The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-15

GnO never mas oeen since, py any
crowd of visiting strangers, there is no
| doubt that she was swamped by the
Christian Endeavor delegates in 1892.
Some time before the convention"
said President Clark, 1--WE began to
make advance applications to the New
York hotels for rooms. One hotel
keeper to whom we applied asked how
many were expected. We told him we
could not tell, but we looked for very
large attendance.
We'll" he said, I'll take care of
them Bring them all here. You need
not engage rooms in advance in the
summer time. Well be ready
The mans eyes actually twinkled as
he thought of the apparent humor of
the situation. The worst of it was that
most of the hotel keepers took the
same view of the matter, and we finally
had to let things take their course.
The newspapers also failed to appre-
ciate what was coming, and it was not
until the telegraph began to tell the
editors that the railroads were glutted
with Christian Endeavor delegates,
whose special trains were stalled all
along the lines, that the journals un-
matter in it all When the crowds
swooped down on the hotels their pro-
prietors We're in state of consterna-
ton, and when the newspapers finally
grasped the situation their reporters
besieged us for matter. One publisher
made proposition to go to Montreal
the next year and get out a special con-
vention edition each day of its session
if we would give him exclusive access
to special news sources. But OF course
we could not do that"
Boston has heard of all this, and
Boston doesn't mean to be swamped.
Every avaiia able room in every hotel
has already been taken for the En-
deavorers for convention week; many
school buildings, which will then be
vacant, have been engaged and cots
have been rented; householders, both
in the city and the suburbs, have
agreed to receive guests, and it is now
believed that the 80, 600 delegates who
are expected can all be properly cared
for. OF course they viii pay their
way, but special rates will be given
by the hotels, and many aristocratic
houses never before opened to stran-
gers for money will entertain paying
guests from July 10 TO IA, inclusive,
1895 The cost of the convention to
the society, for rent of the meeting
places and headquarters, printing post
age and the thousand and one pieces
of preliminary work, will not be much
if any less than $4,000. This large
sum has been mostly raised already
by contributions from the societies of
Boston and Massachusetts, chiefly
Many public spirited citizens of this
fine old town have given freely, how
ever, as they can well afford to, for
a four days visit of $4,000 guests can
not fail to result in the leaving of
many times $50, 900 in the Golfers of
Boston's merchants, clearinghouse
keepers and hotels and restaurants.
If the attendance is as large as is ex-
pected, and each guest expends but 81
day. the sum total will be $500, 900,
and the chances are that it will be
nearly double that. Although most
railroads will reduce their fares one
half, the sum to be paid for railroad
tickets by delegates will be enormous.
At the low estimate Of $40 each, it will
amount to cool half million. Add to
this the sums that will be expended for
food on the way, the sums to be
spent in Boston, and the total expendi-
lures caused by the convention cannot
be much less than three-quarters of
million, while they may reach a round
million.
The plans of the convention have
been quite generally exploited In the
for Mr.. William 7. Ellis,
of the Boston Office, is man of expe-