Evening star., 1901-05-24
FUTURE CONVENTION FUND
PROPOSED PERMANENT GUARANTEE
FOR ENTERTAINING VISITORS.
Suggestion Made by CommfssfOner
Inaugural Committee.

The suggested idea Of the maintenance In
the capital city Of an adequate and per-
manent guarantee subscription fund, to be
used in the entertainment of conventions
invited to be held here, is one that Is call
ing forth great deal Of favorable COM
ment in many quarters. The suggestion
was made by Mr.. Henry B. F. Macfarland,
president of the board OF District Com
mssioners, at the meeting Of the inaugural
committee Wednesday night. At that time
the committee had under discussion the ap-
preparation of 81, 500 1t had made to assist
in entertaining the members of the confer
ence of charities and corrections, and the
proposed liquidation Of an outstanding IN
dehtedness of some s4OO against the en-
campment of the Union Veteran Union,
held here last fall. The committee voted to
clear up this sum, as it was regarded as q
charge upon the integrity Of the citizens OF
the District.
Mr.. Macfarland's idea in regard to the
fund and the sending of invitations for
conventions were more. fully expressed
when he was questioned on the subject to-
day by reporter for The Star.
The CommissiOner's Views.
washington is pre-eminently the con-
vention CITY," Mr.. Macfarland declared.
Every year 1t entertains a larger number
Of gatherings than any other city in the
country, and the number is increasing.
Most of these gatherings do not require
public entertainment by the people of the
District a whole. They are entertained
by individuals or organizations But 9TH
ers which are very desirable are In de-
mand, and only be induced to come
here by promise of entertainment by the
community. 1t is very proper that they
should be invited to come. But no more
invitations to such bodies should be issued
until we have made arrangements that
fot in nrn-
viding the funds necessary for entertain
ment. We have had enough experiences
which just missed being embarrassing to
show that such arrangements are needed.
My suggestion was that either a specific
and adequate guarantee fund should be
subscribed in every case before the invita-
ton is sent, or else that permanent gen.
| eral subscription should be maintained, col
lectible it might be needed, for such
| occasions. Under the latter plan, which
seems to me preferable, the generous and
publiC-sprited citizens of the District
would indicate what sums they would be
ready to pay for the tertainment of such
a gathering every time an invitation was
issued In manner to be agreed upon by
the subscribers. The custom has been for
representative citizens usually through the
Washington Board of Trade or some other
organization of high standing, to ask the
Commissioners of the District to formally
send an invitation in the name of the Dis
trict of Columbia. This custom might
very well be followed, under either of the
proposed plans of providing the funds.
The official invitation of the District Of
Columbia, which the Commissioners would
be very careful about extending might
very well be considered the requisite certii-
cate for the collection of Subscriptions if
a permanent list of subscribers should be
established. For one, | am opposed to
issuing any more invitations involving en-
tertainment by the District. or in the name
Of the District, until some such arrange
ment for providing the necessary money
Is adopted