The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-07
OFFICIALS SAY ono"
I'VE Cannot Guarantee Good
Weather." Their Argument.
Parade and Side Show Enough
to Come Under Ordinance.

In the usual course of events a cir
Gus comes to town. draws a big crowd
willing to pay for anything, charges
enormous prices for everything on the
program. tears up the streets with its
heavy wagons and animals and in the
end leaves but $500 behind them to
pay the city as a license
This is what circus usually means.
But in the case of the Ringing peo-
pie, who came to Topeka Monday, they
gave no big show, they had a parade,
and they left their $500 under protest.
Before the board of city commission
ers, the attorneys for the Ringing
Brothers shows asked that the $500
license be returned to their Golfers. AS
an answer, the city commissioners re-
fused to consider the request and un-
less forced to do so by law the city
will put the money in circulation
Claiming that they were unable to
give a performance in this city that
they lost thousands of dollars by the
weather they met here and that they
left behind them a good amount, tax
ing nothing away, the Ringing attor-
neys attempted to regain their $500
license fee this morning.
In response, the city commissioners
argued that the circus had torn up the
streets in such manner that it would
cost thousand dollars to repair the
pavements. They claimed further that
when circus comes to town they are
given the privilege of holding perform
ances and a parade, but they are not
guaranteed fair weather and good
crowds.
eff you go to a hotel and register
and then fail to eat your dinner, it isn't
the fault of the hotel and they are go
ing to charge you for it anyway" said
one of the commissioners. 1--WE are
not promising good weather and good
crowds. We grant certain privileges to
circus and it is their business to take
advantage of them. We are not han
ding the weather proposition
The city ordinances say that if a
circus gives their parade and conducts
show they shall pay the license. The
Ringing people gave their parade and
the city claims they gave a show
some sort of side show. Before the
circus came to town the other day an
advance man came to pay the license.
When asked about the sideshows he
said that they were simply an annex
to the big show and a part of it
therefore the city couldn't tax them.
The city took the agent at his word.
Now the circus people claim it was
but side show and not a part of the
circus-but the city commissioners are
not going to let go of the $500 license
fee-they need the money.
Mayor Billiard was rather in favor
of returning the money 20 the circus
people, but when the commission vot-
ed against such an action he voted
with them.
Commissioner Tandy said:
THE ordinance is plain on the ques-
tion-they did enough to be taxed
and there is no way around it. The
damage to the streets was tremen-
dous on account of the wet weather.
and we will use every bit of that
$500 and more for repairs. Circuses
always take away money and never
leave any behind-this is one case
where the luck turned and it was an
accident"
Commissioner Bone:
From the legal point of view-and
this is the view point argued by the
circus people-we are entitled to the
money and we will keep 1t. ] am in
favor of charging a thousand dollars
day for any circus that comes to
town-the damage to the paved streets
is worth it. If we can't keep this
money by law I will be in favor of
suing Ringlings for the damage they
did the CITY,"
Commissioner Miller:
"They didn't give their big show
and they were playing in hard luck
But considering the damage to the
streets, can do nothing but vote
against giving back the license"
This ended the argument. The re-
quest was laid aside-not even fled.
The Ringing Brothers will have to
work harder than that for the $500 in
question.
For LUMBER and building material