The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-04
THE err oLUs,s STRUGGLES
Talk OF = New Ruiidi-g that Does-'t GO
well with Decressing Membership.

The City Club, which started with such =
flourish and with such high purpose In 1892, Is
having a hard time of IL now. The report Of
the secretary for the year just closed showed n
falling Oft in membership OF 1Ol. There had
been about $50 members, acquisitions having
been made from time to time through the
earnest efforts OF the Membership Committee.
Ten members resigned In a bunch after the
action Of the club with reference to the Goo
Goo ticket in tho last campaign, and although
this detection did not represent such n falling
away as would counterbalance the gain made
by the club Just after Mayor strong was elected,
when the membership rolls swelled rapidly, It
started q downward movement that has contin-
ued ever since with that exception.
For itself the club says that 1t has been lnbor-
ing under dlsad v~nntngcs during the past year.
owing to its inability to arrange for n perna-
nent home. Tho present club house belongs to
an estate. and the club has leased 1t only from
year to year. Early last year 1t became doubt
full whether tho lease could be renewed next
May. In this uncertainty It is said that the
Membership Committee was instructed not to
seek to get In any more members. Ibis reason
is given FOR the falling OFF during the year. OF
Recently IL was found that the house could BIO
leased for another year, and now the club In
but It Is not satisfied to be n club Of the Kind 1t
set out to be. The big men, the men OF wealth
under whose patronage the CluD was starter,
give very little attention to Its economic affairs
and do very little to enable the club to pay ex-
penses. For receipts for this purpose the club
looks to the young the boys" AS they
call themselves-who play billiards and even
occasionally smoke there. They are not such
high rollers that their expenditures rep
resent any great income to the club, and In
casting about for q way to make money the
clubs committees have, IL is said, run across
committees OF tho Manhattan Athletic. Club
who have set bees a-buZZinR for them, and they
will hear nothing now but n song of a new club
house. big and with plenty of rooms to rent.
The NJ. A. c. men have led the City Club boys to
believe that they are making lots of money by
renting apartments TO MEMBER. and the boys
want to have n club house where they can 90
and live, at times. too.
For a year and a half there has been a propo-
sition before the City Club trustees for the
erection by the club of a million-dollar build
ing, but although one of the moneyed men OF the
organization glibly offered a resolution one
night that the members wanted n club house
and that the trustees should go ahead and put
up an ample one for them. that is the last that
has been heard of the project. ii is said. Since
been looking for options on different property.
either for rental or for tho. purpose OF a new
building. but it has accomplished nothing; At
one time II was hoped to get the Mrs; Paran
Stevens house or the old home of the Bar AS
sociation. but the hope did not materialize.
Meanwhile. as the falling of in membership
indicates, interest Is waning, but II Is denied
strenuously that the club Will break up.