The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-13
GALA WEEK GOES OVER.
DRUMMERS DISAPPOINTED WITH
THE RAILROADS DECISION.

They VIII Boom 1heir Annual Com
ventiOn on April II, Il and II.
President LOvcnstein Says the
Passenger Agents. or Some of
Them. Broke Faith With the Mer-
chants-PrOmised to Work for Low
Rates, He Says, but Didn't DO II.
AT a meeting of Post A, of the Travellers
Protective Association, at the Screven
house yesterday afternoon, it was decided
TO abandon the April gala week on ac-
count of the Southeastern Passenger As
sociation's refusal to grant satisfactory
rates.
The travelling men were in their usual
good humor and ready for anything that
might come in the nature of surprise
though it was pretty generally understood
before the meeting that the gala week
was to be abandoned. It was expected
there would be a thorough discussion Of
abe situation and the circumstances ne
cessitating the abandonment, and for that
reason more were probably present than
would otherwise have been.
With the decision to declare the occa'
sion a nullity comes a good deal Of dis
satisfaction among the drummers and
merchants. Neither claim, of course, that
the roads are bound TO acquiesce in such
matters but they insist that there has
been a refusal not altogether justifable.
Some of the drummers are emphatic IN
expressing themselves and claim ihey
have not been given fair treatment by
some of the railroad officials.
stTba drump1prs of Savannah feel very
much disappointed" said Mr.. Joseph Low
enstein, president of the post with
view to placing ourselves right before
friends, we called a meeting of merchants
and drummers at the De Soto Jan. 10, and
invited Col. b. w. Wrenn, traffic man
ager of the Plant System, MIR. A. o. Mac
Donnell, general freight and passenger
agent of the Florida Central and PENN
sular, Mr.. j. C. Halle, general passenger
agent of the Central Railroad, and Col. a.
Pope, general freight and passenger agent
of the Georgia and Alabama Railroad.
The object of this meeting was to confer
with the railroad men and come TO some
understanding about what we might eX-
pect in the way of rates. 1t was agrees
that we should have a rate of / cent per
mile, subject, however, to the contirma-
tion of the Southeastern Passenger Asso-
citation. In one instance, l even went so
far as to ask one of the gentlemen to
compute the rate for me from Tampa
TO Savannah at the proposed rate, which
he did. The Southeastern Passenger As
ISOLATION met in Atlanta Jan. Is.
Now what we are complaining about"
continued Mr.. Lovenstein, lis that some
of the railroad men who made this agree
ment with us at the De Soto and gave
us every assurance of the rate agreed on,
used their Influence with the association
to defeat the matter. Moreover ii is gen
orally understood that whatever was re-
commended by the roads interested would
be done by the association. 1t is a fact
however, that influences were brought to
bear to defeat the rate.
The result is we are greatly incommod-
ed and want the country people, among
whom we have circulated the report that
the rate had been promised and would be
secured to know it is not our fault and
that we told them the truth. Immediate
ly after the meeting at the De Soto each
drummer made it a point to circulate the
report. / went to one of the passenger
agents and told him our intention and
he replied: Go to work and boom the
affair. There is no doubt about the rate.''
After abandoning gala week 1t was the
sense or the meeting that all efforts should
be concentrated on the T. p A. conven-
ton to be held in Savannah April II. 70
ana IL. AT that time it is expected there
will be something like a thousand visitors
here. There win be a large attendance
from the posts at Columbus, Macon, At
lanta and Augusta. OF these ii is EXPECT
ed there will be GOO. and then there will be
200 specially invited members from Flori-
da posts. Ample entertainment will be
provided and the convention will proba-
bly, be one of the most enthusiastic held
in recent years During the three days
session considerable business will he
transacted and matters pertaining to the
various posts viii be discussed, but there
will also be entertainment, consisting of
everything that will insure the visitors a
good time while here