Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-05-30
CHIACO, O,COLISEUM NOW HAS CAPACITY
 OF 13,187 PEOPLE
Republican Convention Hall
 Enlarged for Coming
 Meeting

WccllHS
 Chicago, May 29.-The Chicago Col
 ASelm, where the republican national
 $pnvention of 1920 will be held, be-
 3nning June g, has history rich in
 Rolitical interest. Five national po-
 Atical conventions have been held
 within it's walls, record unsurpassed
 W any building in the United States.
 $ Every four years since 1904 the re-
 Mnblican party has met in the Coli
 scum to nominate its candidates for
 president and vice-president, and in
 1912 the progressive party also met
 $here to nominate Colonel Theodore
 Roosevelt for president.
 s The Coliseum was completed in
 1900. It was designed as a model con-
 yention hall and erected on the site of
 the old Libby War Prison museum,
 At Wabash avenue and Fifteenth
 street, less than a mile from the hotel and retail district.
 The castellated walls of the old war prison were used for the Wabash avenue side of the structure. It was built of stone, brick, steel and glass ! and is 4O3 fet long, ITO feet wide It cost nearly $1,OO0,OO0 It has a wide balcony extending around three of the walls, and this has been ampli- fled for this years convention by the { addition of second balcony on the north side.
 As result the seating capacity, 13,187, is the greatest in the build- ing's history. Only 12,400 were seat ed at the 1918 convention.
 The main floor of the Coliseum will seat 9,400 delegates, alternates, press representatives and spectators. There E will be 100 doorkeepers, 200 ushers H and 2,0OO sergeant-at-arms. All the ushers and doorkeepers will be over b seas soldiers, sailors and marines, 4 working with military discipline under E the direction of former army officers. ' By this system the national committee & hopes to avert the overcrowding of # four years ago when hundreds of per \ sons stormed the dooors, forced their x way past the untrained doorkeepers X and preempted seatas for which they H held no tickets.
 N The speakers platform at the south N end of the building will provide seats N for the officers of the convention ~ and members of the republican na- N tional committee Behind this is a M rAised platform with 2,000 seats for # the use of presidential candidates x and other distinguished guests. On # either side of the speakers platform, aS extending across the building is a II press section containing 575 seatas for dR working newspaper men.
 |jH Facing the speaker are the seats ||S for the 984 delegates. and an equal l number of alternates. This section |IS is enclosed by heavy rail to hold " back the crowds of frenzied specta- Ss tors who frequently, during moments 8k of intense enthusiasm, attempt to AH storm the speakers stand. The rest @H of the main floor and all the balco- MI nles will be given over to visitors. @ Tickets for spectators have been
 s divided among the national commit. N teemen from each state, in proportion 8fl tQ the state representation in the M c8nvenion, wh he excepon of a block & ~ about 2,500 seats, which go to the |ssg Chicago convention committe, which
 k fhanced the convention arrange
 n n4ents. With less than 10000 visitors &f fexRts to be distributed, the commit. #4 4t9emen had received more than 75,- HID requests for tickets weeks in ad-
 sy nce of the convention.
 HI Ehe Chicago convention committee M a3d3 which Fred w. Upham, republican #3H18 tional treasurer, is chairman, raised MY 50 ,000 to bring the convention te |Sa2 Qhicago. The high cost of everything M afB Bs hit the convention. Music, whicf |# st $2,8O0 for the entire convention ai& 1916, costs $1 1000 day for band Esae1M l60 pieces this year. Other ex. sSh 5yh M nses are in proportion.
 MS &The republican national committed |lSafi E1Qbved it's executive offices to the !8a QSliseum several weeks in advance the convention. Adjoining the ' TiRin building is an annex connected H With the Coliseum proper by several "A, ,Sb&oRd arches ann entrances. Here SfgInEe located the executive and admin. s#j xtrative offices, temporary hospital AIIkn charge of 100 Chicago physicians ss% and, in the basement, telegraph ska hud telephone room where scores o1 2Rfa Epecial wires have been installed fol sf88 khe use of the news gathering associ- {&EfiOnS and newspapers which will ffg E&Her the convention.
 XII HThe annex also boasts branch post SH h3ice to facilitate speedy collection EtA k&d distribution of mail to the con- f&skGhtion officials, and numerous com sA3b1tttee rooms for the national commit HHt&4 and various committee of the con- HE %thtion.
 ktsA In the decoration of the convention H5ah1ll the managers have abided by the 2 Bd1g established custom of relying ex- l&sively on profuse display of the Aherican flag. Four years ago this eustom was departed from in the use saapf gold and white bunting, but the k6st was found excessive this year R. Hall, superintendent of the Coli sum, who is in charge of the recora- x lions, has used hundreds of big and iktle American flags to completely