The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-30
Biz Convention Is to Be Held i'll
Salt Lake City January
II TO Is.
MEETING IMPORTANT ONE
FOR WESTERN COUNTRY
Matter of Stop-0verS on Denver
& Rio Grande Is to Be
Gone Into.

"Salt Lake City IS 70 become one Of
the five great cities OF the country. and
the hotel men will be instrumental In
making it such" This was the statement
made TO The Tribune Sunday evening by
Don Il. Porter, proprietor oE the Kenyon
hotel. You know that L. n. Hartman
has made the statement that this country
is to have nvo great cities, and those he
has picked arc New York, Chicago Salt
Lake CITY San Francisco and Seattle.
| believe he is right. ana I believe that the
motel men will have pretty nearly as
much TO do with the making of these
western cities as anybody else" Mr.. l'or-
ter added.
The above statements were made in
| connection With the announcements that
| on January II TO l3 a convention is 10 be
| held in this city Of all the hotel mon In
the Transmississlppi section and the
west. for the purpose of forming what VIII
| he known az tho Mississippi Valley
| Rocky Mountain Pacinc Coast Hotel
Mems association. Just where the con
vention will hold its sessions on these
| three days has not been decided as yet,
| but probably at ono OF the four big hotels
| OF tho city. Mr. Porter IL enthusiastic
| over the proposition and states that II
| will be as highly successful an undcrtnk-
| ing from the first as one could wish for.
| The call for the meeting has been issued
| by President S. f. Dutton OF tho Rock,
| Mountain Hotel Mems association. and
| already all the hotel pr"prictors OF this
! city have sent to President Dutron thcir
hearty Endorsement Of his action and plan.
Object Of Convention.
Continuing. Mr.. Porter said: "The OBJ
| lect OF this convention Is 10 perfect an
! organization which will make itself felt
| throughout the intermoun;sln region and
which will boom this city as nothing
| else ever has or can. We will seek 10
offer special inducements 10 tourists to
! stop over here for several days TO take
| IN the sights. We Will make especial ef-
| forts To take care OF them and make
them not only comfortable, but 10 provide
/ amusementa and other attractive features
! which VIII act as magnet In dra wing
! them to us. Our aim viii he 10 please
! and to attract the tourists. This meeting
| of the hotel men will be unique affair.
and no one can foretel what 1t will mean
! for the city"
Hotel men from the east-that is from
the Mississippi valeT, from the Rocky
| Mountain disirlcts-and from the Pacific
| coast will be In attendance, and IT Is eX-
prominent hotel men VIII be numbered
| In the gathering, This convention will
! be Tor not only the men who conduct
| the high grade hotels. but also for those
who conduct high-class roomine houses.
All viii benefit. and by the bringing OF
thousands OF people here IN the course of
a year IL VIII mean not only a great
thing 10 the hotel men. but To the mer-
chants Of the city as we'll, for a vast
sum OF money will be expended. and IL
is wholly possible that investments OF
Importance may result from the visit OF
sightseers.
Out for Conventions.
Another objec: of the new organization
! will be to secure conventions for this and
other cities. Many bodies do not care
10 go TO Denver, but could be induced
TO come 10 Salt Lake City. Some would
not come here, but would go TO other
places. Inducements will be held out TO
cause conventions TO come to this city
! In preference 70 any other and still the
| interests OF the entire community In
which they operate, no matter whether
this city or some other.
There is another matter which will
occupy the attention OF these hotel men.
and that Is the discrimina tlon which has
been practiced for SO long by the Denver
az Rio Grande railroad against this city.
For some years this railroad. on it's east
bound travel. has been In the habit OF
leaving several of it's passenger cars on
the sidetrack in this city in the after
noon locking up the baggage OF the pas
| senSers In The sleeping cars, and giving
these passengers three or four hours 10
look over the city. This length OF time
! has never been enough and thousands OF
people have expressed themselves as
heartily dissatisfied over their inability to
stop longer in this city. With the pick
Ing up OF their cars, other passenger cars
were Sidetracked here, and SO il con-
tnueS.
Has Injured City.
1T has been stated that as a conse-
quence OF this discrimination the city has
lost thousands OF dollars. not only money
| which would have gone 10 the hotels and
business houses but In point of invest
ments as well. Many have remarked that
they undoubtedly should have invested
IN real estate here had they had moro
time in which to look about, but as their
baggage had been checked through to
Denver and their suit cases were locked
up. they were unable TO stay II will be
| the endeavor OF this organization 10 elm
| mate this condition of affairs and force
the road to. give it's passengers ample
| opportunity TO stop over here for day,
! or longer If they want to-
1t IS weil-known fact that when peo-
pie purchase tickets in the east to travel
| over this road and are 10 return they
| are told that they are granted a few
| hours, three to hve, In which 70 see Salt
Lake City. and that Is sufficient When
the people arrive here they find they have
Doen Tlslnformed, and when making an
| other trip west it is made over another
road. This condition exists only on the
eastbound travel.