St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-12
FAIR SPOKEN MURRAY.
He Promised Much in NYinneauoli
and All the While Smiled SOFTLY

he ffOniSeO MuCn In MIN eapOilS
and All the While Smiled softly.
A few weeks ago one Charles Theo-
dore Murray, an Eastern newspaper
man, was in Minneapolis. He came
here with the avowed intention of pre-
pairing series of syndicate articles on
Minneapolis as a convention city. He
was well treated while he was here. He
was even interviewed by the reporters
of enterpriSing evening papers. These
evening papers published Il good deal
more guSh than was necessary over this
Mr.. Murray. They quoted him at length
on his views of Minneapolis and told
what fine man he was, and with what
rare discrimination and judgmenth he was
going to boom Minneapolis as the
only city in the United States that
could properly accommodate and enter
tain a national convention. 1t is pos
slble that these same papers will slobber
over Mr.. Murray when next lie deigns
to shed the light of his renowned pres
ence over Minneapolis. They may do
it. for one can never predict what these
papers will. Anyhow, Mr.. Murray has
repaid all their fulSOme compliments to
the last title. The indianapolis News
was one of the papers represented by
MIR. Murray. In its issue of Feb. it
prints nearly three columns of matter
over the signature of Mr.. Murray, in
which Minneapolis in particular aud the
Twin Cities i'll general. are held up to
ridicule. After writing of the city and
the city's population as being sort of
protoplasmic condition and after refer
ring to the conventions that have been
held here, Mr.. Murray says:
Another convention is to be held
here in the early summer. How the ma
tional Republican convention came to
be captured by Minneapolis. a great
many disguised people will then wish
to know. Perhaps lew powerful
Eastern corporations, who have large
investments in these half empty Office
buildings, and who own large unim-
proved tracts of suburban lands and
Hold mortgages on considerable share
of the improved property as well as on
tine Republican party, could best en-
Tighten them. 1t is one OF the political
phenomena of the times, this Subordina-
ton of grand political, Organization, to
the selfish financial purposes of clique
of corporate interests, but phenomenal
only in the innocent submission of the
great body of that party, to this style of
raising the wind"
And how will the newspapers and the
committeeman who were sure that Mr..
Murray was real gentleman and that
he would say nothing but good of Min
neapoliS, relish this?
Now, as to the actual facts. The
real accommodations III Minneapolis for
visitOrs.and by accommodations here
mean such as are extended to visitors at
national convention in Chicago, where
every room is made to do double. triple
and Quadruple duty, are limited in ca
pacity to about FIVE thousand people.
This will cover the delegates, alternates,
newspaper men and important political
perSOnageS from the various states of
the Union. This 5000 practically rep
resents only the convention prOper-the
strictly official list. 70 accomplish even
this much the hotels must be damned
and the large Office buildings must be
emptied of their regular tenants. Three
or four of these great edifices are but
little more than half occupied anyhow,
the town being greatly overbuilt.''
When Mr.. Murray was here he as
sured the reporters of the evening
papers that he had changed his opinion
since his arrival in the city, and was
certain that Minneapolis would accom-
modate all who might come. In his
indianapolis News article he taffies
Minneapolis people good deal about
Ii.
On the subject of convenience and ac-
commodations he sums up thus:
Summing up we shave the full ca
pacity of minneapolis $4,000 people, st.
Paul 10000, and Minnetonka 5,000-a
total of $4,000 people. Under the pres
ent excellent management it seems
probable that this number can be taken
care of with some degree of satisfaction.
If any more people come here-well,
they'll wish they hadn't. OF course. the
managers and boomers declare they
can accommodate twice as many, and
expect tn do 1t. But l think l have
been fair IN my estimates and conclu-
sion. Confined to Minneapolis herself
the pretentions to being convention
city are simply ridiculous. 1t is as if
New York should claim the Coney
Island hotels as part of her accommoda.
tiOnS for such purpose"
And this of Minneapolis much
Wanted street railway system:
''The street car service of Minneapo-
lis is not in it. They have good electric
railways, but these seem barely suffi-
Gent for the ordinary daily demands
of the resident public. To reach the
convention hall you'll have to walk.
The building is OH the other side of the
river. accessible only by single line of
cars. 1t is smart fifteen minutes
walk from the West hotel. | tried it.
From other points it is much farther.
and many people will have to walk a
mile or more. The city of great ex-
pectations is also city of magnificent
distances. 1t Is true, but a small por-
ton of the visiting public go to the con-
vention building"
Mr.. Murray would not have been
mobhed if he had expressed some of
these opinions while here. He will not
be banqueted should he ever return.
The Accounts Are Right.