The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-13
TIE PLANTERS, HOUSE.

me FLAN1EfsS dOUSE.
ers had assured the local committee they
would not advance their rates for the con-
vention week. They kept faith by assign
ing to each room as many men as it would
hold and then telling those who applied
for accommodations that if they wanted
rooms alone, or with only one or two 9TH
ers, they would have to pay for the board
and lodging of the men who might have
been slowed with them. In this way three
men would pay $26 day for two rooms.
This trick is common in all convention
cities, but the St. Louis committee for
1896 is i'll better position to prevent extor-
tions of this sort than tho committee of
1888, because, in the first place, there are
twice as ample hotel accommodations now,
and because there are SO many lodging
places in the city, developed by the de-
mand for accommodations during the fall
festivities, that 90, 900 people can be slowed
away outside the hotels at reasonable rates.
Tho convention of 1888 met in the Ex-
position building at 1 o'clock on Tuesday,
the 9TH of June. W. H. Barnun, chair
man of the national committee, called it
to order, as W F. Harrity of Pennsylvania
will call to order the convention in June
next. S. NJ. White, now a senator from
California, was made temporary chairman;
Pat Collins of Massachusetts, now consul
general at London, was elected permanent
chairman, and Henry Watterson was the
CHAIRMAN COnlln1EGo0 on RESOLUTIONS.
On the second day President Cleveland
was renominated unanimously, and on the
third day Mr. Thurman was placed on the
ticket, and the convention adjourned. 1t
was memorable gathering.
Prospects of Lively Convention.
But, interesting as were the conventions
of 1876 and 1888, they were tame compared
with what the convention of 1896 promises
to be. 1t should furnish one of the most
tional convention. The Republican party
has SO many conspicuous and even running
candidates for tho nomination that dead
lock and prolonged season of balloting
would not be surprising. For this reason
the number of visitors in attendance will
be large, and when visitors are many the
number entitled 80 admission to the con-
vention hall is large, too; hence the ma
tionaI committee has asked the st. Louis
people to provide accommodations for 49,
coo.
81 was anxious to have the convention
held in Music hall, - said Frank Gaiennie,
the manager of the Exposition building to
me, ''but the members of the special COM
mittee appointed by the national commit
tee seemed to think that was not large
enough. We could have put all the tele-
graph and telephone operators under tho
stage of the hall and as many moro people
above it. But they seem to think it will
not hold enough people. So we will use
probably the north nave, and we will see
that it is arranged in such a way that ev-
cry one will be accommodated thoroughly.
The gallery seats will be well arranged"
All this, of course, the national commit
teeInen will attend to when they come
here. One of the pledges given by the ST.
Louis delegation at Washington was to
supply hall that would be satisfactory to
the national committee, and ex-Congress-
N,R Il h 80 lr
national committee prime factor in
winning the convention, tells me if the
committee is not satisfied with the Expo
sition building, a "wigwam" will be
built. 1t is altogether likely, though, that
the arrangement of the north nave will
be changed to conform somewhat to the
idea of the 1876 convention.
Instead of being at the east end, the
chairman's rostrum will be at the north
side of the hall, and the delegates will be
arranged across the hall within easy reach
of the chairman's voice. Then, if neces-
sary, seats be arranged in the side
naves, which will have at least a part of
the convention hall in view. With all
these devices they will not be able to scat
more than 10, 900, should say, though
they are talking here of seating $4,000.
The press seats, Mr.. Gaiennie tells me,
will be the best ever knOwn'in a national
convention.
'They did pretty well by you in Min
neapolis," said Mr.. Gaiennie, ''but the
newspaper men of St. Louis and the ex-
position management will see that the &C
commodations here are very much better.
think the newspapers of the country will
be pleased when they see what has been
done for them in June
AT the convention of 1888 the telegraph
wires ran into the basement of the build
ing. This is the arrangement that will be
made next June. There is a space as big
as the convention hall just beneath it, and
access to it by way of the stairs at each
end of the hall will be comparatively easy.
But the messenger service, which causes so
many delays in the transmission of news
from convention halls, can be simplihed
admirably. A number of tubes at inter
walls among the press seats will receive
messages and deliver them almost instant
ly to the telegraph company's receiver be-
low. The press association operators will
be directly below the press association re-
porters, and the story of the convention Will
be on the wires quite as quickly as though
the operator were sitting at the reporters
elbow in the hall.
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.