Martin boosts Pittsburgh for GOP convention
Governor says Hunt Armory would be ‘ideal’ for purpose
Pittsburgh was advocated by Governor Edward Martin today as a possible site for the 1944 Republican National Convention.
Noting that wartime transportation difficulties will be a chief factor in the selection of the convention city, Governor Martin said “Pittsburgh wouldn’t be so badly located.” He added that the Hunt Armory in East Liberty would be “ideal for the purpose,” especially with the addition of two galleries that would raise the seating company to 15,000.
It was Governor Martin’s first public pronouncement on the subject. Previously, he maintained the stand that any site advocated by the Office of Defense Transportation would be acceptable – and that agency has suggested that the GOP and Democratic conventions be held in Chicago.
The place and time of the Republican convention is to be chosen by the GOP National Committee in Chicago next week.
Governor Martin would not commit himself on possible Republican candidates for state offices in the 1944 elections, declaring “it’s still too early for such talk” and that:
The ball won’t start rolling until after the national convention site is picked.
He said “I have no idea” whether Attorney General James H. Duff will be the party’s candidate for the seat now held by U.S. Senator James J. Davis.