The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-25
DEMOCRATS AT KANSAS CITY.
WILLIS j. ABBOT TELLS OF THE
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEM.

Lewis Vice Presidential Candida
tor Allen for President-How Flu
sion VIII Be Brought AbOut-The
sheldon Experiment at Topeka.
Political and Econ Omic Gossip.
Chicago. March 23.-It is doubtful if ever
in the history of national conventions has
the comfort of members of The National
Committee been provided for so success
fully as by Kansas City. A club house,
the equal of almost any metropolitan CLUB
in the country, is turned over 90 them
complete, the members moving out and
leaving to the guests the rooms, the SER
wants, the dining room and everything
pertaining TO a private club The commit
tee will thus escape at once the cfowding
and the publicity Of hotels. Its meetings
and the meetings of the subcommittee
which 1t may appoint will be held in per
feet privacy and business expedited i'm
mensely thereby. Moreover, to some de
gree the general public desiring to attend
the convention profits by this arrange
ment, because had the National Commit
tee not been thus superbly housed through
the generosity of the Kansas City Club it
would have reserved at least thrty-two
rooms at one of the biggest hotels, rooms
which now will be at the disposal of any
guest who can pay the price Perhaps
there may be some slight note of criti-
clsm of this very gorgeous and plutocratic
housing of the committee which is sup
posed to be devoted to the most simple
and JackSonian types of Democracy. but
it is not probable that the committeeman
in the enjoyment of their sequestered and
comfortable quarters will pay much at
tention to the outcry. Kansas City may
at least boast of having outdone Mime
apolis in hospitality.
I remember that in 1882, when Harrison
was renominated at Minneapolis, the town
was overrun by visitors empty office
buildings we're utilized as dormitories and
the service at the restaurants was simply
unspeakable. The Minneapolis Club was
then a haven of refuge for the very few
who held cards to il, but it never occurred
to the denizens of that frozen city to
throw open their hearts and their club to
all the members of the committee which
had voted to bring the convention to their
doors. And to this extent Kansas City
has clearly shown the greater hospitality.
l have no doubt that throughout the
course of this convention the newspaper
men whose business it has been for years
past to attend both Republican and Dem
ocratic Conventions viii compare at every
point the accommodations furnished them
this year with those furnished al Mime
apolis, the two cities being about of
size and the two conventions being the only
ones in the last twenty-five years held in
towns of that class. 1t may be said for
the benefit of Kansas Cityans that there
could hardly be worse accommodations
supplied the press than those furnished
at Minneapolis.
/ learn that the usual outcry concerning
convention tickets has already begun
One of the principal members of the Ex-
ecutive Committee told me to-day that
from one bacSwoods county in his state
he had received a letter written by the
chairman of the County Committee, say
ing that he had taken the greatest pains
to prune down to the barest and lowest
proportions the list of tickets which would
be absolutely necessary for guests from
his county, and that he would be con-
tent with 125. AS matter of fact that
county chairman will be most fortunate
if he gets ten, but the position. of the
national committeeman who has asked
of that, county chairman political support
occasionally is not a comfortable one
Kansas City people are indicating a de-
termination to have about half the tick
cts. When the SO convention was held
in Chicago the prearranged contract was
for the local people to have 10 per cent
of the tickets. AS matter of fact, ow-
ing to success in manning the doors with
their own people,. they succeeded in get
ting about 60 per cent. of the admissions
However, in an experience of political
conventions running over some sixteen
years, including those of both parties, 1
may say that have never known con-
vention to be held without a tremendous
outcry concerning the distribution of
l.,
which the people who really had just
claim to admission failed to get in. 1
have no doubt it will be so at Kansas
City.
The grumbling about the price of hotel
accommodations is also an invariable ac-
compartment of arrangements. Mr.. ]. G..
Johnson, chairman of the Democratic
Executive Committee, who has but re-
Gently returned from Kansas City, ex-
plains the talk about the prices thus: The
hotel men, he says, have determined upon
a straight rate of 81 day per man,
American plan only and four people to
the room. They naturally wish to dis
courage the cheerful and luxurious per-
son who comes and demands a room all
by himself and he is informed if he de-
sires such monopoly privileges he must
pay what they would bring the motel
keeper under the general arrangements
made-that is, he must pay $40 day.
Some of the people to whom this PROPOSE
ton is made are naturally appalled, by it
and raise a loud outcry about eXtortion.
With the crowding which is inseparable
from political convention in any city,
even in Chicago, 1t does not seem exor-
bitant. .a
A letter from an old friend of mine
James Hamilton Lewis of Seattle-reminds
me that he Is probably to he added to the
list of vice presidential possibilities which
| printed in recent letter Lewis is
man who has puzzled the casual observer
very much. His many curious mannensms
lead one at first to fancy him a fool an
opinion of which the professor is very
quickly disabused If he happens to enter
into an argument with the redoubtable
Jim Ham" as the New York Sun calls
him. In debate, Lewis is one of the most
alert. vigorous and vicious speakers the
House has ever seen. He has talent for
phrase-making which Is a dangerous tall
ent and has occasionally carried him
70 hTya.