The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1911-10-18
ANOTHER SORT OF PUBLICITY.

Occur d'Alene Press: 1.-THE Spokane
spirit was prominently displayed at the
Taft meeting in that city Saturday
evening when the president arose to
speak. Several rows OF front seats
were vacant in the grand stand while
promoters were passing through the
crowd below attempting to dispose of
them at prices ranging from $3.50 to
S. a seat. The president noticed this
| graft and refused to proceed with
| his speech until the seats were occu-
pied. calling attention to the fact that
| they were vacant and asking that they
| be filled before he began talking. The
president of the chamber of commerce,
Spokane institution got busy and
there were free seats as long as they
| lasted. The activity of the money
changers and grafters in the face of
the president was one of the most dis
gushing and disgraceful spectacles of
| fair week and the president could not
help showing his displeasure and dis
gust at the desperate efforts of the
fair management or it's agents to grab
a few extra dollars by using Taft as
drawing card. Spokane is nothing if
not disgusting at times in the display
of her grasping greed for gold"
There is not one iota of truth in the
above. 1t is one of the meanest and
most ineXcusable attacks we have ever
known any newspaper to be guilty of.
1t is nothing more nor less than de-
liberate SANDER, for it makes a land
able and coElmendable thing something
bad and disgraceful. 1t is a distorting
of facts until the best intentions are
turned into something that would,
were it true, be disgrace to Spokane.
The facts in the case are that it is
not true. We know, for we were there,
a guest of the Chamber of Commerce
Of Spokane, occupying a seat near the
president in the reserved section where
the vacant seats mentioned caused the
president to ask thar they be filled by
as many of the standing thousands as
could be accommodated. Weeks be-
fore the fair, when it was known that
President Taft was to visit Spokane,
the Chamber of Commerce sent out
several hundred invitations to promi
nent people in neighboring cities to at
tend the Spokane reception to the
president When it was decided to have |
the president deliver his address at |
the fair grounds, the Spokane Cham |
Der of Commerce promptly paid for |
two sections of reserved seats imIne- |
liately in front of the speakers stand, |
and at once sent word to its Invited |
guests that reservations had been
made for their convenience and COM
tort. The Chamber of Commerce had
40 way of knowing just how many
would respond. They had to reserve
l seat for every invited guest. When
he president arose to speak he called
attention to the fact that it was hard
1t best to talk SO that he could be
leard by the vast multitude, and sug-
rested that the two or three rows of
-acant seats Immediately III front of
lin be filled. President Conan of the
chamber of Commerce, who was pre-
iding, asked the people to move for
yard, and the seats were filled.
At no time were the seats offered
or sale; as a matter of fact, several
thousand people were turned away, /
yhile thousands of others stood up,
he fair management having nothing i
D do with the seats reserved by the
hamber Of Commerce.
And there you are. The efforts of
he citizens of Spokane to treat people
18th die respect; to make it possible
II invited guests to see and hear Pres
lent Taft, are distorted into de-
,stable scheme to use the president
5 a drawing card by the Interstate
air management to finance the fair. y