The Topeka state journal., 1897-10-20
NO MORE CARNIYALS.
Kansas City Merchants Want to
Make Topeka "Ashamed of
Herself"

Make Topeka "Ashamed of
Herself"
Kansas City has fully determined
not to give another carnival like those
of the past, just as Topeka has de-
termined to remodel her Fall Festival
so that 1t will not resent Bile any other
festivities held in the west. It will now
be a race between Kansas City and
Topeka as to which will have the most
original entertainment next year. To-
peka is the most formidable rival Kan
saS City has. We had 60 900 people at
our Festival while Kansas City had
barely 10000 more. 1t will be well to
keep our eye on Kansas City's plans in
order to prevent a similarity in our
programme next year. The following
from the Kansas City World shows
on carniVals
Many of the business men of the city
are IN favor or abOlishing the system
Of afternoon parades given during
Carnival week They say it's detri-
mental to the interests of Kansas City
to give parades in the afternoon and
will request that in the future if pa
rades are given they will take place at
night.
The merchants also seem to be unan-
lmouSIy in favor of abandoning all OBJ
jectionable features of Carnival week
and insist that Carnival night should
be observed in less boisterOus man
ner.
Something new is clamored for. The
Carnival parades appear to have ex-
hausted their charms in the eyes of
the local business men and they are
desirous of securing some new and
more interesting attractions for the
fall of 1898 Many of the merchants
are emphatic in the statement that
they will hereafter refuse to donate
money for afternoon parades. They
suggest a musical festival, industrial
exposition, home product show, agri-
cultural fair and several other forms
of amusing and entertaining the Kan
(itVanE their Wis
Carnival week.
A World reporter interviewed several
prominent merchants with the follow
ing results:
Jerome Bernheimer of Bernheiner
Bros: By all means adopt some new
form of amusement for next year.
The class of people which comes to
Kansas City during the fall festivities,
IN my opinion, don't want to partici-
pate in the hullaba1oo, such as we've
had for the past three years on Car
nIval afternoon. Such actions as have
been tolerated here in the past are
detrimental to the business interests of
the city. The Carnival parade was all
right in itself, and the flower parade
was thing Of beauty, and worthy of
praise, but what good results are de-
rived from them are more than offset
by the boisterous and rowdyish con-
duct of the maskers on Carnival day.
l think every business man will agree
that parades should be given after 6
p. m. Afternoon parades are ruinous
Merchants will not donate to afternoon
parades in the future
James M. Love, druggist: Carnival
week, with the present system of pa
rades, has lost it's charm with both To-
cal people and Out-of-town visitors. The
novelty has Worn off and people don't
want to return here to see the same
display they witnessed last year and
the year before. Then Carnival parades
have become too common in this vicin-
ity, and with Topeka Atchison Ieay-
nT0h nd -rfx~
ing them the people of this district are
tired of the festivities BY all means
put stop to this disgraceful Carnival
nlght business, and let's be civilized.
Afternoon parades, with the exception
OF the flower parade, should also be
abandoned.
Max Well proprietor Hub clothing
mouse: II these paradeS are to be con-
tfnued they must be held at night, to
get any further financial support from
me. They are of no earthly benefit to
merchants as conducted heretofore.
Let's have something extraordinary
next year, that will make our com
petitors and imitators-St. Joseph, To-
peka, Atchison and other places
ashamed of themselves. Get some
display that will interest farmers as
well as city people. The country visi-
tors are the people we want to a.n,1se
as they are the ones who help our city
by their presence. Any form of en-
tertainment would be preferable to the
present old and worn out system which
people have become weary looking at
c. G. Peters, for J. T. Bird of Emery.
Bird, Thayer & Co.: Something new is
needed, either an OId-fashioned fair, a
home product show or exposition of
some kind is in order. People don't |
wants any more carnival nights, and
the merchants don't want afternoon
parades; they injure business.
John DOggett, Doggett Dry Goods |
Co; I have protested against these |
afternoon carnival parades ever since |
they were established. They are ruin |
Gus, and I would not donate a 5-cent |
piece to the Carnival crew for its aft |
ernoon parades. I would prefer to do |
nate to abolish them.
L. H. Calm, manager May Stern &, |
Co: No more Carnival Crew business
for me- I will not donate toward aft |
ernoon parades which seriously Grip |
pie my business. The visitors who |
come here during Carnival week don't |
move outside their lodging places on |
Carnival night, and don't appreciate |
the doings of Carnival afternoon.