The representative., 1900-05-17
THE SIOUX FALLS FIzxLE.


The fusionists uncovered the paucity
Of their numbers by calling their con
vention at Sioux Falls, and thereby they
have done Bryan an incalculable injury,
for they have shown how little strength
he will bring them from the Populist
ranks.
A staff correspondent Of the Minneapo-
lis Times writes the following:
SIOUX FALLS, s. D., May 11.-If the
Populists ever hold another convention it
will not be held in the city of Sioux Falls.
The people here are sore. Instead of the
affair being worth millions to the business
men and others. 1t has proven the worst
kind of a frost. The only persons who
have been benefited are the men who sold
furniture for rooms which were never oc-
cupied. ts~
1t was announced that there would be
several thousand visitors in the city, and
great were the preparations made The
hotels furnished up several additional
rooms. and the town was canvassed. with
the result that 1000 rooms, or accommoda-
tiOns for 1000 persons, were listed Fully
1900 private families made arrangements
to entertain visitors at their homes. Very
few had their guest chambers occupied. A
conservative estimate of the amount of
money expended for the entertainment of
visitors is $4,000. and it is doubtful if a
fifth IT this sum has been realized
To begin with, the expenses Of the con-
vention. including debt Of $500 hanging
over the national committee, have been
fully $12, 500. OF this amount the business
men of the city subscribed and paid in
about $4,000 1t was expected to realize
the balance Of the money by the sale Of
tickets of admission to the proceedings of
the convention. Probably $500 has been
realized in this manner. The $4,000 has
been nearly exhausted by the payment Of
bills. and it is the intention of the man
ayers of the fund to pay all local bills
and let the national committee whistle for
its money The local POpulists are sore
and one of them, when asked what they
proposed to do. said that inasmuch as Sen
ator Pettigrew seemed to have proprietary
interest in the convention he, might raise
the money himself
The convention has been disappointment
all through. Instead of the large attendance,
less than 1000 visitors have been in the
city during the week The hotels have not
been doing sufficient business to pay for
the extra help hired, to- say nothing about
reimbursing the managers for the expense
in fitting up fer the occasion. One hotel
man says he did not do even an average
business and could easily have accommo-
dated double the number of guests he had.
All over town are improvised lunch
rooms The ladies' societies of the various
churches also entered the entertainment
field but it is doubtful II they realized
enough to payothe' .rent. Of. the, store build
ings they now occupy. Large stocks of per-
1shable provisions were 'fafd in, and the
loss on these. will be heavy.
There has been no interest in the conven-
tion and there has not been a session when
there were a thousand persons tn the big
tent. If every person in Sioux Falls who
wanted to attend the convention had been
admitted free and half the remainder Of
the population had been forced to attend
the sessions there would have been plenty
OF room for the delegates and all persons
having business there. The big tent. when
the convention was in session, had the ap-
pearance of a concert after a circus.
The arrangements for handling the crowd
were most excellent, but the crowd was not
here to be handled. "' f'f
Thus are all frauds exposed in due
course of time. I'D.