The Portland daily press., 1883-06-14
The Official Inspectors Of Shows

l n0 0u1c1al inspectors Vi 0IlOWS.
There was an innocence about the remarks
which Alderman Wipslow made at the meet
ing of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on
Tuesday evening which was truly charming.
1t seems that one night he, in company with
the Mayor presented himself at the entrance
to show and found the proprietor disin-
cined to admit him. Mr.. Winslow did not
state whether they were provided with tick
cts or not, but as proprietors of shows gem
orally honor tickets it is safe to assume that
they were there in the character of inspec-
tors of shows simply. 1t would have proved
interesting if Mr. Winslow had explained to
the board the manner in which he and the
Mayor succeeded in getting inside the door
whether they informed the doorkeeper
what their official positions were and thus
paralyzed him, whether in their zeal to pro-
tect the public morals they kicked down the
door, or whether, which is highly improba-
BILE, they went to the ticket office and pur-
chased tickets However they got in and
thus maintained the dignity Of the City Gov
ernment of Portland. Mr.. Winslow says he
found bar against the door so that people
would have been crushed to death in case of
panic. Perhaps this bar was simply the
means which the doorkeeper had temporari-
ly called into requistion to keep out persons
not holding tickets.
There are people uncharitable enough to
suggest that this unpleasantness with the
doorkeeper had something to do with the
rules which the Aldermen adopted govern
ing shows. Evidently those rules were
drawn with great care and feeling, and are
designed to protect their august authors from
affront from the minor individuals who per-
form the duties of policemen on the floors
and in the galleries in case of disorderly
conduct, as well as from the proprietors.
The latter are threatened with revocation
of their licenses if they fail to recognize the
''badge of significant and appropriate de-
sign' while the former are to be selected
virtually by the Aldermen themselves. The
only affront to their dignity the astute of
ficials have faded to guard against is an oc-
casional hoot from the 'gallery gods''
when they spy the ''badges of significant
dUu appropriate QtSiSu COiuiuS tuLOuSu
the door, This was.undoubtedly an acci-
dental omission which will be remeded in
the near future.
We congratulate the Aldermen that they
can now attend TO the self-imposed duties
of inspectors of shows without the danger
of anyone's asking them for ticket. We
congratulate the show-going public also that
hereafter when they attend an entertain
ment they can divest themselves of all fear
that the building may tumble down or that
anything will be said or done ON the stage
to offend the most fastidious taste, for they
will know that the Mayor and all but two of
the Aldermen will be there to hold up the
building or check any exuberant dancer
whose zeal in her art may get the better of
her discretion. The only thing to be regret
ted is that the circus is to exhibit in Deer
Ing and that the Mayor and Aldermen will
not be there to see that the elephants do not
flourish their trunks too freely or the clown
perpetrate questionable jokes.