SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV. 129 



come a thing- of the past. In Mitchell county we have struggled 

 along to keep the fair together. AVhen we asked the board of 

 supervisors to aid us in rebuilding our burned buildings there 

 went up a cry that there was a political lobby. The suggestion in 

 that paper struck me as the thing to make the fair a success. 



Mr. Seaman : I have had some experience in county fairs, and 

 I wish to briefly state that after due deliberation and some sad 

 experience in these county organizations I have come to the con- 

 clusion that the days of the county fair in the State of Iowa are 

 numbered ; in fact, they are past. I do not believe if you will 

 examine the history of any agricultural society in the State of 

 Iowa, and examine it thoroughly, that you will be convinced they 

 will be interested in maintaining in anything like a majority of 

 the counties in the State of Iowa an agricultural society for any 

 number of years. The State of Iowa has outgrown the county 

 agricultural society ; in other words, you cannot get enough people 

 together in one county or ad.jacent counties to receive enough 

 instruction from it to warrant the expense of maintaining it. 



IMr. IMcTavish : I have had a little experience in conducting 

 a county fair. I have listened to this discussion with much in- 

 terest. I heartily agree with Governor Packard when he says 

 that the funds obtained at the gates will not more than pay run- 

 ning expenses ; I heartily agree with the gentleman who says that 

 the State of Iowa has outgrown the county fair ; but I disagree 

 with the idea that the State of Iowa has outgrown a county agri- 

 cidUiral fair. The county fairs of Iowa the last few years have 

 degenerated so that in many cases it has not been safe for a man 

 to take his family, his daughters, if you please, blooming into 

 womanhood, load the family up in the surrey and go to .the fair 

 as in days gone by. Therefore the people of Iowa have outgrown 

 what is commonh^ called the county fair, and what, in reality, is 

 nothing but a low grade vaudeville. If the element that wants 

 to see what is vaudeville, put on out-doors, what is called now 

 the carnival, the element that wants to see that can see a 

 far better vaudeville by going to central places for this where a 

 better program is put on; a. county fair cannot put on any at- 

 traction that will be worth the money at the gate. We have in 

 my county, Linn county, three fairs. The one of which I have 

 been director for several years is located at Central City. That 

 fair degenerated ; got into the hands of the attraction element ; 

 but it was reorganized on democratic principles, so that every one 



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