The Saint Paul globe., 1898-08-09

City Clerk Jensen charged the Gentry
dog and pony show $6 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 a license Of &C cents for
each performance, some of which were
| played to an audience of 1,500 people.
Yesterday Mr.. Jensen's chief clerk fix
ed the license for the Wild West show
at $50, and this amount was paid into
the city treasury by the agent.
The thing which appears rather pc
culiar 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 license Of $50 for week, while
the Wild West show should have paid
only IS 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
who may be desirous of exhibiting any
perform any games or theatrical exhibitions
or other games, shows or exhibitions what
ever, for which any money or pay, any
compensation whatever SUdll Ue TeQulTeu Ut
| 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-
hibitdon upon the payment to the city treas
, urer by the person or persons receiving such
$50 for each succeeding week 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 tie meeting of the
common council, the mayor or city clerk may
grant such license until the next meeting of
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-
Hances and the only thing they could
find was the one which required the
| payment of $50 for one week, and, as
| the best way out, and for the interests
| 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 $6 in
| the face of this ordinance, Mr.. McCrea
said he knew nothing about it; that Mr.
Jensen had made that arrangement.
| A part Of the same ordinance, under
| which the charge Of $50 was made
reads as follows:
Circuses with without menageries and
| 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 $3.50, 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 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 So.