St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-20
'PEODLERs AND GROCERS.
WARM. STRUGGLE OYER THE PED
DLERS' LICENSE.
THE MATTER is REFERRED.

Three Hundred People Present at
Joint Streets Committee Meet
ing-Lawyer Countryman,s Ger
the Grocers, Shows That StEi
preme Court Has Decided, That
500 License Is CONSTITUTIONAL,
dot
Members of the committee on streets
from the board of aldermen and as
sembly held a session yesterday after
noon which was attended by over 500
people. The spectators represented the
retail groeerS and the peddlers, and the,
occasion for their attendance WAS the
consideration of In ordinance amending
the peddlerS' ordinance recently passed.
a 6 last the council, at the request of
the retail grocers. passed an ordinance
making the license fee for peddlers
with push carts $50 per year. and Licenses
for vehicle peddlers 500 per year!
After II ordinance was passed the
peddiers made a ''kick," and through
their attorney. Benn Davis. flooded, the
council with protests. asking that the
ordinance be changed so as to make the
fee for push carts S25 and the fee for
vehicle peddfers $40 per year.
Attorney Davis opened the talk yes
terday afternoon by calling attention to
the unconstitutionalitY of the the ordi-
nance, which, he claimed, protected one
class of business men for the benefit
of another. The ordinance if enforced.
MIR. Davis said, would drive out of bust
ness 70 per cent of the men now earn
ing a livelihood by peddling. Oscar
Tankenoff, district deputy grand master
of an order for the protection of the
Hebrews, said there were $50 peddlers
who had beeu earning a living for
themselves and families by peddling,
and the ordinance would prevent these
people from taking care of themselves
in the futur
NJ. l.. C~ountryman. attorney for the
grocerS, said that his clients had thou
sands of dollars invested in their busi-
ness, paid heavy rents and taxes, and
were materially injured by the peddlers.
The ordinance, he said, was conStitu-
tional. and to back up his argument he
cited a decision of the supreme court in
a case sent-up from Duluth, in which
Judge Mitchell had given al opinion
that the council of the city had the
power to fix the peddler's license at
500, the rate of the ordinance passed in
st. Paul. All the large cities, lie as
serted, had fixed the license for ped
dlers at the same, or larger figures.
Andrew Schoch, A. n. Sorenson and
other grOcers said that the license was
not too high at 500. and they explained
that the peddiers, by taking fruit from
the commission men, kept up the prices,
and also sold to the public fruit and
berries which they as grocers could not
handle. Aid. Coniey moved to indefi-
nitely postpone the ordinance reducing
the license, but he and Aid. Jensen
were the only mes who favored such
action. Assemblvman Doran wanted
tine matter referred to a committee to
consider the matter of a reduction.
Messrs. Lightner. Reardon. Markham
and Doran favored sending the matter
to a committee, and this was finally
agreed to. The chair appointed as such
committee Aid. Coniey and Zimmerman
and Assemblyman Lightner. The sub
committee will report to the joint COM
mittee at a meeting to be held Thursday
afternoon.
After the session adjourned a number
of the grocers gave it out that Assem-
blyman Doran and others of the council
were trying to dodge the question; but
the charge was denied by the gentle.
men.