Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-06-26
CHICAGO AS SEEN BY
THE EDITOR.
\ GREAT CITY WITH A GREAT
CLASS OF COSMOPOLITAN
PEOPLE.
Chicago, ILL.,.
Especial to Bystander.l

Chicago, Ill.
Especial to Bystander.)
The great White City upon the lake
sometimes jockingly called the village
BY the pond is indeed the Western hub
Of the Americsn Republic for here all
roads end and many begin, here where
one can see great cosmopolitan
world making sentiment and creating
civilization, here where one can see all
nationalities, Ill races, all creeds and
isms Of the world. This being the
National Republican Convention week
Chicago was well prepared to receive
and entertain the Republican hosts,
and even the colored people were pre-
pared to receive and entertain the
Colored Republican contingent.
First will tell you about the colored
man and the convention. To person
who never attended one of these great
National Conventions it is the most in.
teresting sight you ever saw to one
who has never before attended, this is
the largest best dressed and most en-
thusiastic of any similar meeting, here
you met the rich and poor, the black
and white, the Indian and Alaskan,
the Porti Rician and Haiwain, the
Texas Ranger and the Cowboy the tar
OF Philippine and even women dele
gates here gathered in this great city.
Nearly 1000 of these delegates and
alternates and fully 5000 of the lead
ing active Republican workers, then
to see the different marching clubs, OF
the many I think the James g. Blaine
marching club Of 900 men from Gin
cinnati with tall white silk hats long
linen coats and cane in hand no man
seemed less than six feet in height
was the greatest of the marching clubs.
Nearly every state had headquarters,
Iowa seemed to me to have perhaps
the best location and incest rooms and
was second to the Illinois and Ohio
headquarters, most of these head
quarters were at the Auditorium and
its annex. In these headquarters
were hung on the walls the great men
of the states with flags, bunting eto,
and the states that had their favorite
sons as candidate for President or
Vice President was busy Introducing
these debates to their claims of
course none of these candidates are
here. .....
At the Collisuim on 18th and Mich.
gan avenue is another great sight. Id
this mammoth building they say they
can seat 10000 people, am not pre-
pared to dispute it for to ME it looked
like thousands upon thousands of hui
mainly packed like sardines into that
great building, the decoration was
superb, the music very inspiring. In
deed one might consider him or her
self fortunate to secure a ticket to get
in at all as the season tickets sold as
high as 800 apiece.
There were also many Taft meetings
held and all of these meetings were
largely attended, at one of the Taft
meetings some one cut the electric wire
of Quinn Chapel and the crowd was
in darkness for two hours. This incl
dent can better show the feeling be-
tween the two factions.
Well what about the social and
business life of our people in Chicago
there are many in business, on some
streets they seem to have as many
business concerns as the white man,
they have groceries meat markets drug
stores, laundries, restaurants, barber
shops, undertakers, real estate deal
ers, lively barns, blacksmith shops,
millinery. notion store, dry goods,
gents furnishings paptitorium etc, and
many are doing well. In the social
whirl, could learn of but few, Quinn
Chapel held grand reception compli.
nentary 10 the visitors, 800 plates
were laid. Bethel A. M. E. church
also held reception where more than
go plate were laid. The Phyllis
Wheatey Home, under the manage
rneDt Of the Woman's Club is home
recently opened for young girls held
an informal Wednesday afternoon and
our editor with many other
editors was invited, Mrs. Frank
Hughes, SO well known in our city
gave six o'clock dinner compliment
tary to Mrs. VIM. Coalson, jeff Logan,
John L. Thompson and Ebert Hall of
Des Moines and Miss Sylvia johnson,
South Carolina. There were many
parties given to Pinchback, Vernon,
Lewis. Anderson, Knox and others.
The Iowa visitors to the convention
were Geo. n. Woodson, of Oskaloosa;
Rev. Venerable. of Keokuk; Rev. A. L.
DeMond, DR.. w. s. Taylor, DR.. Rob-
inson of Buxton; jeff Logan was SER
giant at arms; ]. c, Williams and Will
Tomlin was messenger to the Iowa
delegation, John L. Thompson and
Mrs. VIM. Coalson of Des Moines. The
climax Of receptions given by the 9Th
regiment at the large armory which
would seat 5000 people, they had q
full dress military drill ended with a
,,,auoL than %bo S,ooor