Evening journal., 1912-10-12
CITY OFFICIALS MIXED UP
IN HOME WEEK BADGE SALE

Much criticism has been caused
over developments in connection with
the sale Of official badges, confetti and
other concessions for Old Home
Week. It all has grown out of an at
tempt to give Clerk Of Council Mark
McManus and Hermon B. Bothum,
secretary to the Mayor. the exclusive
privilege for the sale Of the official
home week badges.
These two officials we're given the
exclusive right to handle the official
badge--a golden key, supposed to be
the key to the city-by a committee Of
City Council. and in return they were
to pay 5000 to the city If their profits
warranted it. When Home Week
opened. an army of fakirs descended
upon Wilmington and began to sell
all kind of badges. Mr.. McManus
and Mr.. Bothum had opened head
fquarters al No 5 West Seventh streeti
from which the sale OF their supplies
was directed by II. Hizer, ofPhiadel-
phia, and they had several statesmen
on the streets. When the statesmen
for McManus and Bothum learned
/ that outside fakirs were selling in
competition with them. after they
had supposed they we're to have the
exclusive privilege Of selling the Of
fetal badges, they protested to the
! Councilmeu and. Councilman Stovel
saw Chief Black to enlist his CO.
GRAFTON IN trying to maintain an ex-
3. elusive privilege for Bothum and Nc
Manus.
On Wednesday morning the fakirs
we're notified to appear in the cit9
hall chamber by some policemen and
by John Byron, who was in the EN-.
ploy of McManus and Bothum. When
the fakirs assembled there they were
given TO understand that If they each
bought FIVE dollars worth of the ofh'
cial badges or noise producers from
McManus and BOthum they would bs
permitted TO continue their sales OF
the ctreets II was pointed out thai
McAIanus and Bothum were supposed
10 have the exclusive concession FOL
selling the official badges. The up
shot Of It was that the fakirs eacl
bought $5 worth Of official badges
which took the stock of the hands
OF the two city officials, and thel
then continuedtheir sales on the cit
streets. No license fees were exact
ed from their for their privilege.
Under he law. a license is required
from street sellers, but the fakirs thi'
week were not required to pay a II
cense nor were McManus and 10th
um to be required TO pay a license
II would have been impossible law
} fully to have given them an exclusive
privilege to sell badges since an
J fakir by paying a license could hav
obtained badge selling right
The street venders, however coul'
have been compelled to pay licans
or quit selling. II is thought most o
them would have refused to pay a Ii
; cense.
When the subject of getting the 20
2 lice department TO assist in protect
= inc McManus and Bothum exclusive
= Iy in selling their official badges, an
} also when the suggestion was mad
, that the police aid in getting the fax
: irs to buy the stock Of badges OF Nc
Manus and Bothum, Chief Black re
marked that It looked to him like
holdup game. Later Captain Kan
. sent policemen to notify some fakir
1 to appear at the Council chamber
= in which work Byron also was en-
| gagged.
. Mr.. McManus and MIR. Bothum tC
) dav denied that there was anythin
8 irregular in the transaction. The
a said they had been assured by Cour