Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-05

ton made between the rich and the
poor. The most humble backwoods
delegate or spectator has the same
kind of chair to view the proceedings
in, and is given the same opportunity
10 see all that is going on, as the.
wealthiest of the men in attendance. 1t
is sort of equality-like the ballot box,
and it should be.
From my seat on the extreme north
wing of the press gallery, it was al
most impossible to hear plainly.
Snatches of sentences could be heard
at times, but the hum of conversation
in the balcony just back of the press
gallery destroyed the effects of the
speakers. Added to this noise was the
constant walking back and forth of
people in the middle aisle, the patter-
ing feet of the hundreds of messenger
boys and pages as they wandered up
and down back of the seats ready for
instant service.
One of the principal features of the
convention was the excellent rendition
of patriotic music by the Third regi-
ment Missouri Volunteer Infantry
band, stationed in stand at the south
end of the building.
Another feature not SO pleasant is
the fact that hundreds of people We're
unable to secure admission tickets,
while scalpers stood in every hotel lob
by offering them at SO and SIS apiece.
Nothing so incenses democrat, who
has come all the way from home to at
tend convention, as to be refused adj
mittance, and then find scalpers dis
posing of tickets on every hand for
cash. There was also much dissatis-
faction expressed over the disposition
of the press tickets. The press was
divided into two divisions-the country
press or weeklies. and the active work.
ing dailies, those supposed to send out
specials during the convention. While
the big newspapers probably got all
they desired, there We're other nearby
papers that got decidedly the worst OF
| it, while a favored few, who We're call
ed working press men but did nc
work, had good seats. When the tick
cts were given out at the Kansas City
club last night the newspaper boys hat
/ to stand in line for an hour befor.
they received their badges and seal
checks. And, then, after all thi.
scramble, there We're many seats no
occupied in the press galleries at tn,
A two sessions today. There were also
i number of seats in different parts o
the mammoth building that were no
i occupied, some on the ground floor.
1 The convention hall itself is admira
bly, arranged and it's acoustic proper
ties are probably as fine as any hall il
the country. When the hall was per
: fectly still the speakers could be easi
Ily heard. The two press galleries
north and south, extend from the cen
ter aisle, in semi-circle around to tn
rear of the speakers stand. Desks ar
provided for the active working writ
/. ers present, of whom there are proba
: bly, 500, representing every paper O
l consequence in the United States. TIL
: big Chicago and eastern papers hay
E from five to twenty men on the GROUND
besides newsboys and solicitors. Tn
D building is surrounded on all sides b
l large, heavy, glass doors, that can b
!, easily opened in case of rush or fir
h Running around the entire inside {
i. the house, on the first floor, is a wild
i, aisle, and at both the north and sout
e ends of the building, in this aisle al
n stationed chemical engines for fire pui
III poses, telephone booths, an improm]
u tn postoffice, toilet rooms, etc. Ia
e tending along the east side of the bui
=! ding, in this aisle, is the headauarte