The Saint Paul globe., 1898-08-09

for One Day Under the Ordinance
That Allows Prof. Gentry to Play
a Week for @6-Mayor and City
Treasurer Are in the Dark in
the Matter.
City Clerk Jensen charged the Gentry
dog and pony show Sc for operating
their circus in St. Paul one entire week.
Fifty passes for the city clerk to dis
tribute among his friends were thrown
in. That is, Mr.. Jensen charged the
Gentry people license Of &C cents for
each performance, some of which were
prayed to an audience of 1,500 people.
Yesterday Mr.. Jensen's chief clerk Ak
cd the license for the Wild West show
at $50, and this amount was paid into
the cfty treasury by the agent.
Ine thing which appears rather pc
cul1ar as to the fixing Of the licenses
for both the dog circus and the Wild
west show is that under the ordinance
under which the clerk claims to be act
Ing the dog and pony circus was liable
to a license Of $50 for a week, while
the Wild West show should have paid
only $6 for one day.
The ordinance, under which the city
clerk issued the license permit yester-
day to the Wild West show, reads as
follows:
It shall be the duty of every such person
natural or other curiosities or shows or to
perform any games theatrical exhibitions
or other games, shows or exhibitions what
compensation whatever shall be required or
received, to make application to the mayor
or common council or to the city clerk for
license, and the said license may be granted
by the mayor, common council or by the
city clerk for any concert or theatrical ex-
hlbitdon upon the payment to the city treas
license the sum of $50 for the first week and
s25 for each succeeding week or in that pro
rata & for the portions of a week
Provided whenever any person or persons
are desirous of exhibiting any show or per-
formance aforesaid before the meeting Of the
common council, the mayor or city clerk may
the council upon the payment of the sum
aforesaid to the city treasurer.
Under this ordinance the city clerk
or the mayor is allowed to issue the
license. Mayor Kiefer said he had
nothing to do with the license for the
Wild West show or the Gentry circus
license either.
Deputy City Clerk McCrea, in speak
ing of the matter yesterday afternoon,
said there should be some ordinance
which would fix the license for shows
such as the Wild West. Both he and
Mr.. Jensen had hunted over the ordi-
nances and the only thing they could
find was the one which required the
payment of $50 for one week, and, as
of the city, they had decided to charge
the weeks price for one Gay.
When asked why the Gentry people
had been let off with license Of Sc in
the face of this ordinance, Mr.. McCrea
said he knew nothing about it; that Mr..
Jensen had made that arrangement.
part of the same ordinance, under
which the charge Of $50 was made,
reads as follows:
side shows and charging fifty (50) cents ad-
mission for each person attending the CIRCUS
shall pay a license into the city treasury for
the first days exhibition the sum of $500, and
for each successive day after the first day
the sum Of $100.
All circuses with and without menageries
and side shows charging twenty-five cents
admission for each person attending the cir
Gus exhibition the sum Of $780, and for each
successive day after the first day the sum
OF $50.
All ordinances and parts of ordinances in
consistent with the provisions of this ordi-
nance are hereby repealed.
The city clerk and his deputy, how
ever, were Of the opinion that the Wild
West show did not come under the head
of a circus and could not be assessed
the $500.
City Treasurer Horst said he had
nothing to do with the fixing Of the
license fees. The person who paid the
license for any show came to his Office
with a permit from the city clerk and
on the permit was the designated
amount to be paid. The treasury de-
partment took the sum designated and
issued receipt, and that was all there
was to it. That was done in the case
of Prof Gentry and his S6