| OCR Text |
Show If Takes Heap o' Fussin' to Make a Hall .Into a Home For Major Political Parties' National Conventions 4 A GOP and Democrats Work Harmoniously On Arrangements. By AL JEDLICKA Released by Western Newspaper Union. Amid buzz and bedlam, color col-or and decoration, and teeming teem-ing thousands with their tingling ting-ling enthusiasm, America holds its great political conventions con-ventions every four years. As convention delegates fuss and fume through the lengthy, historic sessions, millions of Americans throughout the nation follow the proceedings pro-ceedings with attention and even heat, since either the Republican or the Democratic party embodies the principles they hold most consistent with their social ideals. During the period of the conventions, conven-tions, well might it be said that the heart of the nation is centered in the localities of the meetings, bounding bound-ing with the people's delegates, with newspaper men, newsreel men and radio broadcasters milling to flash stories of the unfolding events to an anxious citizenry, and with visitors attracted by the great spectacles. Normally, cities compete to have the conventions held in their localities, locali-ties, since the delegates' and visitors' visi-tors' expenditures for hotel accommodations, accom-modations, food and entertainment and shopping in the business districts dis-tricts amount to hundreds of thousands thou-sands of dollars. But with the country coun-try riding the crest of a profitable war boom this year, with housing facilities taxed and heavy demands made for limited stocks of merchandise, mer-chandise, only Chicago actively bid for, the conventions, offering each party $75,000 for expenses. Ordinarily, Ordi-narily, it costs between $100,000 and $150,000 to run a national convention. pick up the rumbling, rolling peal of the huge Stadium organ. Approximately $6,000 will be spent by the parties to furnish newsreel men with enough Lighting to take moving pictures of the proceedings. With 10,000-watt incandescent searchlight search-light units set up, enough light to illuminate a medium-size town will be provided cameramen shooting from the high rafters. This lighting must be arranged to permit shooting shoot-ing from any angle of the building without causing blind spots from too much light on any one point. In making a success of a convention, conven-tion, the little things are as important impor-tant as the big ones, and sometimes the little things cause as much bother both-er as the big ones. For instance, O'Connell and Hal-lanan Hal-lanan have had their difficulties providing pro-viding badges and tickets. Because of wartime, metals have been unavailable un-available for badges, and it has been necessary to secure plastic material. To convention - wise Ambrose OConnell, there is more to badges than meets the eye. For instance, they must be so designed as to avoid catching onto clothing and ripping it, and all kinds of different types must be used to restrict the movements move-ments of the various attendants throughout the Stadium. I Tickets a Headache, Too. Also because of wartime, there has been a scarcity of certain paper stocks, a condition of particular pique to bustling Walter Hallanan, since it is necessary to print tickets on material that cannot easily be counterfeited. , Incidentally, in the distribution oi tickets to the conventions, each delegation dele-gation is allotted a percentage, usually usu-ally depending upon the approximate approxi-mate distance of its state from the meeting site. The idea, of course, being to provide more seats for those who might be able to come in by auto, etc., from neighboring regions. re-gions. Civic committees which put up the finances to bring the conven- j tion to their cities also receive an allotment of ducats. Unique, in that this year's conventions con-ventions will be the second in the history of this country held during wartime the first being in 1864 the impending Republican and Democratic Dem-ocratic meetings are expected to lack some of the flourish and hoopla of bygone days. However, they are not expected to be bereft of all popular pop-ular enthusiasm so easily stirred over a candidate, or over the expression ex-pression of a party's outstanding rjrinciDle stressine the horjes. the scoured Chicago's outlying apartment apart-ment districts for accommodations, and it was reported that some good Republicans offered to come to the aid by boarding convention attendants. attend-ants. As if O'Connell and Hallanan were not having trouble enough, they have been pestered for accommodations accommoda-tions by that type of individual who feels that no business is so important impor-tant as that of finding a particular room for him, even though all hotel arrangements are to be made by the head of the state delegation. Plenty of Problems. Preparation of Chicago's' huge, streamlined Stadium for this year's conventions has not been without its problems, either. Until the Citizens Citi-zens committee which bid to bring the conventions to Chicago arranged to furnish the Stadium for $25,000 to each party, Hallanan estimated that the cost of readying the amphitheater amphi-theater alone would amount to $48,-000, $48,-000, not including rental. The services of over 100 men working about three weeks are demanded de-manded for preparing the Stadium. Canopies outside the main entrances en-trances must be draped with bunting. bunt-ing. One hundred and twenty flags must be hung from the rafters to sway impressively above the floor. Three emergency "hospitals" must be set up and equipped with medical goods, light and water. A huge platform plat-form holding 180 people must be constructed, with a special conference confer-ence room underneath it. And, of course, seats enclosed within stanchions stanch-ions for the different state delegations delega-tions must be nut uo. When both parties accepted Chicago's Chi-cago's bids, financial problems thus were added to other special wartime war-time difficulties confronting Republican Republi-can Walter Hallanan of Charleston, W. Va., and Democrat Ambrose O'Connell of New York in making arrangements for the conventions. On these two men falls the responsibility responsi-bility of setting up the smooth functioning func-tioning of the meetings assuring orderly or-derly activity on the floor of the conventions con-ventions and establishing facilities for quick transmission of news to the waiting world outside. Elaborate preparations must be made to accommodate the press, newsreel and radio, especially this year when the two conventions will attract international attention. Already, Al-ready, reservations have been asked by newspaper representatives from Britain, Russia, South America, China, Chi-na, Sweden and French Africa, and, in all, about 3,000 observers with their technicians will be on the job to describe the proceedings to the U. S. and world. Not only will the press be seated in front of the main platform, but a special newsroom will be provided in the basement. At both places, telephone and telegraph facilities must be established to send out stories sto-ries from the building. Darkrooms will be constructed for photographers photogra-phers to develop pictures. Microphones Everywhere. Important for transmitting the actual ac-tual reality of the convention atmosphere atmos-phere to the world, all four of America's Amer-ica's great radio networks will make elaborate arrangements for covering cover-ing every detail of the conventions. Contact will be made with delegations dele-gations through microphones on the floor; portable equipment will be used to interview dignitaries throughout the entire building; special spe-cial booths will be erected to accommodate ac-commodate the radio commentators, and facilities will be installed to Two Old-Timers. Both O'Connell and Hallanan are old hands at conventions, O'Connell having attended his first as a member mem-ber of Al Smith's entourage in 1928, and Hallanan his as a newspaper man in 1912. Although red hot partisans parti-sans inclined to admit nothing, both men have worked together in making mak-ing the principal arrangements, since the Republican convention of June 26 will be followed by the Democratic on July 19. Because of the heavy wartime strain on the railroads, transportation transporta-tion posed one of the big problems of this year's conventions. But the problem promises to be solved by use of day coaches by those within 6 hours of traveling time of Chicago, Chi-cago, and of provision of extra sleeping and dining cars for accredited ac-credited representatives from farther far-ther distances. To assist delegates from Hawaii to attend, the navy will furnish plane service to the mainland. main-land. Next to transportation, housing has presented another major difficulty. diffi-culty. Although both parties were assured of approximately 5,000 rooms, the Republicans, for one, could use another 3,000. In quest of extra housing, Hallanan has even aspirations and the achievements of its partisans. ' In their excitement over the swift stream of dramatic events often accompanying ac-companying conventions, even the soberest politicians and statesmen sometimes forget their immediate environment and lapse into what afterthought aft-erthought must characterize as the comic. For instance, during the 1932 Democratic Dem-ocratic convention in Chicago, O'Connell O'Con-nell remembers the heated fight over the election of a permanent chairman, chair-man, which would have demonstrated demonstrat-ed the strength of the contending factions. As the fight developed, the Mississippi Missis-sippi delegation caucused, only to find venerable old Senator Pat Harrison Har-rison absent. Without further ado, some members hurried off to his hotel and after pressing the urgency of the situation upon him, hustled him back to the convention hall in his pajamas, carpet slippers and bathrobe, there to cast his vote. As Hallanan said, this year's conventions con-ventions will be marked by the sober so-ber restraint of a nation at war. Once events have stirred up the attendants, at-tendants, the enthusiasm may carry over into the typical hysteria oi these great national meetings. |
