The National tribune., 1906-08-09

that avenue. As evidence of the -un-
ready and congested condition of Min
neapolis, / quote the following from the
Minneapolis Tribune of date Aug. L:
1.-THE congested condition of traffic on
the downtown streets of Minneapolis has
come to be very serious question and
one which seems to demand attention
from the city authorities" remarked a
Nicollet avenue merchant. "Nicollet
avenue, especially, is always crowded.
While the downtown streets were
torn up with the paving crews 1t was
natural to find crow6ing on the few
streets available for use, but now that
most of the paving has been finished
and the principal thoroughfares are
again open for use the crowded condi-
ton is made more apparent. Only one
or two of the cross streets are still torn
up, and the congestion of traffic now
cannot be laid to the paving crews"
Minneapolis Waking Up.
1 have beoA accused of "slamming''
Minneapolis on the condition of her
streets and har street-car service. y
Mr.. Rendell, whom do not know, never
having seen the gentleman, has Just re-
turned from Denver, the beautiful city
among the shutdown hills, which enter
tanned the National Encampment last
year. Mr.. Rendell was interviewed by
ell the papers in the city, and in one he
laid emphatically, Minneapolis must
wake up, and clean up for the National
Encampment of the G.. A. R." In an
other, the Minneapolis Journal, he said:
"One thing that should be well looked
after in the handling of the big crowds
of G.. A. r. visitors here should be the
street-car service. At Denver the num-
Der of people attracted by the Elks'
Convention was about two-thirds of the
crowd drawn there by the Grand Army,
when $1,000 railroad tickets were vail
idated In a week. They have a fine
street-car system there, and the cars
run faster than ours. without gates to
delay people getting on or off. Every
car had an assistant conductor, whose
duty 1t was to help people on and off
expeditiously. It's a good idea which
should be adopted here.
Another important point is adequate
arrangements for handling baggage at
the Union Station. A third is hotel ac-
commodations, and there Denver has
again the advantage of us-it's a regu-
lar little New York in this respect"
In the Minneapolis Tribune Mr.. Rem
dell said, among other things:
Minneapolis must wake up and dec
crate for the Grand Army Encampment,
or she will be left in the shade when
comparison is made with Conventions in
other cities"
Now, 1 submit that this at least ought
TO be considered impartial evidence to
support my statements that the Com
mercial Club has not been alive to its
duties, and failed to work up the En-
campment as it should have been, and
interested the people from the very be-
ginning. Minneapolis people are pa
triotic to the hearts core, everything
goes to show that, but her people are
Just like all other people In large cities.
While not all of them are from Mis-
souri," at the same time they have to
be shown" They need to be reminded
morning and evening that there IS to be
q National Encampment, for about six
months in advance of the date. The
Commercial Club kept this little matter
pretty much to itself until The Ma
tional Tribune began to ask questions
and TO want to know why" For two
weeks now things have been hummine
about those undecorated headquarters
OF the National Encampment Commit
tee in the Andrus Building.
Accommodation.
l also said that Minneapolis was CO.
ing To be put to" TO provide places for
her guests to sleep and to eat.
On Sunday there appeared In each OF
the Minneapolis newspapers this item:
Advance visitors for the G. A. r. En-
campment have brought about an ac-
tivity in hotel business unprecedented
and proprietors are at their wits ends
to devise plans whereby a few more
transients can be provided for. Many
boarding houses are full to the brim.
At one hotel yesterday 27 registered
within three hours. Many were turned
away. All Of the hotels reported that