The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-09-07
Citizens Who Have LabOred
Faithfully For Years.
WERE MANY BACKSETS.
Undaunted They Have Contin-
ued Their Work.
Plain Statement of Facts About
the Matter.

where because of the lack of a suitable
hall for convention purposes. To be
sure Hamilton hall was available for
occasional political gatherings, but it
would not accommodate one-third of
the crowd which sometimes wished to
attend such meetings. For example,
when Eugene v. Debs spoke in HamiI-
ton hall last year hundreds of people
were turned away from the very doors
of the hall, the most of them laboring
men and their families, who wished to
hear the great labor agitator
When the Populist state convention
was held in Hamilton hall last year
there was little room for more than the
delegates, although hundreds of people
from out of the city had come TO attend
the convention, and thousands Of To-
peka people would have enjoyed being
spectators had there been room for
them The Republican state convention
was taken to Hutchinson last year for
the very reason that Hutchinson had
a better convention hall than Topeka,
although it was more difficult of access
from all parts of the state
PRELIMINARY EFFORTS.
The Commercial club realized this
need of the city for an auditorium soon
after its organization and it began to
work to secure one. The popular
method for erecting the building at the
time was by popular subscription.
Three years ago the club began to work
two years it was kept up faithfully.
An auditorium board of 25 members
was formed and Incorporated under the
laws of the state. Major Anderson was
elected as its president, w. G. Stephen
son, secretary, and G. S. Elliott, treas
urer.
Various methods were suggested for
raising the money, and it was decided
to ask the city government for assist
ance. There was in the city treasury
$4,000 in what was known as the coal
hole fund The city council was will
ing to donate this amount towards an
auditorium, but there was no way in
which it could be legally done. In
order to make the coal hole money
available two bills were engineered
through the legislature in 1897, one Civ
ing the city council the right to trans
fer the coal hole fund into the general
revenue. and the other giving the city
authority to appropriate $4,000 to COM
plete an auditorium The latter bill re-
quired that all the balance of the cost
of the building should be raised and
placed in a bank to the credit of the
city treasurer, who was also treasurer
of the auditorium board.
When this much had been accom-
plished the auditorium board set to
work to secure subscriptions from
private individuals. Day after day was
spent in tramping over the city seek
ing subscriptions.
CITY PARK SITE.
In the meantime the board had de-
raised ought to be used for the build
ing and none expended for a site On
this account it was voted to build the
auditorium in the city park. The North
Topeka people wished that location and
the majority of the rest of the city was
willing that it should go there under
the circumstances. To be sure there
were individuals who objected to the
site. When one wealthy man was ap-
preached by Major Anderson he offered
to subscribe 500 if the building were
loo Cd ba FrT-f ~
city, but he refused to subscribe a cent
towards it on the city park site. There
was no question raised as to the legal
ity of using the park for such pur-
pose, or if it was raised it was kept
in the back ground.
The auditorium board advertised for
plans, and adopted one submitted by
John F. Stanton, which was also an
proved by the city council. In order to
pay the preliminary expenses of the
project twenty members of the board
paid in SO each and one member paid
in $50, and they are still out this money.
After months of effort and after the
board had raised every cent it possibly
could by subscription. it had only S13,-
500 subscribed, and of this amount the
citizens of the First ward. North To-
peka, subscribed $3.50. 1t is the people
of that ward-some of. them-who are
now Objecting to the city as a whole
erecting a city building which shall
contain a convention hall
Buttons were sold to the amount of
used in paying for plans, printing
postage and like expenses The sum of
$50 was paid on the subscriptions and
this amount is still in the hands of
the treasurer Of the board
FAILURE OF THE PLAN.
After the city had been figuratfvely
raked with a fine-tOoth comb for sub
scriptions. the board advertised for
bids for the erection of the building
and it was discovered that they lacked
$4,000 of having enough money pledged
to erect the building, including the $1O.-
600 city money.
The city authorities could not put
more money into the enterprise, and
no more subscriptions could be secured;
so the board decided to erect a smaller
and cheaper building than the one con-
templated' but when this plan became
known the late G. G. Gage and 9TH
ers who We're among the heaviest sub
scribers, said they would withdraw
their subscriptions If this was done
There the plan stuck.
NEW SCHEME PROPOSED.
About a year ago P. 1. Bonebrake
City Attorney Bird and others came
forward with the suggestion that the
city council be persuaded to sell the
property the city then owned and erect
a new city building in which all of the
city offices and fire department might
be accommodated and which should
contain convention hall as we'll
The idea Immediately took with the
Commercial club, and it began working
with that end in view 1t was thought
best, in order that there might be no
doubt about the city'S authority to do
such a thing to get a special bill
through the legislature and a commit
tee consisting of City Attorney Bird,
James A Troutman and Attorney Gen
eraI GODDARD Y as appointed to draft the
bill.
1t was the intention of the committee
to make the bill SO general in its ma
ture as TO apply to all cities of the first
class, but as some OF the members OF