Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-08
MEETS NEXTWEEK
First Of the Great National Con.
ventions This Year.
ST. LOUIS READY FOR THE TROUBLE


Convention Hall Completed and Hotels
Prepared for the -Crush-Tslk Of Some
Mckinley Men-Qne Hints at q Straddle
Platform, the Other Sure 1t Will Before
Gold-PolItical Notes.
ST. LOUIS. June Sup to date there are
fully five times as many out of town news
paper correspondents in st. Louis who
have come to- the national convention as
politicians. A bakers dozen. political
news disseminators arrived last week. and
yesterdays trains brought in as many
more, while all told less than half a dozen
politicians Of national reppte have put in
an appearance. 1t is not expected there
will lie much real activity in political way
until the arrival of NJ. A. Hanna,
Mckinley, with his forces. He is expected
Tuesday as also is the Hon. Thomas c.
Platt, who is coming to look after the in
terests of Levi p. Morton. 1t is also said
that Ex-Governor Gear, Of Iowa, will put
in an appearance before the middle of the
week with n corps of assistants to engage
in the preliminary skirmish in behalf of
Senator William b. Allison.
Pictures of Allison First ON the Ground.
The bill-posting brigade of the Hawkeye
State candidate was here yesterday, and
as result photographic portraits of Alli-
son have been hung in shop windows and
posted upon the dead walls Of the town.
The national committeeman will all be
here before the close of the week. With
them will come scores Of delegates, especi-
ally those having contests, and a horde Of
camp followers in the way of citizens who
desire to serve the party in the capacity of
assistant doorkeepers and other useful
and necessary positions about the conven-
ton hall. Then, too, the crowd at the
hotels will be augmented to a consider
able extent by members of congress and
other statesmen and patriots from the ma
tional capital.
st. Louis Is Ready for the Crowd.
All the arrangements for handling the
crowd have been completed. The hotels,
boarding houses and cafes-big, little and
indifferent-have laid in their supplies of
food and extra bedding The street rail-
way companies have by working forces of
men night and day repaired the damage
wrought by the tornado sufficiently to en-
able them to handle the crowds of people
that are expected to come. The conven-
ton hall has had all the finishing touches
and will be dedicated with pomp and cere-
mony this week. In fact st. Louis, in
spite ef the fact that a fortnight ago a
storm swept u hole a mile and a half wide
through her center, is ready to comforta-
bly, accommodate and handle the scores Of
thousands Of visitors whom it is expected
will attend the convention.
Says 1t Will Only Take One Ballot.
Mckinley has number of lieutenants
here who are busy preparing the way for
the Ohio candidates manager. The latest
arrival is ex-Representitative A. c.
Thompson, who with General Grosvenor
will argue the cases of the contested Nc
Kinlcy delegates before the national com.
mittee. As yet but two national commit
tcemen have arrived. They are G. w.
Hill, Of Tennessee, and j. G. Long, of
Florida. Both are avOwed Mckinley men,
Judge Thompson, who is looked upon as
the only Mckinley spokesman yet in the
field, said he is certain there will be but
one ballot for the naming of a presidential
nominee. He also said that Reed will
not accept the vice president nomination
He was quite as positive of this as he was
that Mckinley would be nominated on
the first ballot.