CIRCUS MEN WAGE
DESPERATE BATTLE.
SHOW "PAPER" AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE TROUBLE.
The Fight Now Has Narrowed Down
to a Personal Basis, According
to H. H. Tammen of
Denver.
A fight that has entangled almost every circus in the United States is in progress between the Ringling Bros., owners of a half a dozen of the big shows now on the road, and H. H. Tammen of Denver, the owner of the Sells-Floto show.
According to Mr. Tammen, who spent several days here last week, the fight has just begun, although it has been in progress throughout the south and west all summer. So far the fight of the big syndicate and the smaller show proprietor has the appearance of a draw with advantage at present in favor of Mr. Tammen.
"When we start to lose money, if we ever do," laconically remarked Mr. Tammen, "it will be with the knowledge that the Ringlings are losing several times as much as we do. When the question of standing a loss is considered, I guess we are able to stand as great a loss proportionately as are the Ringlings."
A PERSONAL FIGHT.
"Paper," that forerunner of shows and circuses is at the bottom of the trouble which, according to Mr. Tammon, promises to result in a fight to the finish.
"The fight is to be made a personal one," said Mr. Tammen, "inasmuch as we have positive information that the Ringlings have failed to pay license fees in many towns in Texas and we propose to see to it that all of their back license taxes are paid when they show in that state this fall. We will also see to it that their prices remain the same and are not put on a sliding scale. They have used this sliding scale where ever there has been opposition, making the prices cheaper and where there is no opposition, they have raised them."
At present the war between the shows is with twenty-eight-sheet posters, which the Sells-Floto people are using, and quarter-sheet posters which the Ringlings are posting alongside the other big posters. The Sells-Floto circus shows the photographs of the five Sells brothers and Mr. Floto, while the Ringling show, known as the "Adam Forepaugh and Sells Bros." show, containing the pictures of two of the Sells brothers and Adam Forepaugh. Recently the Sells-Floto aggregation billed Virginia. After them came the quarter-sheet posters of the Ringling show, which told the public that they should not be deceived, and that the Adam Forepaugh and Sells Bros.' shows, united, will not visit Norfolk before next year.
WAS "COMING SOON."
Down South the Barnum & Bailey show, which is one of the Ringling Bros.' attractions, began the real fight on the Sells-Floto show in April. On April 2 paper was put up in El Paso stating that the Barnum & Baily show was "coming soon." It is alleged that some of this paper was pasted over the Sells-Floto paper The Barnum & Bailey show did not appear in El Paso until the latter part of September. The statement that they are "coming soon" is declared by the Sells-Floto people as unprofessional.
"We expect to bring court proceedings against the Ringling's as soon as we can get service on them," said Mr. Tammen. "It is possible that we will stir up something before the begining of the next year's season."
