The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-07-06
A CONVENTIONS COST.
Probably $3,000,0O0 the Total Ex-
pense at st. LOUIS.
Every Quadrennial Meeting Moro
Expensive Than It's Forerunuer.

n great national convention. They have
knowledge of the fact that IL is very ex-
pensiye and that the cost OF each quadren-
NAL conclave Is IA good deal more than Its
predecessor, as everything tends In this
progressive age TO heighten the expense,
but as to any conception of the real figures,
very few have It,
TiIno was when 100000 would have
been thought a pretty high figure. In the
old days, when Baltimore was the great na-
tional convention city and half the dele
gates were represented by proxies from con-
gressmen and others in Washington, and
when the convention met In theaters or
halls and the members and visitors lodged
In low rate hotels and boarding houses, no
doubt conventions were held at much less
cost than even the half of 100000. But
things arc vastly different nowadays. Mil
lions now figure where tens OF thousands
were once thought big.
Colonel III. L. Swords, sergeant-at-arms
OF the Republican national committee, who
has had wide experience in arranging tho
details of these large gatherings, was asked
what he thought would DO the total cost OF
the ST. Louis convention that is. the
amount of money spent In all legitimate
ways to ''pull it off" successfully-and he
said he thought between 81 800 900 and
So, 900, 900 would not be an exaggerated es-
innate.
"First of all, 4" said the colonel, "should
be counted the straight expenses of the
convention, which will be borne by the
Business Mems league of st. Louis. These
expenses have sometimes been as low as
$50, 900, but they amounted to about $780,
900 at Minneapolis in 1892 and will be lit
tie, If any, below that figure at ST. Louis.
The cost of the hall alone is not far from
s75 600, including cost of repairs after the
tornado Other bills to be footed by the
Business Mems league include the expenses
of the sergeant-at-arms Of the convention,
various printing accounts, the cleaning OF
the hall each night, it's lighting in the
evening" fees for police and fire protection,
big postage bills and thousand other
things. The expenses of the sergeant-at-
arms alone will be big, though 1 should
not like TO make an estimate. He is in st.
Louis some time and has big staff OF
typewriters busy every day and far into tho
night. But the $3.50, 600 expended by tho
league is a mere bagatelle compared to the
money expended during the convention
week by the delegates and others.
"There were nearly 200 delegates and
as many alternates, the colonel continued.
Including the personal following Of dele
gates and alternates, there were at least
5000 men in st. Louis during the recent
convention who were directly interested.
Add the assistant sergeants-at-arms, the
doorkeepers and the messengers, In all
about 200, and the newspaper correspond
ents and reporters, and the total will be at
least 1000. Now, If each one of these
men spends 800 in addition to his railroad
fare--and this Is very small average-the
total will be S400, 1000. II you add to this
the expenses that are borne by the tele-
graph companies and the big press associ-
ations in getting ready to spread the news,
the total expenses of the Business Mems
league and those directly interested will
not be a cent less than a round 100000.
"That looks like n good deal of money
to be used UP in the expenses of "a national
convention, but IL Is not the limit, by a
very large sum. The delegates, alternates,
and attendants ut a national convention
form but a fraction of those who are al
ways present in a convention city during
the holding of its sessions. 1t Is expected
that, everybody included, 100, 200 stran-
gers came TO St Louis and remained till
the convention adjourned. One party OF
800 was from New York alone, and from
Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Kansas, Nebraska and other states
near by to st. Louis myriads almost. 1t is
because OF the money such a vast crowd of
visitors will leave in town that the people
Of st. Louis can afford TO put up so hand
somely TO get che convention. Just how
much the visitors spend it would be impos-
sible TO estimate, but the amount that goes
for railroad tickets alone will break the
I,n Il ,,fG a,,I ol,ol
that sum. Ii each visitor were to spend 50
In fare--and that is a low average-the
total would be $500, 600, and this, added to
the $500, 600 already accounted for, foots
up 81, 300, 900. Don't ask me to make any
more estimates, /" the speaker concluded,
"for the figures might pass belief
If the reader will continue the line of
figuring above laid down, he will find that
only beginning of the total expense due
to the convention will be met by the
$1,000, 900. 1t will be hard for those who
visit st. Louis to average less expendi-
ture than SO a day fer keep and divers
"extras." Some indeed, get along with
less, but many spend good deal more
AT SO "a day for each man the daily sum
expended would amount To $500, 900, and
If the convention We're TO last full week
the total for maintenance would be
brought UP 10 800, 900 more than s2, 000,-
600, while the grand total SO far accounted
for would be So 400, 900. But even this, al
though IL includes much, does not take in
such expenses as are incurred at the differ
ent state headquarters, the cost of music
at the various candidates. headquarters
and so on. Perhaps another 800, 900 would
cover it all, and then the total would
amount TO $500, 000-a very pretty total
indeed. This is not all, however, for
neither the expense OF sending the news
from St Louis 60 the thousands OF daily
papers in the various states nor the cost of
the thousands of private telcgrams that
are Scnt--a smaller, but still u considerable
sum-has been counted In. IL is not easy
% estimate either of these sums, but 10 is
not going too far, perhaps, TO assume that
all tho expenditures due 10 the convention
use up almost $4,000, 900.
A rather Interesting illustration OF tho
magnitude of the expense of n national con-
vention is suggested thereby. Ii the Si,-
600, 900 were to he paid out in dollar bills