November 18, 1909
HOTEL MEN IN ARMS
AGAINST 'DEAD BEATS.'
MAY PUT CONTRACT ON EACH
PAGE OF REGISTER.
Meeting of Association Concludes
Today With Lunch at Sexton
and Banquet Tonight at
Excelsior Springs.
If the plans of the Kansas-Missouri Hotel Men's association are carried out, it's not going to be so easy to walk up to the hotel register, sign your name, and then walk out the next morning without paying, giving the simple excuse that you are "broke." The legislators of Kansas and Missouri will be asked at the next session to allow the following brief contract to be printed at the head of each page:
"Any one signing their signature below hereby agrees to pay the bill as charged by this hotel. Failure to do so shall be a violation of this contract and party violating same will be punishable by law. The proprietor of the hotel hereby agrees to fulfill his part of the contract."
SAM B. CAMPBELL,
Clerk at the Sexton. Oldest Clerk in Point of Service in Kansas City.
Though stringent laws have been passed in both states, they are usually evaded. The present law reads that any one securing a room "by fraud or pretext" shall be punishable. In the future, a man will be starting at a contract at the head of each page, and the hotel men think that it will be a more serious matter.
In fact, the whole session, which began yesterday afternoon in the Italian room at the Hotel Baltimore, was one of self-protection. Every speaker dwelt on the fact that the average inn keeper was the most oppressed individual in the community. Means of getting around the wily "bad check man," dead beat," "loafer," and how to get better legislation was discussed, and committees appointed to see that action is taken.
Yesterday's session was opened with an address of welcome by Mayor Crittenden. He complimented the men on their general appearance. T. L. Barnes, president of the association, made a short reply.
There was a general feeling that the meeting would like to face a hotel inspector, and Thomas L. Johnson, state hotel inspector, was asked to be present and, in fact, had agreed to come and discuss the laws regulating hotels. At the last moment Johnson failed to appear.
C. L. WOOD,
Secretary of the Association and Manager of the Sexton.
Last night's gathering was purely social. A Dutch lunch was served in the grill room of the Sexton hotel, which is managed by C. L. Wood, secretary of the association. A ride over the boulevards will be taken this morning, and after the report of committees this afternoon the entire association will take the train to Excelsior Springs, where a banquet will be held tonight at the New Elms.
Labels: conventions, Excelsior Springs, Hotel Baltimore, hotels, Mayor Crittenden, organizations, Savoy
