The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-05
ASSEMBlY VOTE
TO LICENSE STAMPS
Committee on Streets Recon-
mends Trading Stamp Ordi-
nance for Passage.

The ordinance regulating the trading
stamp companies and the users of
trading stamps will pass the assembly
Thursday evening and go to the mayor
for action. Five members of the body,
being majority thereof, attended the
meeting of the committee on streets
yesterday and voted unanimously for
the measure. They were Assemblymen
Doran. Rosen, Wheeler, Schurmeier and
Van Slyke.
No attempt is made in the ordinance
to prohibit the use Of the stamps, but
a license fee of $500 is provided for the
companies and 500 for each dealer
using them, with a. penalty attached for
failure to take out the license. The
measure was favored by a large ma
Jority of those present, the city coun-
Gil chamber being crowded with gro
GERS, meat dealers and merchants, but
1t was made evident that some Of those
present were heartily in favor of the
use of the stamps.
Through T. J. McDermott, attorney,
the trading stamp people made an in
effectual effort to secure delay, plead
ing that injunction proceedings had
been brought in court, and that it may
be held during the proceedings that
such a measure is unconstitutional To
this George w. Walsh replied that the
assertion was made to gain time.
Fred Mason, secretary of the Retail
Grocers' association, opened the ar
gument in behalf of the retailers ia
vOring the ordinance. He went into
detail on the trading stamp question,
insisting that the companies charge
| the merchants from 31a to 4 per cent
for the stamps and return to the Gus
toners in the shape Of furniture or
bric-a-b rac but small proportion Of the
amount spent for stamps.
Retailers Favor Ordinance.
''The retail dealers of. the city," he
declared, care practically unanimous in
favor Of this ordinance. 1t is their de-
sire that they be enabled to protect
their customers from the fraud that
| is being perpetrated through the claim
sent forth by the trading stamp COM
pany that those collecting stamps are
getting something for nothing.
rs 1t right that these foreign COM
panies should be allowed to come in
here and compete with local concerns
| by the use of false pretenses?
Let me give you an instance of how
| they work the game. A local furniture
| dealer sold to one customer bill of
! goods for $475, and was surprised to
have the customer demand trading
/ stamps. The customer said she desired
| to secure a lamp, and as the stamps
| would have cost the furniture man at
| least SIS, he took the lady to jeweler
and secured for $3.50 the lamp that
would have, been purchased. by all the
/ stamps If she had received them. This
| shows the tremendous profit of the
| trading stamp business"
Mason concluded his argument with
an appeal tp the members of the coun-
| Gil Tor assistance in regulating the
| tradlng stamp companies, saying that
| II the question had been thoroughly
understood the law passed by the last
legislature would have ACCOMPLISHED
1 the purpose.
~. Mcleod Defends Stamps.
Angus Mcleod, of the Emporium,
| spoke at some length in favor of the
! stamps, and by some of his statements
aroused Attorney Walsh. Mr.. Mcleod
| said:
1.-THE retail dealers Of the city went
| to the newspapers and said that if the
| trading stamps were advertised their
| ads could be taken out, and"
Il want to say right there" said
Walsh, that what the speaker says is
not true. What was done was"
L will correct my assertion and say
| that the newspapers were coerced into
refusing the. advertising Of firms car
rying trading stamps"
And l repeat" said Walsh, with
| apparent anger, that the statement is
not true. Mr.. Mcleod were not you a
| member of the Retail Dealers associa-
| ton, and were you not present when
| this matter was discussed? Of course
! you were. -
II was not present" was the an
| swer and believe that am sufficient
ly well known to have my word ac-
| cepted. l shave stated the facts as I
| know them"
But, gentlemen of the committee, I
want to say that no coercion was used
| The newspapers looked into the mat
! ter and concluded that the stamps
| should not be used, and acted upon
their own-'motion. There was no eff
| fort
"Mr. Walsh" said Chairman Doran,
twill you kindly take your seat? Mr.
| Mcleod has. the foor."
Mr.. Walsh Obeyed and Mr.. Mcleod
| continued his argument. He contend
ed that trading stamps are a legiti-
| mate advertising scheme. His con-
| Germ charges the amount paid for the
stamps from the advertising account
of the firm and to such an amount re-
duces the sum spent with the news
papers. He thought if all advertising
could be done away with the fact
would be an advantage to the mer-
chant and the people, but conceded that
| this could not be done. All persons
with whom he had talked were salts
| fed with the presents they had re-
| ceived.
Andrew Schoch, the grocer, was call
ed upon by the trading stamp people
| but declined to respond.
Mr.. Bannon, of Bannon & Co., was
asked by Mr.. Mcleod why he appeared
| in opposition to the stamps in st. Paul
and yet used them in his Minneapolis
| store,
Mr.. Bannon explained that the in
| PRODUCTION Of the stamps in the Min
neapolis store was due to the Mime
| apolis manager.
LAS for myself" explained Mr.. Ban
! non, Il believe the trading stamps are
an tniquity on the body commercial
and should be abolished. They cult
| vate the gambling spirit and bring to-
gether the weak-minded and suscepti-
BILE"
that if the council should pass the
i L i