Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1893-02-02
THE CONVENTION CITY
"reas Year for Conventions--The Ger
man Population Preparing for .
Grand Event


man Population Preparing for
Grand Event.
ST. LOUIS, No, Jan. 2s-There are moro
conventions held in St Louis in year
taan there are held in any other city in
the country. This is the result of the
central position of the city; its excel
lent railway facilities, and the reputa-
ton 1t has made at times of national
poiitieal conventions, Knights Temp
lars conclaves and Grand Army en-
campments for comfortably taking
care of big crowds. The hotel men do
not raise their rates here, nor make
three sleep in a bed when the town
hnds it has to provide for hundred
thousand people. The national con-
vention of the Knights of Labor
was the largest gathering of the
kind that has been held here
this year. Several more are coming.
The builders are making arrangements
to entertain their National convention,
which meets here next month and will
bring about five thousand men to the
city who are interested financially in
the trades concerned with building;
the National Association of Electro
clans will be here after that, drawn
here by the city leading position with
respect to electrical interests; and still
later, the National Association of Ger
man Veterans will hold their reunion
here. All of these associations will be
accommodated by the hotels now open.
Three great hotels are being built, but
none of them will be finished till the
fall
The German citizens Of St Louis
are going to make this an exceptional
year in the way Of celebrations. There
are two score singing societies here,
and nearly thirty of them will 60 to
the National Saengerfest at Cleveland,
taking over five thousand members
with them. These Saengerfests de-
pend largely on the St. Louis contin-
gent for their success, as the choruses
from here are all well drilled and am
bilious. At the beginning Of fall,
just before the festivities OF the city
commence, German Day will be cele-
brated by great national show Of
professions and music. This patriotic
celebration is generally one of the
most attractive sights of the year in
St. Louis 1t is carried out without
regard to expense, and the street
pageant is spectacle excelled only by
that of the Yelled Prophet.
There is u railway switchman here
who five years ago was ut work in the
yards of the Missouri Pacific, making
a bare living. The great Southwestern
strike came, and he struck with the
rest Of the men. While the strike
lasted he spent most of his time in his
room, inyenting u device to close the
frog of switch so shat men could not
catch their feet in it. When the strike
was over he went around trying to
sell his invention to railways, but
none of them would try it He was
discouraged, when two years ago the
Missouri Legislature passed a law
compelling all railways to protect the
lives of their employees by guarding
the frogs in some way. A market for
the switchman's invention was opened
at once. He is now living in a house
that could be sold for SEQ, 900 any day,
and last Sunday he was driving in the
parks, with the rest of the gay crowd,
behind two horses that went by every
body else on the boulevard with ease.