108 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
preferred the judgment of the people to risking the reputation 
of valuable implements and machinery to the verdict of a com¬ 
mittee liable to be composed in whole or in part of persons 
already prepossessed or prejudiced in favor of a particular pat¬ 
ent ol which they might have superior knowledge. This was 
not a rule that would apply to other departments, for the rea¬ 
son that in no other was the strife so great between competi¬ 
tors. 
When the vote was finally taken it was in favor of offering 
free exhibition but no premiums at all in the classes embracing 
machinery and implements for agricultural purposes. 
There was also a decided difference as to whether equestri¬ 
anism should not be abolished, as being irrelevant and detract¬ 
ing from the character and dignity of our industrial exhibi¬ 
tion. Against this view its continuance was urged on the 
grounds, that the exhibitions would necessarily be failures in 
every important sense unless the public were present to profit 
by the instruction and pleasure they were intended to afford 
that it was one proper object of such exhibitions to promote 
social intercourse among the people of different sections of the 
state, and that it would be impracticable to secure a large at¬ 
tendance from a population so sparcely distributed over wide 
areas, however good the exhibition as such, unless entertain¬ 
ments attractive to the body of the people are included. 
Equestrianism was continued for another year by a close 
vote. 
The list of premiums having been completed, at twelve 
o’clock the board adjourned to 2 P. M. 
February 8,—2 o’clock P. M. 
The board met pursuant to adjournment; the original num¬ 
ber of twelve being present. 
President Hinklev in the chair. 
The appointment of officers to have immediate charge 
of the exhibition, together with the necessary award¬ 
ing committee having been announced as the next order of 
