National Republican., 1876-01-07
THE NATIONAL C0NVEEr10Es - SHALL
THEY BE HELD IN WASHINGTON!

1hE1 DE h6LO In "hpA1HuLONs
This evening large number of the lead
ing citizens of the District are invited to
attend a meeting at the Arlington hotel, for
the purpose Of presenting in united strength
the advantage and capacity possessed by the
city of Washington for the accommodation
of the two national conventions which will
meet during the summer to make Presiden-
tial nominations. Those of our citizens
who have attended the great national con-
ventions not long since held at Charleston,
Chicago Baltimore, Philadelphia and New
York are aware, in the first instance, of the
immense temporary population they bring
to the city in which they are held-a popu
lation, too, of the better classes, who, while
they remain, make liberal outlay of ready
means. 1t is a moderate estimate to say
that fifty thousand strangers will be In at
tendance upon each convention, wherever
they are held. An expenditure of fifty
dollars by each and every one of these may
also be considered q reasonably low esti-
mate, and this, Of ITSELF would add
s., ,OOe, 600 to the floating currency of the
city, or s., 5C0,00 for each convention-a
matter not to be despised nor overlooked
any more by Washington than it will be
by other cities.
In the second place, our city is amply
prepared with hotel accommodations for
the personal comfort OF even so large an
influx of strangers, and at rates quite as
low as any other city could possibly af-
ford. In this respect our advantages can
not be too highly commended nor too per-
sistently urged. In this connection, how
ever, the hotels. first class and attractive as
they are, do not constitute their only adj
vantage to the delegates. Another tre-
mendous one is pointed out in the fact that
the Arlington, Owen, Willard's, Ebbitt
and Imperial are in one section grouped,
and in another immediate section the St.
Marc, American. Metropolitan, Howard,
National, st. James, Washington, Cont
mental, Parkinson and Columbia are
grouped. thus bringing delegates and their
friends into two grand face -to-face combi-
nations and naturally saving them great
expense in the exchange Of visits to hotels
miles and miles apart, as in New York, for
instance; and all around these hotels are
hundreds Of good boarding houses. The
central position of Washington makes it
fair alike for travellers from all points of
the compass. 1t Is thn Centennial wear.
a time rvL--. thousands who win no i,+or
ested in these conventions will WIS. IN
visit the capital and Mount Vernon, and on
business quite Independent of mere politi
cal considerations, and, as we have be-
fore intimated, at the time of holding them
Congress will undoubtedly be in session,
a fact which must be of great importance
in the consideration of the national COM
mittces in fixing the place and time of
holding the conventions. 1t is matter OF
supreme importance, too. that we have at
command building for the use of the
conventions immensely superior in size
and adaptability to any in which they
have ever been held, and only few thou
sand dollars would be required in properly
arranging platforms, seats and galleries for
the perfect accommodation of ten thousand
people. These are some of the ideas which
ought TO draw together tonight a repre-
sentative meeting Of the business men and
vital interests Of the city, and this will be
its character if those attend who have been
invited. THIS meeung was yesterday the
main topic of conversation, and the plan
to have the conventions held here met
with decided and universal favor. We see
in IFS success great resultant benefits to
Washington at large, and, therefore, urge
the attention the plan deserves.