San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-03-21
BUSINESS MEN WILL ATTEMPT
TO HOLD AN INTERSTATE
MILITARY CARNIVAL.
1t Will Be The GranieSt Affair Ever
Witnessed in the South. and
Will Attract Thousands of
Visitors to the City, Last
ing Eight Days.

by Secretary Irvine of the Business
Mems club to many of the leading
merchants and business men of the
city yesterday urging them to attend
citizens meeting to be held tomor,
row night for the purpose of agitating
the all-important subject of holding a
great interstate drill and military car,
nival in San Antonio next June. The
Belknap rifles have manifested theliv-
Hest interest in this project and
many of the old members, veterans of
the company, have promised the cap
tain to be present at this conference.
The Business Mems clubs invitation
goes to the business men, as will be
seen, to bring them into conference
with the active and eX-members of
the Belknap rifles. Every interested
citizen is urged TO be present even
though he may not have received a
special invitation. The letter is as
follows:
Dear Sir:-There will be a meeting
of business men at this club on Mon
day night next, March %, at s o'clock.
The purpose of this meeting is to Sc
cure the holding in San Antonio, of
a great military carnival and inter
state drill in the month of June.
Many experienced military people
will be present to give the facts re-
speeding other events of this sort and
to outline the plans for this one.
June is a dull month and if by a
united effort we can bring 5000 to TO-
600 people for eight days, you know
better than we do, how desirable it
is. On your presence the decision
may depend, therefore please be pres
ent.
Yours respectfully,
L. G. Irvine, Secretary.
At the last monthly mass meeting
of the membership of the Business
Mems club a proposition was advanced
by several interested merchants and
members of the Bleknap rifles that
an effort be made by the Business
Mems club to secure during the month
of June of this year an interstate drill.
At that meeting after full discussion
a vote was taken and it was the unan-
imOus opinion that the Business Mems
club should make an earnest effort to
have the drill held. Since that time
a great deal of inquiry has been made,
and the question has been thoroughly
canvassed by the parties interested,
and it has been made manifest that
with a good list of prizes, there will
be no difficulty at all in securing fif-
teen or twenty crack companies from
other states whose presence alone
would be great drawing cards. What
ever ones of these companies hold the
several trophies which they have won
at successive interstate drills, are
bound to appear on the field and de-
fend these evidences of their superior
ity whenever challenged at a general
interstate drill.
By combining with the prizes for
interstate companies an offer Of Sc
ries of prizes for state companies
which have never participated ininter-
state drills the event could be made
equal to a state encampment so far as
the state troops are concerned. 1t is
reasonable to believe that the railways
will consider this event as practically
state encampment and may be per
suaded to bring the state militia to
the city practically free of charge.
The country people and the city peo-
pie are alike pleased with military
show and such a grand carnival as
this could be made would certainly
appeal strongly to them to visit us al
that time. 1t is understood that ev
cry railway entering the city will ar
range for rates from it's territory
| equivalent to the best we have evel
had. Our people have had late an(
convincing proof Of the prejudice out
side people have in favor of San An
tonic as an excursion center. All W.
need at any time to bring thousand
of people into the city Is the extreme
ly low rates usually inaugurated
When we add to that the attraction o
military carnival such as has neve
been held in the state Of Texas, non
should need a second word of argu
ment to convince him that thousand
upon thousands Of our neighboring eli
liens would flock to the city an
many Of them remain during the er
tire season of the carnival 1t woul
not be a one-day affair but would las
from Sunday to Sunday or eight day
There would be sufficient inducemer
| III the curiosity anu eACltehcht Va I'll
people over the decisions for the larg
prizes to hold the larger number @
the people in the city throughout tn
contest. The plan would be to hav
one crack interstate company of inteI
national reputation, drill each day fC
the capital prize. II sufficient entire
can be obtained, OF course two migl
q. drill each day. Thus the decision {
! the capital prize would not be rende
= ed until the last crack company ha
drilled on the last day.. 1t is evideI
, ! that thousands Of our visitors as we
: as our own people would be intereste
} from day to day to observe theS
great companies in their military evr
buttons and this would secure a pI
| tronage at the ticket offices whic
| would rpcOuD all the exneDsps inc