80 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



of the people, but still it was the best we could do. We located it at 

 Scdalia and they have extended the appropriation to fifty thousand 

 dollars, with the Breeders' Fund that the Legislature gave to us, we 

 have expended about eighty-five thousand dollars ; whereas the Illi- 

 nois appropriation was two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to 

 start with, which reminds me of how we are everywhere talked about 

 as "Poor old Missouri." You gentlemen have been on the fair grounds 

 and know whether that money has l)een expended judiciously or not. 

 I will say for the committee that they, with the exception of probably 

 two of them, had never had any experience in the management of a 

 State Fair. Governor Colman and iNlr. Gcntr\- had had some ex- 

 perience, but outside of that no member of the Board had had any, 

 unless possibly Mr. Ellis had had some. They spent that money; 

 they held two successful fairs and we had spent every dollar when the 

 last settlement was made with a sur})lus of $rxx). We paid every 

 premium as soon as it w^as awarded and the certificate brought to the 

 ofificc of the Secretary, the warrant was issued immediately for the 

 money. No premium has ever been cut down in Missouri and I am 

 opposed to her ever getting a reputation for doing that. 



We wish to get your co-operation for our State Fair. All of you 

 h.ave more" or less influence with the members of the Legislature, and 

 it is to the Legislature that we must always look for an appropria- 

 tion sufiFicient to place Missouri's fair upon as grand a scale as any 

 state in the Union and make her, as she truly is, "imperial mistress 

 of states." 



RESPONSE IN 'BEHALF OF THE STATE GRANGE. 



(By C. O. Rainc, Monticello, Mo.) 



Mr. Chairman, Honorable Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen : 



It is indeed with pleasure that I appear before you to-day in the 

 mterest of the organization known as the Grange or the Patrons of 

 Husbandry, organized as a National organization in 1867, as a State 

 organization in the year 1872, since which lime the organization has 

 seen many prosperous days, and yet many days of decline and dis- 

 couragement. Yet we are happy to say that during this time the 

 State Grange has never failed to hold its annual session. Many, per- 

 l-.aps, in your own county of Greene were members of this organiza- 

 tion some years ago and are aware of the fact that the organization was 

 once strong in (Ireene county. But it has come to be a fact that, as 

 stated in the Scriptures, the first shall be last and the last shall be 



