Evening journal., 1914-04-24
WOULD PUT BAN ON
SATURDAY Circus
Merchants Ask Council to
Take Action TO Prevent
Harm TO Business
SHOW ALREADY HAS
TAKEN OUT LICENSE

A vigorous protest against the com
ing of Barnum & Bailey's circus to
this city on Saturday. May 9. was
made to City Council last night, by a
delegation of representative business
men. The sentiments expressed by
the spokesmen Of the party was that
should the circus come here on a
Saturday instead of some other
weekday. il would mean serious
loss to the merchants. as Saturday is
their busy day. and the circus would
be a detriment to their business on
that day.
Prior to the hearing, Council re-
ceived the resolution recently adopt
ed by the Chamber of Commerce and
the petition signed by many leading
local merchants, protesting against
the coming of the circus on Saturday.
and both of which have been printed
in the columns of this paper The
Councilmen later expressed them
selves as willing to do all they could
to prevent such an occurrence i'm the
future, although IL was feared that it
is too late TO take any action In the
present situation in which the Bar
mum & Bailey circus has made the
arrangements for a Saturday.
! Councilman Stoycr presented the COM
munications.
Walter j. Campbell, OF the Smith
Iollinger Company, was first to speak
ON the subject. He stated that he had
passed the petition arOund among the
merchants aud had found their scnti-
ments almost unanimous for the preven-
tion of circuses coming TO this city on
a Saturday. He explained that Satur-
day is the biggest day OF the week for
the local merchants and when anything
interieros with the Saturday business
the week is practically lost almost
every Market street merchant h in
favor of doing something to prevent a
recurrence of such situation in the fu-
ture,n he stated Anything with a band
attached to it, ON Saturday, is detri-
mental to business in a city of this
size" He urged Council TO take some
steps to prevent it from happening
again.
Samuel Grcenbaum also urged Council
to take some action. He stated that
when a circus takes place on Saturday
1t decreases business to a great extent
and while he and other merchants would
like TO see the circus come here any
other day but Saturday yet ON that day
! they did not want 'it. Hc stated that
the business men of the city would mp
, preciate any action taken by Counci
/ to prevent it occurring again.
A. V. Hughes. Wce-president OF the
Z Crosby and Hill Company stated tha
! he desired to go further than Mr.
Campbell and urge Council to take
e action not so much in the future a.
b at the present time. He declares
r the matter was one of vital import
ance 20 the merchants. and actiol
& should be taken at once. He ex
}, planned that circus day is virtually
n holiday and would be a great detri
p ment to the business interests. a
G Saturday was their big day. HI
i stated the business men would ap
:, preciate it if Council could do any
d thing to offset this state of affairs
Councilman StOver, at this juncture
: remarked that knowing the matte
e was TO be broached to Council, h
: had looked up the law on the stu
Is alton and he did not believe the Mayo
p UdQ any Oliibn III Aht AudNt1if dH III
law specifically states that the Mayo
+ shall issue licenses and he is there
h fore compelled to do so. Mr. Stove
II remarked that it would really pa
a circus not to take out a license. a
ie they could save $50 thereby. He rea
'e from the law showing that a circus
e required to pay $50 for a license 70
le each performance. or 800 for th
nc day, and If arrested NOR shown
without a license the fine is only S5l
p He remarked that the law was mad
g. before the war" in 1861, an
ss since then il has not been amended
1- Col. Slower declared that he did nc
lO believe Council could do anythin
in with this particular circus but thi
ie they might be able to do somethin
in the future.
rs Mr. Campbell remarked that
z. nothing could be done by Council
y the present time that body shoul
take some action restricting Saturda
ne as circus day in the future
= stated that almost every other cit
~ in the country the size of WilmingtC
h has taken such action.
= Councilman zimmerman said
had asked Mayor Howell about u
- matter on Monday and the mayor
-. that time told him that he had alreat
= granted the license as the law pr
II II vided, as there was nothing else f
= him to do.
: President White stated that Counc
n. could assure the business men tn