The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-26
HELENA'S THEATRICAL LICENSE.
Manager Mcguire Replies to Alderman
Stedman's Eateryi; W.
GRAND OPERA House, J
BUTTE Cry. September "a, 1881

BUTTE CITY, september q, lSSO.)
To the Editor of The MINER: As l fur
| nished the information to your reporter
| concerning what I consider the prohibitory
license of the theater in Helena, and az
| the Hon. Mr.. Stedman has informed the
Inter Mountain that such a law has not
been passed. l would respectfully state thai
the ordinance r >ferred to is carried into exc
cution, and furthermore / have been credi
bly, informed that the august body who
have placed this outrageous tax on intelli'
gence and the highest form of art-the
legitimate drama-contemplated making it
still greater than the present amount. The
city license Of Helena to-day is IS per
night. or SIS per month, which makes a
yearly total, at the favored rate OF $75 a
month, equal to $500 per year. Besides
the county license of SIS per month, which,
with the city license, makes a total OF
81 $50 a year.
In the cities ofSalt Lake and Portland, Or,
each with a population OF 10000 there is
but one license of $50 for three months.
In New York City there is a license collected
from each theater OF $500 a year, one-half
OF which is RENTED by the city to the
trustees of the Actors Benevolent Society.
This remission being, | am proud to say,
caused by the fact that the profession takes
care of it's own sick or INDECENT members
who are through adverse circumstance in
want of financial aid, and consequently
wherever they may be are not a burden on
any city or county charitable institution.
There was a motion, l believe, before the
Helena City Council to raise the license OF
saloons and other branches of business
which did not succeed, but the legitimate
drama one OF the greatest educational
factors of the day, evidently had mo
friends at court" and a successful determi-
nation was made to bleed it to death.
There is another feature of the case that
probably this wise City Council did not
take into consideration the Immediate
benefit a frst.class theater is to their town.
A. an advertisement OF the standing OF a
CITY commercially and intellectually, there
is no greater index. If some Of the greatest
histrionic lights of the day can fill an en-
qagement for a number OF nights in a town
the size OF Helena, it speaks volumes in the
East, as to the prosperity OF the town, and
more readily puts the status OF the place
before people at a distance than could a
whole ship load OF immigration pamphlets.
From a commercial point l would state
that / give employment to ten OF it's resi-
dents every night the theater is opened.
Through the theater, the hotels are largely
p%atronized; hackmen, transfers and innum-
cradle other branches OF business, while
John Ming, through whose enterprise the
town can boast OF a theater, paid a re-
munerative rent, giving him a lair
interest for his investment. There is at
present a great desire among theater goers
that Mr.. Ming should sxpend considerable
money in the way OF ornametatlon, ETC.,
and an inclination on his part to do so, but
# the the theater is to be closed through
a prohibitary tax, 1 think Mr.. Ming is bus
mess man enough to wait at least until a
more propitious time when there is some
assurance OF fair play and when a City
Council will, in it's wisdom, charitab!y en-
terrain the opinion that a theatrical man
ayers business is quite as legitimate as any
nfhar respectabls mercantile institution
and not exactly a fair prey for exceptional
legislation for the enforcement oi a tax
witch il n discredit to the city which en-
forces it. Yours respectfully,
j. MAGUIRE.