The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-26
CONVENTION CITY BENEFITS.
More Pleasure Than Profit in Enter
thinning Statesmen.


By ordinary business calculation, 1t
seems that the selection OF a city for the
holding CT great national convention CT
either political party is a mater al benefit
The number of delegates at a convention s
double the number of electoral votes.
which is now All, making the number Of
delegates S9i, exclusive OF the represe la
tives of the various Territories. With each
delegate there is an alternate, or about
l ITO in all, and the addition OF national
committeeman and political leaders who
are not delegates. the friends Of candi-
dates, the advocates OF special projects or
interests intended to be incorporated in the
platform adopted by the party. brings up
the total number of active parti, iIants 10
1900. and there are usually as many more
persons in attendance, besides the rela-
tives and friends OF delegates and proni5-
cuous enthusiasts. This brings UP tie
total number of persons present at any
national convention to 6,G0J, and the most
ordinary estimate Of their average expen-
ditures is SO day. No national con-
vention lasts less than two days. and i.
sometimes happens that the sessions are
prolonged during three or four days AID
even longer. A two days session would.
therefore, represent to the city chosen
$120,GC OF expenditure. a three days con-
$4,000 and five days convention $500
000. exclusive of railway expenses. which
are not considered in the total, though
they are to the benefit. OF course. of tae
lines carrying passengers to and taking
them from the convention city.
A national convention represents. at
minimum figures, from 800, 000 to $50, goo
in expenditure in the city in which it is
held and If there were no commensurate
stand why some of the smaller towns COM
pete most actively for the choice, which.
it is observable. very few do, especially
after having had one convention. The rea-
son for this is that the OUTLAWS required
to secure the convention are very nearly
as large as the benefits accruing; that
while some branches OF business are bene-
fitted, the resulting disturbance of trade is
an injury and it is, therefore, found that
a city in which the convention is held does
not usually appear as a candidate for like
recognition at the end of the ensuing four
years.
The statement is made that it cost
Minneapolis one of the smaller cities of
the country in respect to political i'm
portance, S3S, 600 in 1892 for the privilege
of having the Republican National Con-
vention which reno.slinated President Har-
rison. The loss in guarantee fund, when
the accounts were balanced of St. Louis
in 1895 was S42 coo fnr the Republican Con-
vention and this years guarantee in Phil
adclphia is 100000, the guarantors stipu-
lating not to pay that sum but to pro-
vide for the expenses of the convention,
up to 100000. not more. Usually. when a
city seeks designation as the place OF
holding a convention, fund is raised. con-
tri5uted to chiefly by railway manager.
hotel proprietcrs. and car line directors. but
there is no practical way of securing an
equitable division of the returns. Thus,
one hotel keeper who is a liberal con-
tributor 10 a guarantee fund may secure
little patronage from the convention dele
gates. whereas another, who is a small
contributor may find his house crowded
to repletion. and at much increase rates.
Baltimore, which was for many years the
favorite convention city of the country,
long ago abandoned any attempt to OBJ
tain such honor for the reason that the
convention did not Justify the outlay de-
manded to secure it. New York has had
but one important National Convention,
One experience was sufficient fer Mime
apolis, and such thriving and accessible
cities as Cleveland, Detroit, and Louis
willie have never made any effort for such
recognition on the ground that they do not
require conventions and would have little
to gain from them. Minor conventions,
however, have, years ago, been held in
Cleveland and Louisville. 1t is the big
National Conventions which require-and
often coSt-money.