Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 122, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1916 — BIG CONVENTION TICKETS SCARCE [ARTICLE]

BIG CONVENTION TICKETS SCARCE

Unprecedented Demand is Making • Life Miserable for Those Suspected of Having the Tickets.

Life is being made very miserable for delegates to the republican national convention, candidates for state office, members of the state organization, and in fact every individual who is suspected of having an extra ticket to the national convention in his possession. Never before did so man/ people desire to attend a national convention. They are clamoring for tickets from Maine to California and from Tampa to Sault Ste Marie. The convention hall will accommodate 14,000 persons and about one person in twenty who desires to gain admittance will have his wishes gratified. The notion that delegates are able to secure tickets at will is an entirely erroneous one. Each, delegate is given one ticket besides his own and no effort on his part will get him any more. Even James F. Goodrich, national committeeman, is finding it difficult to hold the national committee to its promise that Indiana shall have 200 pickets to the convention beginning at Chicago June 6. The nation-wide demand for tickets to the Chicago “show" has become so strong that a situation unusually perplexing confronts the men at the head of the party organization. The number of candidates whose names will be presented for the presidential nomination exceed fifteen. All of them will have delegates, manager and “camp” followers at Chicago demanding tickets that will give them a chance to witness the proceedings. When the subconvention met several weeks ago it was decided that each of the members should have 200 tickets for his state. Goodrich was a member of the subcommittee. In addition to the 200 tickets, Indiana would have sixty for the delegates and alternates. Each delegate is entitled to one ticket besides his own. It is understood that each of the candidates received or will receive twenty tickets for his own use. Chicago alone is to receive more than 2,200 tickets. There will be about 600 press seats. It is understood that the number of tickets promised Goodrich was practically the same as was promised Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan. Illinois is to have the largest number. According to a report some members of the committee are demanding that Indiana’s share of the tickets be limited to forty outside of the regular allotment for the delegates and alternAtes. Goodrich is taking the matter up with Chairman Hilles and others. Offers of SSOO have been made for a ticket to tsie convention and Secretary Reynolds has 20,000 applications for seats. It is estimated that over 200,000 people are fighting to get into a hall that only seats 12,000. So what is a poor delegate going to do?