Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1905-08-16
STREET HAwKERs MUST PAY A
 LICENSE.
(From Friday's Dailyl

To the credit of the members Of tn,
 city council, an ordinance has beer
 passed, with an emergency clause as tC
 the time of its going into effect, relat
 ing to the privileges to be allowed
 the peddling grafters that are almost
 daily swarming about the city with
 various catchy flakes" that they at
 tempt to foist upon the residents of Prescott.
 The sum and substance of the ordin- anee IS that all peddlers travelling from one home to another to sell their wares must pay a given license to op- crate in this way within the city limits. Under the provisions of the new ordinance, a peddler must pay into the city treasury s20 each quar- ter for the privilege of disposing of his stock in trade in this manner, be- eause of there being no clause to pro- vide for anything in the way of a compromise as to getting a tempo rary license to do business in this manner for few days.
 The new ordinance, which will be in effect when the necessary publica- tion shall have been made, is simply check upon the indiseriminate hawk ing of goods about the streets without the city securing the least benefit, and to the detriment of local merchants who have money invested in their places of
 business and who pay a stipulated license each quarter.
 The terms of the new ordinance are such as to explain that it is the out side peddler who must take out a quar- terly license in order to do business. One clause dictates how any local dealer may solicit business without coming under the terms of the new re- gulation, thus caring for the retail trade of the city without having to come in competition with fake peddlers and grafters. The ordinance is now undergoing it's last publication, and will be in force until amended or an- nulled.
 In various ways local dealers who have their all invested in business in Prescott have had to compete with the travelling artists who represent out side outfits that make a speciality of trying to take advantage of the pur chasing public. The inducements of fered by these visiting salesmen are such as to appeal to the more unsoph istieated of the retail buyers, and it is no secret that this new ordinance is in keeping with a general feeling of opposition to allowing outside hawkers to come within the city limits and sell goods in competition with local trades men who are taxpayers and residents, without being taxed for the privileges allowed them.
 The ordinance is a well drawn one, for the reason that the average visit of the usual fakir is but few days. l A license based upon one day at time would prove a "snap" to the people l who make business of peddling, but ! in town the size of Prescott the re- quirement calling for a quarterly i- eense in advance means that the wis iting hawker must pay for time that he cannot possibly put in to good ad vantage. It requires but day or two to canvass the town in any line of busi- ness, and the ordinance now in pro- cess of enforcement means that or der to peddle goods about town the peddlar must take out a quarterly license costing $2O.
 It is the general impression among the business men of the city who are in the retail trade, that this new ordinance will in future do away wifi his nuisance of peddling grafters.