The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-06-23

On Saturday, June 81, Ill.,,
Col. Hubert V. Eva will quit his
position as secretary of the Du-
luth Commercial Club and, at the
same time, sever himself from the
fine, fat salary of $4,000 year.
On or about July Is, Col. Eva
again will enter active service
under the flag at "a salary of
$4,000 year, with ra-hazard-
GUS duties.
After June 80, some other
Napoleon will lead the Old Guard
Of the Duluth Commercial Club in
it's battles against Silberstein
Prestige. The several battles in
the past we'll may be termed the
War of the Banners.
For some years it was the GUS
tom to stretch canvas banners
across Superior street, at a high
elevation, to boost for anything
special-conventions, dances, re-
vival meetings or even copper
stock offerings.
The Duluth Commercial Club
finally considered such a practice
provincial, somewhat unsafe
under certain conditions and a
blot on the beauty Of Superior
street. An ordinance was passed
by the city council forbidding
banner business of that sort and
the Duluth Commercial Club
strongly backed the measure.
Safety commissioner Silberstein
is credited with being responsible
for the first violation Of that Or
dinance. When the German-Aus-
TRAN Red Cross Bazaar was held,
in the earlier days of the Great
War, a banner was stretched
across Superior street to advertise
the event. Protests were made by
the Duluth Commercial Club, if
the Rip-saw mistakes not, but Sill
bernstein Prestige was not influ-
enced thereby.
Then along came the Automo-
bile Show. Those back of the un-
dertaking came to the Duluth
Commercial Club with a statement
that commissioner Silberstein
would wink at the violation of
the ordinance if the Commercial
Club would do the same.
The Duluth Commercial Club
told the automobile show promot-
ers that commissioner Silberstein
could not "pass the buck' to the
club and that if the ordinance was
violated he must take all the re-
sponsibility.
A few weeks ago, some public
ity engineer, in the interests of
the Liberty bond sale, stretched
several banners across Superior
street at Third avenue West. No
one read them and many did not
even see them. They were in com.
plete violation of the municipal
law, although in worthy cause.
The Duluth Commercial Club
held its peace until the bond sale
was about over and then directed
Col. Eva to write commissioner
,Silberstein a letter, as follows
viz
Dear Sir:-I am instructed by the
board of directors to call your atten.
ton to the banners which have heer
placed across Superior stree. in the
interest OF the liberty Loan. No one
questions for an instant the sorthi-
,ss of the cause but we do not be.
lieve that the granting of this priv
lege for the stringing of banners
across our main business street, in
violation of the ordinance, is a good
precedent We realize how many de-
mands you get during year for per
mission to place banners across the
streets and feel that there should be
no exceptions made.
Very truly yours,
H. v. EVA, Secretary.
The members of the board of
directors of the Duluth CONNER
cial Club must, in the light of OBJ,
tainable information, stand re.
sponsible for one side of this fight
Their names are, viz:
j. R. McGiffert, president,
Henry Nolte, j. o. Lenning, Fl. R,
Armstrong, Otto Swanstrom, j. E.
Church, H. G. Strong, W. L. Yale,
B. S. Wickman, j. II. Barnes, W
A. McGonagle, B. P. Neff, George
A. French, H. j. Atwood, NJ. F.
lamar, Jr., F. x. Gravel, 81. w
Zlnsmaster.
Many outsiders have expressed
the opinion that the letter written
by the secretary of the club was
good deal like taking cannon to