The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-05
ASSEMBLYMEN 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
| Tor 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 penalty attached for
failure to take out the license. The
| measure was favored by large ma
| Jorlty 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
efectual 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 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 3h to 4 per cent
for the stamps and return to the GUS
toners in the shape Of furniture or
br1c-a-b brac but small proportion Of the
amount spent for stamps.
Retailers Favor Ordinance.
THE retail dealers Of the city," he
declared, ''are practically unanimous in
favor Of this ordinance. It 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 a 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 a ieweler
and secured for, $3.50 the lamp that
would have been purchased by all the
stamps If she hadareeeived them. This
shows the tremendous profit Of the
trading stamp business
Mason concluded his argument with
an appeal to the members of the coun-
Gil for assistance in regulating the
trading stamp companies, saying that
if the question had been thoroughly
understood the law passed by the last
legislature would have accomplished
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:
"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"
Il 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, 'tthat the statement is
not true. Mr.. Mcleod, were not you a
member of the Retail Dealers associa-
tiOn, and We're you not present when
this matter was discussed? Of course
you were"
Il was not present" was the an
swer, land believe that I am sufficient
ly well known to have my word ac-
cepted. 1 have stated the facts as ]
know them"
But, gentlemen of the committee,
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 ef-
fort"
Mr.. Walsh" said Chairman Doran,
'will you kindly take your seat? Mr..
Mcleod has the floor"
Mr.. Walsh obeyed and Mr.. Mcleod
continued his argument. He contend
ed that trading stamps are 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
"As for myself" explained Mr.. Ban
non, Il believe the trading stamps are
an iniquity on the body commercial
and should be abolished. They culti-
vate the gambling spirit and bring to-
gether the weak minded and suscepti-
BILE"
Attorney McDermott was positive
that if the council should pass the
ordinance it would be declared uncon-
StitutiOnala bV the courts.