The herald., 1897-10-29
THE BAND PLAYED ON
BROADWAY MERCHANTS WITH
AN EYE FOR MAIN CHANCE
Their Success With Band Engenders
Discomfort in the Breasts Of
Rivals-Petition to Council

Few persons who have enjoyed the
band concerts that have been given for
the past four or five Saturday nights in
front of the city hall have even suspect
ed that behind the presence of the musi-
clans there is a story of more than usual
interest to the merchants of the city.
Many have doubtless wondered why it
who footed the bill for their services.
In the answer to that question there is
a prospect of a somewhat amusing fight
among rival merchants. The scene Of
this contest will be the city council
chamber, and what the outcome will be
remains to be seen. Ii is possible that
this publication of the matter may
cause the fight to be abandoned. but GER
tain it is that as late as last night prep
arations were being quietly made by
certain merchants to spring a surprise
upon their rivals, and the seemingly
innocent band concerts were to be made
the subject of that surprise.
Months ago cnterprsing dealers doing
business on Main street hit upon the
plan of Illuminating that thoroughfare
with many arc lights, in the hope that
people who We're compelled to do their
shopping at night might be attracted
TO their street and would therefore nat
urally come into their stores. The plan
worked even better than had been ex-
pected and the Spring street merchants
were compelled to also put in arc lights,
for they found that people would 90
where there was plenty of light. The
Broadway merchants also lighted their
street, thus making matters about equal
in the matter of catching customers.
All this took place months ago, and but
little was said at the time of the real
reason for the presence of so many arc
lights in front of the stores but the
lights remained and will remain. Trade
assumed it's usual volume and followed
it's usual channels for long time, until
the Broadway merchants hit upon plau
Of enticing the crowds to that street.
Some of the shrewder of them went
to the others and pointed out that if on
Saturday nights a band was stationed
in front of the city hall it's music would
attract thousands of people who would
otherwise remain only on Spring and
Main streets, and would not come to
Broadway at all. 1t was argued that a
sufficient number of these people would
make purchases en- Broadway, after
listening to the concerts, to more than
pay for the cost of the band. The result
was that number of the merchants
made up purse and employed the band
Nothing was said of their having done
SO. and through the leader of the band
the city council was petitioned for per
y,icc 10 hn oft I,o1 ctr md 70
erect band stand in front of that build
ing. OF course, the councilmen did not
guess what the real purpose of their
presence was, and the permission was
willingly granted. The result was just
as the Broadway merchants had pre-
dicted. The band played and the people
came to hear it and, coming. entered the
stores nearby and made their purchases.
The sequel to this neat plan is to be
found in a petition which is now being
circulated for presentation to the city
council. Every effort has been made to
keep the fact of the existence of such u
petition secret until it was suddenly pre-
sented in the city council 1t was i'm
possible to get copy of the document
but glance at it showed that it was
in about the following words:
1--WE the undersigned merchants doing
business on Main and Spring streets
would respectfully protest against the
continued use of the city hall steps and
the obstruction of the street in front of
the city hall by band stand on Satur-
day nights for advertising purposes.
While we have no objection to band con-
certs there, we do object to the property
of the city being used as an advertising
place, because the band is employed by
Broadway merchants for the purpose of
diverting trade from it's natural chan
nels, greatly to the injury of our busi-
ness. We would therefore petition your
honorable body to revoke the permit
granted the band to erect stand at the
point mentioned"
This may not be the exact wording of
the petition, but it is nearly so. What
success is being met by those who are
circulating 1t could not be learned, but
it is stated that the objection has come
from a minority of the merchants on
Spring and Main streets. The Broadway
dealers were shrewd enough not to place
any advertising matter on the stand
The band simply played and attracted
the people and the merchants did the
rest Unless the council acts in the mat
ter it will continue to play.
>D
0oluv Ia Santa Ann Parcs