The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-28
VENDORS OF BADGES WILL BE
CLOSELY WATCHED DURING EN-
CAMPMENT WEEK.
NO DECEIT WILL BE BORNE.
LINE BETWEEN OFFICIAL AND
OTHER SOUVENIRS WILL BE
CLOSELY DRAWN.
COMMITTEE ON THE eUl vIvE
Lest Visitors to the City should Be
Imposed Upon by Irresistible
Fly-by-Nights.

In order that the fakirs and VEN
doris of fraudulent souvenirs and badg-
es may not hoodwink innocent pur-
chasers as they did at Pittsburg and
Louisville, the local committee has Sc
cured from the city authorities the
right to issue licenses to all persons
who may wish to sell such articles
during the week AS is usual in such
cases the field is already well filled
with fellows who are intent on making
money at the expense of the crowds
by selling fraudulent articles purport-
ing to be the only authorized souvenir
book, badge, button, or whatever they
may have for sale. The committee in
tends, too, to make this arrangement
source of revenue, and has the right
from the city to charge for the licenses,
which will entitle the holder to sell
any article on the streets, in the grand
stands, or anywhere in the city. All
others will be prosecuted. Each per-
son procuring such permission from
the G. A. r. committee will be pre-
sented with a badge of silk, orange
color, on which is printed: &C. A. r.
Citizens Committee, Privilege" to-
All wearers of these badges will have
the official souvenirs of the occasion,
and none but such persons will have
these articles. If any person wrong
fully represents his sale, the commit
tee will, if possible, secure his convic-
ton, for the prosecution will be
prompt and vigorous. One dealer has
employed large number of fakirs
who will go upon the streets to sell a
badge that is so like the genuine SOU
venir badge that only close inspection
will detect the fraud. This dealer has
$4,000 of these badges and has refused
to take out license from the citizens
committee to sell the genuine badge
This man and his employees will be
closely watched, and if it is learned
that they are selling badges as official
they will be arrested and prosecuted
All reviewing stands along the line
of march Of the parade will be in
spected tomorrow afternoon, and any
that are condemned will be strength
ened before use, or they will not be
thrown open to visitors The commit
tee has taken every precaution, and
bic, be eliminated from the use of the
stands by the crowd. Tomorrow after
noon at 2:30 City Engineer Rundlett,
Building Inspector Kingsley, Maj.
Espy, A. T. Guager, Tim Reardon and
M. ]. Craig will meet at Maj. Espy's
office and from there will proceed over
the line of march and carefully in
spect every stand. None Of these
stands will be thrown open for public
use until they have been pronounced
absolutely safe by this committee. Pri-
vate stands as well as those erected
under the direction of the G. A. r.
committee will be alike subjected to
the scrutiny Of the committee, so that
the accident at Louisville last year
will not be repeated in st. Paul.
The business portion Of the city is
rapidly assuming a holiday appear
ance. The wholesale district, especial
ly, is beginning to show the results of
judicious expenditure of money in the
decorators art. On the hill private
citizens are delaying the work Of dec
Grating their homes, probably fearing
storm will destroy the beauty of the
flags and banners before the old sol
diers and other visitors arrive. But
the streets that are being ornamented
by the Citizens committee are already
ablaze with color and the work is only
fairly begun.
W. G. Strickland, chairman Of the
decoration committee, said yesterday
that the work of the committee would
be finished in time for the illumination
on Saturday night ''The work on
Sixth street will be completed by that
time" said Mr.. Strickland, land the
citizens can see and judge for them
selves at that time how wisely we have
expended the sum set apart for that
purpose. We have placed a 22-foot
Grand Army badge on the Ford build
ing at the head of Sixth street, and
although it is smaller than desirable
for the location, it was the largest the
committee could procure. The columns
and arches are pretty well along. and
will be finished and ready for the illu-
mination at the close Of the week The
search light on the Ford building will
throw different colored Examinations
up and down the street, and will have
the same effect as a calcium light on
the stage, though much larger and in
finitely more powerful.
1T should not be forgotten that every
dollar OF decoration money has been
expended among local merchants. ex-
cept in a few cases where local firms
had so many orders ahead that it was
impossible for them to do our work on
time. Mannheimer Brothers, J. H.
Neill, Willwerscheid Brothers and
others have done most or the deco
rating
Some fine electrical displays will be
made in the wholesale district at pri-
vate expense
The great crowds will be a tax on
the hospitality of the city, but it should
be borne in mind there will be a place
for every one to lay his head and
plenty of the creature comforts as well.
The hotels of the city will spare no
effort to contribute to the well being of
those who seek shelter under their
roofs. Every hotel will be crowded.
but not Gncomfortably. There will be
cots in the parlors and in the Railways.
too, perhaps, if found necessary. but
there will be no discomfort to the
guests. Every landlord is on his mettle
to make name and reputation for
hospitality and good service, for there
is nothing that is so good an advertise
ment for a hotel than to say that If
was a good place to be in when such
and such a convention or carnival or
encampment was held. The landlords
have made every preparation to handle
the increased business Already most
of the available space has been dis
81 Il