The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-22
WORKED THE CITY
How Young Woman DOdg ed
the City License.
Opened a Retail Store at a
Hotel.
SHE WOULDN'T PAY.
Told License Collector That
She Didn't Have TO.
Plans Being Made to Provide
For Similar Cases.

| All last week. at one of the big hotels
in Topeka, a young woman was located
working smooth graft" much to the
annoyance of local merchants
This young woman was conducting
| what was in reality a retail store. She
advertised in the Topeka papers some
| thing like this:
Miss -- will be at the - hotel
| from Monday till Saturday. with a fine
| line of the latest New York patterns in
| ladies' fancy goods such as laces col
lars, scarfs, jewelry, ETC. She would be
! pleased to see all the ladies of Topeka
at her rooms between the hours of IL
| and o'clock
Some of the merchants of Topeka
/ complained to Mayor Hughes that the
| young woman should not be allowed to
| sell goods at retail without paying
| license The matter was turned over
| to License Collector P. H. Forbes, who
| called on the young woman. She fatty
refused to pay any license.
Il am only taking orders for goods"
she said. Il do not deliver anything.
L simply take orders from samples the
same as any drummer. The only diff
| ference is that L sell to retail trade and
| they sell at Wholesale
| Several merchants of Topeka offered
| to prove that this statement was false.
| They sent their clerks to the young Wo-
mans rooms, and purchased articles
from her stock for cash. receiving the
articles on the spot, and taking them
away with them.
But the license collector did nothing
further The young lady was allowed
to stay as long as she desired. She did
an enormous business. Her rooms were
crowded from morning to night. Last
Saturday she moved on to some other
town.
1t is claimed that the young woman
charged more for her goods than peo-
pie have to pay at local stores, and
gave the same kind of goods She
simply film f1ammed her customers into
thinking that they were getting some
thing which could not be obtained in
Topeka at any price.
Mr.. Forbes was asked today whether
or not the new license ordinance which
is being considered by the council pro-
vldes for the collection of a license on
people who do a temporary retail BUSH
ness in hotels, private rooms, and store
buildings.
Il doubt whether we can collect Ii
cense from such people under the new
license ordinance he said. THE trou-
bic is to prove that these people are
located here only temporarily, and that
they are making sales, and not taking
orders. In the same class with the re-
tail drummer is the bankrupt store
and other cheap John establishments
which come to town, rent a ROOM and
sell goods for few weeks, and then
leave. If we try to collect a license
expect to stay here. When they go,
they go between two days.
THE legitimate merchants of the |
town pay tax on their goods, besides |
paying rent for their stores, or tax on |
the store building, as the case NAV be- |
The transient retailer pays nothing but |
his rent. 1t ought to be fixed so that |
We could make such people pay a good |
stiff license fee.
Another thing to be considered is |
that nearly all drummers, even the |
sample cases if the opportunity offers. |
For instance, cloak drummers will sell |
a cloak out of their samples and tele- |
graph to their house for one to take |
its place. 1t is impossible to get any |
license out of such people, and would /
hardly be fair, either
There is only one paragraph in the
new license ordinance which has even
a possibility of applying to the transient |
retailer 1t is as follows:
Section SO. Soliciting business or
exhloltIng goods, wares or merchandise,
or samples of same, on the streets or
thereto, or in any public place
in the city of Topeka, or selling goods
IN connection with such exhibits, 81 per
day, $40 per week; provided, nothing in
this article shall require a license tax
for exhibiting samples in front of
building as an advertisement of the
business conducted therein
The question would be whether or not
a private room, hired at a hotel or in |
a dwelling house, would be public
place as contemplated by the ordinance.
A tax is also imposed on soliciting or
ders for goods from stocks not carried
in the city of Topeka, but it is doubtful
whether this ordinance would hold 1t
may be contrary to interstate commerce
laws Ii 1T We're good and valid every
commercial traveller would have to paw
a license fee of $40 every time he came
to town.
If the city council can fix I'D some
ordinance which will hold good. and be
possible for enforcement they will do
much toward protecting home mer-
chants from the illegitimate inroads of