St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-30
What He Says About the Hall,
the Crowd and the
Details.
The Local Grand Army Men
and Churches Observe
Memorial Sunday.
President Northrup Delivers
the Baeealaureate Sermon
---What the Ministers
Say.

:
Col. Meek will remain on the ground
now until after the convention. He
will have his hands full getting ready
to so move the big crowd that will
throng the hall that there shall not b e
the slightest hitch. The force of men
under his charge during the convention
will number between eco and 700. These
will include the assistant sergeantS-at
arms. the dOOrkeepers, the ushers and
the pages. The employees will come
from all over the United States. A few
Minneapolitans have been heard to say
that the national committee was going
into small business in bringing the
usherS and pages from other states, but
Col. Meek says it is necessary.
'FhiS convention is a national affair.""
he said last night, land the people of
other states expect to have share in
everything it does. 1t is customary to
divide these subordinate positions
among the different states. ] expect to
have the boys all on the ground here by
next Saturday. l will put in that day
drilling them, do the same on Sunday
and on Monday. Monday night we will
use the whole force for the convention
concert. They cannot have too thor
ough knowledge of the building, and it
will be good drill for them to seat the
concert audience"
'What has been done with tine appli-
cation of the old soldiers for the places
as ushers. etc.?'
at will receive consideration when
the list is made up. While we bring
employees from all over the country. we
expect to give a good many places to
Minneapolis bOys?"
"How many tickets to the convention
will be left for the use of the local COM
mittee?''
Lord only knows. The Minneapolis
committee has kindly said that it would
be satisfied with the tickets that may be
left after the delegates and the big Re-
publicans have been supplied. II you
tell me how many big Republicans will
be here l may be able TO make an estI-
mate"
"How do you think the crowd in Min
neapOliS will compare in size with those
of other conventions"
Il believe that this will be the great
est convention that was ever held in
this country. l look for daily attend
ance in Minneapolis during the conven-
ton of from $4,000 to 81, 900 people. That
is the way it looks now. They are COM
ing from all over the country in greater
numbers than ever before. A large
number of people will come from the
South. That is the way it looks to me
from what l have seen and heard. The
people are just going to pour in here"
The conversation turning OH the ac-
commodatiOnS for the people, Col. Meek
said:
zone thing certain this city is pro-
viding the best convention hall we ever
had. There are not 200 Door seats in
that whole hall. 1t is third larger than
any hall we ever had, and it IS beau
tifully decorated The decorations are
not gaudy, but they are in good taste
and effective. 1t is beautiful hail."
'ADd the only mistake your commit
tee made" said he, turning to A. NJ.
Shuey, the chairman of the music COM
mittee, twas IN allowing seat for your
concert TO be sold at less than 81. 1t is
worth that amount just 10 see that hall.
| would be perfectly willing to pay 81 to
see the hall if l could not get into the
convention"
this year." Col. Meek continued. Last
year we had a ticket for each day, with
three coupons attached, one for each
session. Before that, in the national
conventions, we had one ticket for the
entire convention, with a coupon for
each session. This year we are to have
a separate ticket for each session. The
tickets are printed on the assump-
ton that the convention will last
five days. There will be three sessions
day. That means that each delegate
will have a bunch of fifteen tickets.
The delegates in distributing tickets to
their frieLds will thus be able to divide
them up better. They can give a man
a ticket for a single session if they SO de-
sire"
"How about Blaine?" was the last
question put to the Sergeant-at-armS.
ut looks to me as if the country
wanted him. Isn't that about it? 1t the
convention puts him in nomination he
cannot we'll refuse. He has done all he
could to prevent such action. If the
convention chooses to disregard his
wishes, he must accept. 1t is his duty
to the Republican party to accept if
nominated. No man can refuse nomi-
nation for president of the United
States"
Col. Meek will have a session with the
convention press committee about to-
morrow. The press committee wants
to do one thing that Col. Meek will not
allow to be done. The seats for the
newspaper men on the platform have
been scaled down to the lowest notch.
To assuage any disappointment on the
part of the newspaper managers, the
committee promised that the newspapers
oh I'll l0 q Alo m tvOrly inv aax
1t was promised them that one set of
men could be worked part of session
and that their places might be taken by
others for the balance of session. The
only way this can be done is to adopt
some sort of a checking system, such as
is in use at the doors of theaterS for the
benefit of the man who goes out
between the acts. Col. Meek says
emphatically that no checking sys-
tenn can be allowed. 1t would
result in confusion and in filling the
hall with men who have no business
there. Once man gets into that con-
vention hall he must stay there until
the close of the session or stay out, if
he must go out before the close of the
session. But Col. Meek will meet with
the press committee and endeavor To
find some way out of that difficulty.
AuOllleI OUoIdClO IH10 III uoG oC ClOdiCu
away is the having all the newspaper
men, the Associated and United Press
men, the Western Union men and the
messengers come to the one small door
that has been provided for their admis
sion to the platform. That door will be
crowded all the time unless something
be done to relieve it.
Col. Meek says that he expects Chair
man j. S. ClarkSO1, of the national
committee, in Minneapolis on Wednes-
day of this week. A meeting of the
national executive committee will
probably be held here either that or
the following day. Chairman Clarkson
has issued a call for meeting of the
full national committee at the West
Aoturdov