The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-06-10
ROOMS
st. Louis Hotels Deny They Have
Refused to Entertain Col.
ored Men.
Rooms Have All Been Taken For
Some Time Delegates Will
Be Housed,
But the Accommodations Will
Not BE as Good as if Sc
cured Earlier.

OF. LOUIS, June lU.-NO sOlutlOn OF
the puzzling question as to what. shall
be done with the negro delegabes has
been found. The proprietors of the
leading hotels deny that they have re-
fused to entertain colored men, but say
their rooms are all engaged" and that
they cannot accommodate the negroes,
much as they might wish. A large
number Of national committeeman ar
rived, but they were reticent about Civ.
ing their views regarding the treatment
of tho negroes by the st. Louis hotel and
clearinghouse keepers. NJ. H. De
Young of San Francisco, owner and ed
itor of The Chronicle Of that city, and q
member of the national committee, said
it was not a part Of the duty of
the committee to secure hotel &C.
commodations for any delegates,
either white or black. He
would oppose any effort to bring the
matter before the committee. National
Committeeman James Hill Of Missis-
sippi, a negro, thought he had secured
rooms at Hurst's hotel, but when he
returned there from the headquarters of
the Merchants Republican League club,
he found the doors barred against him,
as it were. He was informed that the
clerk had made a mistake in assigning
him a room, every DON in the hotel
having been previously engaged. Mr..
Hill took in the situation at once. He
quietly paid his bill and took a street
car for the home of William P. Dye. He
is still there. and will continue to make
that place his headquarters until the
close of the convention, in the event
that the Business Mems league does not
succeed in opening a hotel for him.
They Waited Too Long.
Those men who are having trouble
in getting rooms for colored delegates
have only themselves to blame" said S.
NJ. Kennard, president of the Business
Mems league. When we got the con-
~vention we pledged ourselves to take
care Of the colored men, and we are
going to do it. But those who waited
until the last minute will have to take
what they can get SO long as it is clean
and good. White men cannot get &C.
commodations at the hotels now. They
are all filed up for convention week.
But we will take care of the colored
men as we said we would"
You may say positively" said Major
Rainwater. that we can get places for
the lodging and feeding Of all the col.
ored delegates who apply. / know this
and can show it. If Hill will come to
me, which he has not done. I will refer
l;~, x> x1nons x,hnra hn nor, MT bic 1ol
ored delegates and good places too. l do
not care what difficulties may stand in
the way, the pledges we made the ma
tional committee when we asked for the
convention will be carried out to the
letter. For weeks past, I have bonn.
barded the national committee with
letters and kilograms, asking them to
let me arrange for the accommodation
of their delegations, and especially did
l pay attention to the Southerners, be.
cause / foresaw the difficulty we might
have in placing the negroes at the last
minutes. Many of them did not reply,
and now they cannot get the same
quarters they might have secured had
they let US arrange it weeks ago. But
every one of them will have a good place
to sleep and plenty to eat. Dozens of
restaurants will feed colored delegates
during convention week"
Hill Was Notified.
James Cox, secretary Of the Business
Mems league, denied emphatically that
the negroes were being Disseminated
against. He said that Committeeman
Hill of Mississippi had no right to COM
plain if he could not find hotel accom-
modations. A letter had been written
to him more than a month ago, telling
him that unless early application was
made, all the rooms at the'hotels would
be taken. In these letters, the Business
Mems league offered to engage rooms
for Hill and the Mississippi delegation.
He did not reply to this.
Furthermore" continued Mr.. Cox,
"Mr. Hill has not been to see us since
he came to the city. If he will come
here, we will find him good rooms and
board. All this talk about the color
line is nonsense"