Arizona republican., 1899-12-05
PRICE OF A CARNIVAL
And the Easy Way in Which it Was
 Raised.

And the Easy Way in Which it Was
 Raised.
 But public meetings and resolutions do not make carnivals. Neither does the mere exercise of good will and public spirit raise money to defray the expense of a great civic demonstra- tion. There was some apprehension in spite of the enthusiasm which had marked all the preliminary meetings that sufficient money to make a credit able display would not be forth coming. The apprehension was mainly caused by the coldness with which a propo- sition for a carnival two years ago and then one year ago, was received. The experience of the first carnival was then too fresh. Merchants said that they had not only derived no benefit from it, but that the excitement of the occasion had positively injured their trade. It was the opinion that. however beneficial a carnival might generally be to Phoenix it was not beneficial in a financial way to any body but hotel keepers, proprietors Of restaurants and to saloon keepers.
 But a great change had come over Phoenix within year. That had been shown in the unexpected facility with which the board or trade fund was sub scriped. So one night at a business meeting of the carnival committe when the subject of subscriptions was mentioned in a merely incidental way, it was taken up and discussed, each member offering to subscribe more than anybody else. A great start was unexpectedly made and there was an unheard of thing in a meeting in Phoenix, or anywhere else, of the chairman having to apply a cloture to subscribers in order that other nec- essary preliminary business might be transacted. That little episode though removed every doubt of the success of the carnival, and the next day the so | liclting committee, consisting of F. | W. Thayer, Leo Goldman, J. c. Adams. | John R. Norton, F. $. Wakelin, c. J. Hall, Dr. J. Miller, g. P. Clark. Cap tain J. l.. B. Alexander, Walter Tal- bot. Dr. William Duffield, R. H. Green, | s. J. Nicholson, C. D. Doris and H. H. | McNeil, headed by President McCowan, | began work. That was October g. Within less than five hours the com mittee secured subscriptions amount l ing to g. 3.0G0. It had not been expected. and had not really been desired that more than S5.000 should be raised. That was believed to be sufii- cient to defray all possible ex- penses. Yet within a few hours the committee had obtained considerably more than half the sum from only | ffty-four subscribers. none of whom had agreed to pay less than S10. The heaviest subscriber was Hirschfield G PerBius, $500. Ben Butler and J. C. 1 Adams gave S250 each and six other $1OO. There was beside a long list of $50 and $25 sub scribers. After that four hours work the committee begun enlarging the scope of the entertainment. for ! there seemed no limit to what might 1 be accomplished.
 The next day the soliciting commit tee only had time to work couple of hours, but the list was swelled to 8, 765 Several subscribers hunted the committee up and said they feared | they had been overlooked in the gen. eral excitement. The third day the list was raised to S4, 4S0. and on the next | reached s5, O05. It was all done so easily and quickly that the futility of having a soliciting committee was rec ognized and no more soliciting was done. After that subscribers hunted up the carnival committee and paid in sums raising the total subscription to something over S6,00O Contributions were received in the way Of conces- sions, swelling the grand total to be- tween $7,OO0 and sS,00O. In addition to this the county supervisors and the city council made appropriations amounting to $500 for street illumina- tions and decorations. which would otherwise have had to be paid out of the carnival funds.
 Then came the making up of the programme. the entertainment of prop ositions from home and abroad for dec- orations, prizes of contests assistance in displays. floats, etc.; transportation of Indians, bands and official delega- tions of one kind and another. The first estimate of the cost of the carni- val included the following expendi- lures: Decorations. S1,C0O; Indians $500: base ball, s35O; foot ball. s35O; miners drilling contest. S4O0; fire drill contest, $500: cowboys, $500; Elks. $25O; music, $500; printing, $4O0; bicycle prizes, s15; Daughters of Rebekah. $25; minstrels, $50. Beside this there were 
 visited all parts of the territory in the interest of the demonstration and . hundred other items Of expense arising from day to day, until now, when al bills shall be paid there will be little left of the carnival fund.
 ! OUTSIDE INTEREST.
 The committee was greatly en
 couraged from the beginning by the in
 terest taken in the carnival by othe
 towns in the territory. It was this in terest that suggested the propriety O
 giving the demonstration a territoria
 character by the selection of maids 0
 honor to the queen. Hitherto, not
 great deal of sympathy had beel
 shown Phoenix in matters of this kind
 People from other parts of the terri
 tory visited the carnival three year ago, but rather under protest The.
 looked upon it as local money
 making scheme and submitted to th
 expense of coming here rathe
 I,s