Evening star., 1922-01-15
AZ JOIN IN DRIVE
TO BUILD BIG HALL
Three More Prominent Men
Agree to Be Chairmen
of Committees.

Forty-two chairmen, to head COM
mittees planned to the number of 100
by the Washington auditorium or
ganization committee in it's $500,O00
campaign for new convention hall,
are now enrolled on the books of the
central committee.
The latest additions to the list of
pledge signers, to head committees
with $1,000 as the goal, are NJ. A.
Leese, former president of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Associa-
ton and chairman of the convention
committee of the Chamber Of Com
merce: James r. Lloyd, former
member of Congress from st. Louis.
Mo-, and Harry King, who for years
has been active in local trade and
other organizations in the District.
Il most heartily concur in the plans
that 1 understand have been suggest
ed for the carrying out of this prof.
ect," said Mr.. Leese in letter OF ac-
ceptance to Chairman Robert n. Har-
per. washington in all it's aspects
needs an auditorium that can be used
for convention or purely commercial
gatherings. l have very strong
conviction that an auditorium can be
SO managed as to guarantee reason
able return to the investor, and yet
the immediate need for convention
hall is SO great that it would well
justify the prompt contribution OF a
half million dollars in order to bring
It about at once.
There is no end to the number and
character of conventions that would
be secured for Washington, if We hut
had "A suitable auditorium. Some that
are planning to come to washington
next fall will not be able to do so
unless We proceed at once with the
erection of the proposed auditorium.
Proud to Take Pledge.
7
proud to take" said MIR. Lloyd, be
cause a convention hall will do more
toward developing the spiritual as well
as the temporal side of Washington
than anything taat ! know Of.
The auditorium will meet press
ing commercial need and likewise af-
ford opportunity for great spiritual as
sembles That need is a potent one and
can we'll be met in this convention hall.
Five thousand people constitute a
mighty host when gathered together
for given objective. 1t would greatly
facilitate the handling of revivalS and
indeed would make them more fire.
auent, circumstance much to be de-
sired.
From the time that I first came to
Washington as a member of Congress |
have wondered why our community did
not organize itself to the end that the
people of Washington themselves should
supply, out of their own funds. con-
vention hall that could be devoted to
the needs of the community as forum
for the eXpounding of doctrine, of
business ethics, of music and the arts.
Communities far smaller that Wash
inston have admirable convention halls.
1t is only in the nature of things that
we residents of the National Capital
should quickly supply long felt want"
Mr.. Kings comment on the conven-
ton hall project was:
1T always occurred to me that We put
the cart before the horse in our con-
vention work in Washington The
Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce,
The Merchants and Manufacturers
Association and other organizations
have extended invitations to various
bodies to meet here. and when it came
to the bigger units. the invitations al
ways fell in a barren field.
.The Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks would find many uses for a
building of this character and l am
quite sure that what is true of the Elks
is equally SO of many other organi-
cations.
You are indeed to be congratulated
on proceeding with this work in such a
fine way. The committee should be
quickly completed and there should be
no time lost in gathering together the
elements for construction since the
need of a convention hall is potent to
all -