The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-06-09
THE COLOR LINEAT St. LOUIS
No Accommodation For COlOred Repub-
lican Delegates.
COMMITTEES DISMAYED
Hotels and Boarding Houses Refuse to Make
Room for the Negroes, and it viii be
Necessary to Rent Hall For
Their Accommodation.


a question which is puzzling the members
of the national committee who have ar
rived here, as well as the Business Mems
League, which secured the convention to
st. Louis. Every hotel and boarding
house came out fatfooted yesterday, and
declared that it would entertain no negro
as guest or customer. Money is no OBJ
ject. Threats Of prosecution have had no
effect, and from the present outlook it
would seem that unless tents are secured
the colored men will have to 90 hungry
and unhoused.
'I am thoroughly disgusted and dis
couraged," said National Committeeman J.
G. Long, of Florida, in speaking of the
matter. 81 have been looking all day long
for a hotel, boarding house or cafe that
would admit the negroes, but it has been
a fruitless search. even went so faras to
try to charter a steamboat, but when the
owners learned for what purpose it was
wanted they found an excuse for refusing
me the use of the vessel. 1t is the first
| time in the history of the Republican
| party where such an embarrassing predc-
ament has arisen"
! When asked what the national commit
tee would do in the matter Mr.. Long re-
piled: II have consulted with the mem
bers who are here, and we have decided to
offer resolution as soon as the committee
meets condemning the hotel and innlIeep-
ers and for the setting aside Of fund for
renting a hall in which cots shall be
placed for the accommodation of the ne
| groes who may come to the convention.
! We will also request the employment of
cooks, etc, to supply them with food.
This trouble has been brewing for nearly
! An A I,nt. nf
learned by the Business Mems League
that some of the leading hotels had been
cancellng agreements with certain state
delegations when the landlords learned
that the negro dele yates were numbered
among them 1t became so apparent that
| the negroes were being Disseminated
against that the league issued the follow
| ing manifesto:
"The Business Mems League, when in
| Washington securing the national Repub-
! liCan convention for St Louis promised
that colored delegates and members of the
national Republican committee should re-
ceive the same recognition from the hotels
| that any other delegate to the convention
would receive With this it was implied
that the citizens representing the city of
! st. Louis for securing the convention
would ask and endeavOr to induce public
! hotels boarding houses and bath rooms, at
| least for convention week, to accord to the
reputable and respectable colored men who
will come here representing their section
and their people i'm the Republican party
such treatment as any reputable and re-
spectacle person would receive 1t is not
believed that a great many would want to
accept the privileges, but it will be very
| humiliating if one of them, with their col
leagues and friends, or alone, should pre-
sent himself in any public place and be re-
fused admittance or service.
1T is hoped, expected and desired by the
| gentlemen representing the citizens who
secured the convention that all will en-
deavor to meet the situation as justice and
propriety require. Any parties falling to
reserve accommodations will please report
to the general hotel committee or the hu-
reau of information"
When the hotel men read this they We're
wrathful They said it was an invitation
to the colOred delegates to prosecute them
for damages. They went to the league
committee on hotel accommodations and
made vigorous protest Concerted ac-
ton then followed, with the result that
the negroes cannot find lodging places or
even "A reputable place TO eat.
! In no former Republican national COM
mittee has the general committee had so
heavy a duty to perform in making up the
roll for the temporary organization aS lhs
present committee has before il Iherc
are l5S contested seats from lfteon states
and one territory, and of these the entire
delegation is contested from five stutcs
and the Territory of Arizona. The conn
mittee Will commence the hearing of the
contests tomorrow forenoon and the indi-
| cations are that it will hardly be able to
! finish them before the end of the week.
The committees conclusions however
are not final They are for the purpose of
making up the roll for temporary organi-
| zation, and only those who. iu it7 iudg-
| ment, is primarily entitled TO sent i'm the
! convention. The whole fight by every
/ delegation may be gone over ancw before
| the committee on credentials which is to
| be named by the chairman of the conyeu-
| ton, and the contests do not even stop
with that committees report, as the dele
| gates who are unsuccessful before it have
/ the right of appeal to the convention.
| 1t would be hard to predict who viii be
! selected by the national committee for
! temporary chairman Of the convention
| Among the men who have been mentioned,
| however, are Governor Merriam of Min
nesota and H. Clay Evans of Tennessee,
! Il candidate for the vice presidency. Mr.,
/ Evans is also talked of for permanent
| chairman, as also are General Grosyenor
of Ohio, Senator-elect George l.. Yelling
| ton of Maryland, Senator Foraker and
Mayor John A. Caldwell of Cincinnati
| The gavel which will be used by the per-
manent chairman of the convention was
received at the headquarters Of the local
committee yesterday. 1t win be presented
TO the chairman by Senator Berry of the
| Illinois delegation. The gayel is an excel
lent piece of wood carving from hickory
| log taken from the log cabin occupied by
| President Lincoln in New Salem, HIS in
| 1892, There are panels on either side which