MICHIGAN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 305 



jjreat for the Society, the State helped it out with the additional sum of 

 fOOO for the balance of the five years. In 185()-5T this was continued. 

 From 1857 to 1S58, |2,000 per .year; 1859 and 18G0, $2,500 per year and 

 from 1860 we note the astonishing leap oyer a period of 40 years, coming 

 down to the banner year of prosperity. 1901, when the State of Michigan 

 in consequence of its wonderful deyelopment, standing out in promi- 

 nence as one of the component parts of the most prosperous nations on 

 earth, by its Legislature doles out to this Society, to this home interest, 

 to hold as trustee and to be disbursed to indiyidual citizens of the State 

 under certified conditions during a period of two years, the sum of 

 $9,000. As T understand the situation this comprises the aid and assist- 

 ance up to the present time the Society has receiyed and in order to 

 emphasize the propriety of taking action on this matter, I desire to use 

 still more figures and lap back on to the forty-year period heretofore 

 alluded to. 



In the year 1893, a year of uniyersal depression in business, especially 

 in agricultural lines, wheat at that time the staple product of the State, 

 selling at fifty cents a bushel — in this year the Legislature donated 

 to an outside institution |100,000 of our money and on which our Society 

 had more just and natural claims. And this during a period of forty 

 3'ears of total neglect of this home Society. This was repeated in 190 L 

 to the amount of $48,000; again in 1903, to the amount of $50,000 to 

 outside institutions organized to promote the same identical object as 

 our home Society and while they last damaging to a degree nearly fatal 

 to our Society. But notwithstanding the small amount of aid, being 

 less than $25,000, it has held more than fifty exhibitions, paid large 

 sums in premiums and benefited localities where the exhibitions have 

 been held. The large sums, aggregating $193,000, and the institutions 

 it has assisted to promote, haye vanished in a single year, and all evi- 

 dences of value received go to the wrecking company and the junk pile. 



In reviewing past and present conditions I conclude that from the 

 date of the organization of the Society to th.e year 1860 the State gave 

 the Society all the assistance, with its comparatively limited resources, 

 it could have been expected to. Its neglect during the Civil War and a 

 period immediately following, is easily accounted for, but why it suf- 

 fered neglect for a period of forty years I am unable to explain. 



I believe our committeemen, representing so many localities of the 

 State, by a determined effort with the legislators with whom many of 

 them must have a personal acquaintance, could divert the tendency to 

 outside appropriations to institutions of a similar nature as ours and 

 the old time interest by the State could be revived. I would suggest a 

 committee be appointed with that end in view. 



I have one more suggestion to offer in this connection. I believe an 

 effort should be made to induce State officials to attend our fair. I 

 would suggest the erection of a guests' headquarters with a reasonable 

 amount of style, with day time accommodations, such as dining hall, 

 wash room and several other rooms provided with seats, desks, writing 

 materials, etc., with special reference to its being occupied by legislators 

 one or more days during the fair. I think it would soon become a feature 

 as legislators' headquarters and would attract other distinguished 

 guests. The accommodations could be turned over to other guests when 

 not in use by the legislators. 

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