Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-25
BAL |M0RE IS UNABLE
TO HANDLE THE CROWD
Convention Delegates Com
plain of insufficient Ac-
Communications.


convention, and it will get its money
back. The democratic national commit
tee added $4,000 to it's funds by desig-
mating Baltimore as the convention city,
and thereby Inconvenience a thousand
delegates, q thousand alternates and
about five thousand other persons. Com
plants Of the poor accommodations and
Of the disregard Of the comfort of patrons
In some Of the hotels. due entirely to the
lack Of proper facilities, are to be heard
on all sides tonight.
ITO save time, walk upstairs" That is
the sign that has been placed in a promi-
nent position in one hotel, and it means
just what 1t says. At two hotels the ele-
vator service has been deplorably made
quate, and 1t will be worse for a week to
come. The elevator service, incidentally,
is but one Of a dozen things Of which Wis
itors are complaining.
Centers of Activity.
The hotels referred to are the two CEN
tiers of political activity. At one passen-
ger elevators hold ten persons each.
Scores have waited from ten to thirty
minutes to. get into these elevators, and
tient that they have walked upstairs
sometimes as many as twelve flights
Stair climbing is not plea SAINT exercise
for fat delegate.
Hundreds of persons gave up all hope
of getting back to their rooms except by
walking up and waiting for the crowd u
diminish so that they might regain the
quarters for which they are paying any
where from $40 to $50 a, day. At the
smaller hotels the conditions are slightly
better, but already the hotels have proved
their inability to handle the big crowds
that attend a national convention.
Prices are going UP. They have not yet
reached the high record at Chicago. but
they are on the way. In the main. dele
gates and others who attend conventions
don't mind paying high prices If they get
what they want. The trouble here is that
they cannot get what they want when
they want 1t.
Imperfect Dining Room Service.
The dining room service in practically
all the hotels is abofninable. The walters
seem to be quite unused to taking care OF
large crowds and to glory In their ig-
norance of what to do in an emergency
AS soon as a waiter begins to hurry in
this town he breaks something or spills
something. Furthermore, If one asks a
waiter to hurry he laughs, and complaints
to the captains" are met with smile.
If 1t were not for the muggy heat the
visitors might take all the other discom-
forts good naturally, but hot weather and
crowds form combination calculated tc
make people cross. and fault finding is
the order Of the day. The burden Of the
complaints is this: Why on earth did the
national committee pick Baltimore as the
convention city? And the answer is: One
hundred and ten thousand dollars.
The hotel arrangements are not &c
blame entirely. The simple fact is that
this city has not the facilities for con-
vention crowds. The delegates are learn.
ing that at high prices and in discomfort
and they are yelling murder at the prices
OF hotel rooms. which have gone soaring
though the food prices have not advanced
proportionately in many instances.
Streets damned With People.
The sidewalks and the narrow streets
are jammed with people. and there Is
constant confusion, except at the more
important thoroughfares, where the po-
lice arrangements seem to be good Al
the railroad stations on the other hand
the utmost confusion has prevailed, and
the railroads here give ample proof OF
their inability to handle the situation
There Is lack of pOrters that is SIM
ply amazing in view Of the ample supply
OF TINS sort or LABOR Ihe fact that the
chief hotels are three-quarters of a mile
apart means a small fortune to the taxi
cab men. 1t costs dollar to make the
trip between the two places. and an ex-
ira fifty-cent piece II the cab is held five
minutes.
Two things save the situation. One
is the uniform courtesy of the Baltimor-
cans. who seem really anxious to guide
and direct and help the visitors and to
retain for the city its general high repu-
tation for hospitality. The other Is the
convention hall. of which the city and
the committee on arrangements are proud
and which looks good to probably ali
those who have seen It,