The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-22
1900, YEAR OF CONVENTIONS.
Aaa the Railroads Are Rsapins . kich hAr
vest Carving Dsisgates'

VoDb NALIytoB
A very considerable item Of American rail-
road passenger business In the summer month";
| comes from conventions held In various paru
Of tho country, some Industrial. some eduos-
tlonal, some political and some patriotic. eucn
conventions are profitable to railroads because
the business from them comes at . speoineo
time and within certain limitations. because
the amount Of patronage can be gagged IN 40
vance with practical accuracy. because IL re-
uuires no new schedule Of train servtoe or ter
minal facilities and. finally. because It requires
no new expenditure for equipment Tbs num-
Der Of persons visiting q convention varies
anywhere from 500 to 10000. and they are IN
almost every case persons sumcienily we'll
TODD to travel under conditions most favor
able to railroad service.
Every American railroad In summer tlme,
when general passenger business Ii SLACK.
derives som revenue from such minor atuac-
tons as county fairs, but In such cases the
-hsuls- are short and the roads are brought
into competition with the trolley lines. For
big conventions there are no short hauls and
there Is no such competition and It Is q notice
able feature Of this year, convention record that
IN unusual proportion Of those which have
been called have either met or are To- meet
In Southern cities. Thus the National Educa-
ttonal Association Is TO meet ID yuiy ~
gomery. Ala. In May. and the American Medioo-
Psychological Convention was held IN Hoh-
rnond In the same month.
broken. by this years record. and the business
derived by the railroads from II viii be much
larger In amount than has ever been tho case
from the big national 'oonysnlOns. Demo
cratic and Republican, which. for Q popular Tea-
son are nors profitable 70 he roads lsSdiIns
sSs nf has even before aoS f bssn tbs sea Sa.. 2 sSCh ~.
70 S'i both conSentions Is larger than il has been
th so %Sstics, sI1 SsSS, N lsss' S ssS X FL. is1s q ys ssnt sai
points about equally, distant ffrom the centre
q population, which Is now In Indiana The
Republicans met In St. Louis and the Demo.
and both easily accessible In short rides TO q
very considerable number OF the delegates.
This year. however. the Republicans met IN
for mora than twenty-a d years. and the Demo:
Gratis will meet In Kansas City, further West
than they have ever gone The result OF such
selection have been beneficial 70 ai me sosaS
tributed some to the receipts from passenger
EARNINGS, but not very much, as Al p9Pulists are
Constitutional opposed to railroad S0rRors.
found along the line Of the chief roads. There
The Grand Army OF the Republic, the Chris
tan Endeayor Society several Masonic con
Veterans, the Epworth League, the medical
and dental conventions. and those OF some Of
the chief religious organizations are among
the number which add TO the revenues of the
railroads considerably In a year. begun In
April by the meeting Of the Ecumenica Con-
ference In New York. Railroad rates. have
consequence of this a fuller sum OF the re-
oeipts from such passenger earnings repre-
sents profit than Is the case when rates are
disturbed and rate cutting Is the rule.
The better service given by the railroads
to travellers has had the effect Of stimulating
the holding Of conventions and this accounts
70 some extent for the large railroad earnings
from conventions this year.