The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-12
TALKS ON LIVE TOPICS
FLOATING POPULATION OF INDIAN
APoLIs GROWING.
Many Leakages I'm Operating Big
HoteI-Poker Discussed In the
Lobby OF a Local Hotel.

various interurban lines are responsible to
a great extent for the increase in the num-
Der OF daily visitors 10 the city, for wher-
ever the trolley makes a pathway there
are thousands of people who, with COM
mon impulse, find their way 10 the metrop-
oils and return to their homes the end
OF the day. The storekeepers Of the city
offer every inducement to the interurban-
ties to pat-onize their bargains, and the
majority OF the provincial women prefer TO
avail themselves Of the privilege of visit
20 town when a luadable excuse can be
found for making the trip.
1T Is worthy OF notice, too. that a good
many OF the wage earners of Indianapolis
nowadays are nonresidents of the city, the
early morning interurban cars bringing
quite large number of business men,
clerks and working girls to their daily
labor and taking them back TO their out-of-
town dwellings again at the close of the
day. don't know why IT is that most peo-
pie prefer to earn their daily bread in the
large cities, but such is undoubtedly the
case. There are several employees In this
establishment who have deserted comfort
able positions in country towns in order to
experience what they consider the joys of
everyday life in big city. They don't
ike to give up their home life entirely. and
so they return to their familiar old fire.
sides when the o'clock whistles blow.
with Indianapolis growing larger and
larger. it will probably be only a question
of a short time when many of the sur
rounding small towns and villages will be
almost completely depopulated Of wage
earners between the hours of in the morn
z Httaf of
suburban places becoming eventually con-
fined. for the most part, to the traffic in
local necessities. 1t is. of course. the
cause OF some complaint among out-of-
town shopkeepers that Indianapolis is made
the center Of purchase by the inhabitants
OF the small places, but the Indianapolis
tradesmen should not be blamed for this
state of affairs. They in business to
make money, and they are certainly not
going to do otherwise than encourage the
suburban and interurban trade.
''It Is a matter of interest, by the way,
10 calculate the amount Of money spent in
big city by its floating population. which
in this includes not only those out-of-
town folks who come especially to frequent
the shopping districts. but the registered
guests at the hotels. the people visiting
friends in town and the travellers who are
stopping over for day or so to break the
,monotony OF a long Journey. Theatrical
people are among the transients that spend
money freely. and recently a well-known
woman performer who was billed
'headliner' at the Grand Opera House spent
all OF her available time-and incidentally
all OF her ready cash-among the millinery
and dress-making places of the town. She
said that she had been impressed upon
previous visits with the stylish appearance
of Indianapolis women and had decided
TO purchase her winter 'out-of-doors outfit
while playing her weeks engagement in
this city"
THE public has little idea Of the innumer-
able Ieakages in a big hotel that are a
source OF much expense without tangible
returns" said the clerk in a leading local
hosiery. These leakages are the out
growth OF modern conditions of living, and
while they are not at all necessary to COM
fcrt. their absence would doubtless cause
an immediate dropping off in the patronage
OF hotel whose management attempted to
dispense with them. The larger hotels Of
the country pay out between $1,000 and
1900 annually for plants and flowers. and
costs from two to four times as much. The
stationery. which is intended to be for the
use of guests exclusively. but which hang
.ers-on about the place do not hesitate to
use. is another tremendous expense which
fails to bring in penny in revenue except
as an advertising medium. know of one
hotel In Chicago that spends at least 500
a month on it's elegant embossed letter
d md
in It's handsome modern form is another ex-
travagance from which nothing comes in
the way of profit except perhaps feeling
on the part OF the guests that no detail is
being overlooked by the hotel management
in offering the best OF everything.
1.-The table linen Is still another great ex-
pense OF which outsiders have no concep-
ton. first-class hotel must have the very
finest tablecloths obtainable and dozens
upon dozens of costly Irish linen napkins
to be used at banquets and swell parties.
OF course there are great profits in other
directions that make up for all these leak
ages: If such were not the case the great
hotels couldn't make both ends meet"
XXX
A group of Indianapolis men were dis
cussing an important topic in the lobby
OF the Grand Hotel last Wednesday even
fng-draw poker Each of them refuted j.
Pierpont Morgan's recently published views
IN which the great financier declared that
the game was un-American because it was
deceitful. There is nothing deceitful about
draw poker" said a well-known insurance
man. in the course of the conversation.
'.On the contrary, IL Is the squarest game
ever invented. The bluff is an important
part OF the play at critical stages, it's
true. and the player who hasn't enough
nerve TO carry ii out when il is forced upon
him should keep out of the game. But the
bluff isn't the cornerstone OF draw poker
by any means. and the man who thinks
that II Is fails comprehend the whole
science and Is surely doomed TO meet de-
feat IL he runs up against opponents who
know the principles upon which the game
Is based.
THE basis OF the game is that mathemat-
ical superiority OF some one hand OF cards
must decide the winning OF the pot Isn't
that typically American? Nothing but alb
solute superiority counts for anything
when IL comes TO an actual show down
1t Is true that the player holding an in
ferior hand may win the stakes I'm one
certain contingency-that is. IL the fellow
holding the superior hand lacks the cour-
age 10 remain In competition. That's
where the legitimate bluff comes in and
it's a part Of the game. The scientific