d inst. The attendance
was very good. The meeting was called to
order by President Chas. Downing, Greenfield, and the invocation was by Rev. B. A.
Jenkins of the Third Christian Church. At
the close, Hon. Thos. Taggert, mayor of the
city, delivered a welcome address, which was
full of encouragement to the members and
delegates present. He spoke of the State being the best in the Union and the Indiana
State fair should be the best held. The ad-
verses of 1898 was no criterion to go by and
the citizens of Indianapolis should work hand
in hand with the State Board for this end.
He assured the board that he was certain such
would be the case in the future President
Downing then delivered his annual address.
Gentlemen of the Indiana State Hoard of
Agriculture!
In pursuance of the requirements of the
charter of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture, we have met here at this time, for the
purpose of deliberation and consultation as
to the wants, prospects and conditions of the
agricultural interests throughout the State,
and for the transaction of such other business
as the Board may require.
It is a long established and time honored
custom for the President of the Board, at
these annual meetings to review the business
transactions of the board for the past year,
offering such suggestions and recommendations for the future, as in his judgment are
of sufficient importance to be brought to
your attention. Perhaps the most important
matter affecting the interests of the board,
from a financial stand-point, had it been successful, was the effort made to obtain a rate
of one cent per mile during the week of the
State fair on all railroads entering into Indianapolis, within certain limit*, and a one
way rate on all freight lines for ehibition
purposes. The executive committee after several unsatisfactory and ineffectual meetings
with the local manage™ of the passenger and
freight traffic associations, authorized the
president and secretary to represent this
board on a committee appointed by the board
of fair managers, to present the matter of passenger and freight rates to
the Eastern Central and Western Passenger
and Freight Associations at Chicago. A committee consisting of Messrs. W. W. Miller and
J. W. Fleming, of Ohio, John Cownie, of
Iowa, Chas. F. Kennedy and Chas. Downing,
of Indiana, and J. Irving Pearce, of Illinois,
met the managers of three traffic associations
in the city of Chicago, on the 8th day of
March, 1898, and were given a respectful and
patient hearing. The result of our efforts will
appear from the following report of the committee:
To the American Association of Fairs
tintl K.rpositions.
Gentlemen: The undersigned committee
appointed at the last annual meeting of this
association to confer with the Central Railway Traffic Association relative to reduced
passenger rates to the several State fairs and
the securing of freight rates on class norses
equal to rates charged on other exhibition animals beg leave to submit the following report.
On March 8th the committee met at the Sherman House in Chicago and proceeded to organize for the purpose of appearing beforo the
railway traffic associations in session at that
time. Through the kindness and interest of
Col. J Irving Pearce, president ofthe Illinois
State Board of Agriculture, your committee
was first granted an audience with the Chicago
sub-committee of tho Central Passenger Asso-
jciation, before which body it appeared and
jurged as earnestly as possible tho granting of
jCheap excursions and a one cent a mile rate
|by the railways for carrying passengers to the
,several State fairs. Strong arguments were
presented by the several members of the com-
-mittee in support of the requests made. Your
committee wasfery cordially received by the
™"*ay representatives who upon the retirement of the committee took action, as appears
Lrv?.mv. ° miD«tes of the meeting, copy of
*J^".^m Emitted to the members ofthe
Committee, as followe:
Through correspondence an audience with
the Central Passenger Association was secured
at its May meeting in Chicago. Tho chairman of this committee could not be present
but was represented by Mr. J. XV. Fleming, tho
secretary of our American  Fair Association.
The committee was very kindly received,
and discussed with the passenger association
the claims for a cent a mile rate and popular
excursions for the various Stato fairs. The
passenger association took the matter ud-
der advisement and agreed to report at a future meeting. It seems the subject was discussed at future meetings, but no decision
rendered until the meeting in July. The following letter gives the result:
Chicago, July 28,1898.
Mr. J. W. Flcmint.l, Assistant Net-return,
Ohio iState Depart in ent nf Atii-ieiiltiti-e,
('ol it tubus, Ohio.
Dear Sir. Adverting to your favor of the
27th. ultimo, and my reply under date June
28, I beg to advise that the members of this
association at a meeting held on the 13th.
inst., having reviewed the petition and arguments presented by yourself and members of
your committee, to a session of tho association convened in Chicago in April last and
having carefully considered the basis for the
excursion fares recommended by your committee, it was the sense of the meeting that
compliance with'your petition would, by reason of the large number of the State and district fairs and expositioDsannually held in the
territory of the Central Passenger Association,
result in blanketing the lines of the association for a period of at least GO days during the
season of these expositions with such abnormally low fares as would unproiitably discount
and in all probability demoralize the revenue
realized from regular travel. In this conclusion it was
Resolved, That the basis of excursion fares
requested by tho American fairs and expositions be respectfully declined.
As you perhaps understand, the resolution
is addressed to the one cent per mile rate
urged by your committee. It has been the
practice of the association to concede to the
fairs and expositions conducted in its territory, excursion rates of one regular fare for
the round trip, and it is believed that such
concessions present a sufficient inducement
to attract such of the public as are interested
in meetings of this character.
Yours truly,
F. 0. Donald, Commissioner.
Your committee exhausted every effort in its
endeavors to place before these railway associations the claim of the State fairs for better
passenger rates and a modification of the
freight rates on horses, and while not securing for this year all the requests made, we believe considerable good was accomplished by
getting in closer touch with the railways, and
that desirable results will follow. The demands of thia association are right and just,
as attested by some of the railway associations,
and success to the fairs and the railways in the
matter of fair traffic very plainlyrequires that
they be generally acceded to, and wo recommend that the efforts of this association to
secure the same be continued with even renewed energy.       Respectfully submitted,
W. W. Miller, Ohio, chairman.
J. Ihving Pearce. Illinois.
D. R. McGinnis, Minnesota.
John Cownie, Iowa,
Chas. Downing, Indiana.
Chas. Kennedy, Indiana.
J. W. Fleming, Ohio.
Committee.
It is to be hoped that the board of fair managers will renew its effort and continue to
keep it up until the railway companies will
make these concessions, which are so reasonable and just for the people of this great agricultural State. Thia matter is of as great importance to the agricultural and fair going
people of the State as it is to the managers of
the State board, for these annual exhibitions
are given for their benefit and to advance the
agricultural and industrial interests of the
State. And the railroad companies ought, in
some manner, to be impressed with the necessity and importance of making these reasonable and just concessions.
In justice to the railroad companies entering Indianapolis, it Is proper to state that
while they did not make the concessions asked
for, they did give the people living on their
respective lines, the advantage of special excursion trains at the usual half-fare rates.
And for this we arc very grateful.
After the president's firet call for troops and
before Governor Mount had issued his call to
the State troops, the executive committee
tendered to tho governor the free use of the
fairgrounds for the State troops while in
camp. The grounds were occupied by the
troops under these conditious during the
whole of the summer and during the fair.
Considerable damage was done to buildings,
fences and grounds during tho occupancy by
the soldiers and an adjustment of tho damage
done up to tho 2Gth day of May, 1898, was had
whieh was satisfactory totho committee and
the sum of $710 75 received from the United
States Government through tho Stato turned
into the treasury. Tho damages occasioned
by tho occupancy of the soldiers since that
time have not been adjusted, but has been estimated by the superintendent at $5,500 ln
round numbers. The committee's action respecting tho tendering of the fair grounds to
the governor for the purposes mentioned has
been approved by tho full board, and I trust
that you endorso it.
Tho incapacity and worn-out condition of
the hot air pump at the pumping station on
the fair grounds required a largo expenditure
of money each year for repairs, and then it
was difficult to keep it in working order. It
became so troublesome that at times it was
impossible to depend upon it to supply the
water necestary for tho ground. The committee caused an investigation to be made of
it by an expert engineer, who gave it as his
opinion that tho defect could not. be remedied, even if its capacity was sufficient. The
committee acting upon this opinion and after
receiving competitive bids purchased a steam
boiler and'had it placed and connected with
the engine which was used as an auxiliary to
the air pump, since which time there has not
been the slightest trouble with the water-works
system. Besides this improvement, there have
been built and furnished a woman's rest
building, a new starter's and judge's stand,
an electric power building, the grounds and
most ofthe buildings havo been wired for the
use of electricity, new fences have been
erected in front of the grand-stand, a piazza
has been provided in front of the grand-stand
for showing class horses and cattle. The entrances and exits at the street railroad loop
were remodeled and enlarged so as to accommodate largo crowds .and prevent accidents.
Nearly all of the dry wells and water drains
and much of the water mains were repaired,
as were all the outside fences and gravel
walks. The interior of the art and agricultural buildings were remodeled. All of these
Improvements aggregated the sum of $G,100.
These improvements were absolutely necessary
for properly conducting the fair, and were essential to the the comfort, safety and convenience of its patrons.
Our experience of the last year has demonstrated and convinced us beyond any question,
that we need a complete system of drainage
and sewerage in case of excessive rainfall during the fair. This would not involve a very
great outlay of money as the ground is comparatively level, tbe outlet close, and the fall
ample. Xo improvement can be made to the
grounds which would be more conducive to
the comfort of the patrons of tho fair during
these heavy downpours of rain. Icannoturge
this recommendation too strongly, for the consideration and action of the new board. In'
this connection I would also suggest, that when
the race track is resolled, a good quality of
clay be used instead of the gumbo soil. It
has been repeatedly and forcibly demonstrated
that our gumbo track is not a wet weather
track and cannot be made one, unless clay is
used. The Pointer-Patchen race proved this
to our satisfaction and to the disappointment
of the largest crowd of people that ever assembled on the fair grounds. We cannot control
the elements during fair week, and since this
is so, we must make the best possible provision for carrying out the race program in the
event of a rainy day or a rainy week.
I believe that meritorious night attractions
given on the fairgrounds dnring the week of
the fair will prove both popular and profitable to the board, but I feel that tho board
owes an apology to the people who attended
the "Battle of Manilla," especially thoso who
saw it on the opening night. We were led to
believe from the reputation of Pain's Fire-
work's Company, as fire works manufacturers
and operators of fire work's displays, and the
statements made by their agent, who represented to the executive committee, that the
"Battle of Manilla" would be the greatest
production and display of fireworks ever
given in Indianapolis, or the State. To say
that the board was disappointed is putting it
mildly. We have information that the production was tamo compared with that given by
the same company in other cities,'and did
not opproach the production given at Manhattan Beach, or the expectations of the
board.
The executive committee by and with the
consent of the board, authorized the employment of the city police during the week of
the fair. While this was a new departure from
the old custom, it waa eminently satisfactory both as to service and cost. No better
service could have been desired; it was per-
fact. The mayor, chief of police and the
members of the detective and regular police
force detailed for service during the fair are
entitled to and deserve our hearty thanks. I
have taken same pains to ascertain whether or
not tho expense for this service was excefsive,
and whether tht board was justified in its
course. The records show that the expense
ia a little less than the average year, taking a
period covering 11 years, as follows: i-sJBJ
In 1877 the board paid for police service,
$998 25; 1881. $010 55; 1882. $G03t!l; 1883,
$183 25; 1881, $818 70. 188G, $589; 1887, $004 25;
1*88, $118 75; 1889, $78197; IRK), $811 14; 1898,
$010.
It will be seen from theso figures that tho
averago expenditure for police service during
the years whs $G70. Tho reason for taking tho
figures for these years is. that the expense for
police service is not given separately in the
last reports. It is Included in tho total expenses for running tho fair. In considering
this expense It must be borno in mind that
during tho years mentioned the State board
gave night attractions, while this year on account of the Battle of Manilla we were compelled to have a larger force at night than during tho day. So you see that with the ordinary State fair without night attraction the
city police would bo the most economical, for
the board.
Y'ou will learn from the financial reports of
the secretary and treasurer, that the last fair
was not a financial success, it is hardly necessary to mention the cause. It was a record
breaker in one respect, that is, that not a race
was started during the week of the fair. Those
who have conscientious scruples against horse
racing at fairs cannot complain of the last
fair in thia respect. The incessant rain during the week made it impossible to start any
of the races. All tho owners of race horses
and the race loving patrons of the fair, were
of course very much disappointed. But notwithstanding the rain and mud, the exhibition
in the other departments was the best made in
years. On every hand it waa remarked that
tho display was wonderful. And the board
was the recipient of many congratulations for
the excellent exhibits and the manner of conducting the fair. No questionable features of
any kind or character were permitted to enter
the gates of the grounds at any timo and I enjoin on the future management that this precedent be strictly followed. We must not becomo discouraged becauso we did not accomplish all we desired to this year. Nothing but
the extreme rainy weather prevented us from,
having one of the largest attendances in the
history of the State fair. It was remarked on
all. sides that the people wanted to come to
the fair if tho weather would give them a
charree. And the superintendent of gates reported that up to 10 o'clock on Thursday
morning, more tickets had been sold than on
any previous Thursday since he had served in
that place. And the exhibits in all departments wero certainly larger than usual. The
State boaid has seen darker days in ita history.
In looking over the records I noticed that in
1881 the indebtedness of the board was in excess of $80,000, $00,000 of which waa drawing
10 per cent Interest. In 187G. the inoYbtednesa
of the board amounted to $89,700. The present indebtedness ae you will learn from the
secretary's report is $4,082 23. So I say, the
board need not at all be discouraged. One
good year will wipe out thia debt and leave us
a surplus. The board had a larger debt in
1897 and wiped it out entirely with the proceeds of the fair of that year.
The object in the Legislature in creating
the Stato Board of Agriculture was for the
encouragement of agriculture. And with this
end in view and to carry out the full purpose
and intention of the Legislature in creating
thia institution of the State, it has been giving these annual educational exhibitions for
almost a half century, nearly all of them in
the city of Indianapolis. The wisdom of the
members of the Board who permanently located the State fair grounds in the capital
city of the State cannot now be questioned.
It would have been unwise to have gone elsewhere, if tho convenience and comfort of persona who attend tbe Stato fairs and the facilities for reaching the State fair are to be considered. Being thus permanently located at
the capitol, it becomes a question of very
great importance as to how we can best enlist
the interest and support of the citizens of this
city to assist in making the State fair a success, not from a financial standpoint alone,
but to make it such an exhibition as will stimulate and educate the visitors to the State
fair and especially those interested in agriculture, so that its influence will be felt
throughout the State. If we cannot accomplish this result the mission of the State fair
is at an end. We must educate as well as entertain. That is our commission. Forthe paft
few yeara, the State board has been ably
and generously asaisted by the counsel, advice and support of the Board of Trade and
the Commercial Club of Indianapolis. And
we have profited by their suggestions, and I
sincerely hope and trust the  State board m*y