The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-11-10
Tint Cost OF Making q President.
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New York HrAld.
"The American people, said an Eng
lish writer on politics, "is perpetuAlly
voting for some election or other" Some
body, it might be added, has to bear the
expense Of these perpetual elections. Just
what the expense is in a general canvass
like that which is now drawing to a close,
Il is difficult to estimate with any ap'
proach to accuracy; for there are no sta
tistics cxtant upon the subject, and the
politicians who plan and conduct cam
paigns are naturally reticent upon such
matters. II 10 plain, however, that there
must be heavy outlay Of money. The
printing and distribution ofcampaign doc
uments, the rental Of public halls, the pay
Of stump speakers, the purchase oil Dan
ners, torches, uniforms and other par;
aphernalia; the expense oil postage and
telegraphing-all these are necessary
OUTLAWS. and when the extent 10 which
they are carried throughout the country
is borne in mind it becomes very appar-
ent that the aggregate must be enormous.
A paragraph has lately been going the
rounds OF the press, TO the effect that the
strenuous campaign in Indiana prepar-
atory TO the recent State election con-
sumed ten million dollars. This is, Of
course, wild exaggeratiOn, based upon a
mere random guess. An estimate that
seems to us not far from the truth places
the average cost Of Presidential cleo:
ton at about one million five hundred
thousand dollars for each OF the great
opposing parties, or q total Of three mil
lion dollars. Accepting this as within
the bounds Of probability it would seem
that the expense Of putting Mr.. Tilden
or Mr.. Hayes into the White House Is
fifteen times greater than the whole
amount OF salary paid to the incumbent
during his term Of four years. Calling
the population Of the country about Tor.
ty millions this would be equivalent to
tax OF seven and one.half cents q head
for eycryman, woman and child in the
United States. The maintenance OF the
court Of France for the first year Of the
Second Empire was less than two cents
per head OF the population. Il appears
that the cost,of making President may
DO greater than that Of keeping prince.
The expenses Of our election, however,
are borne mainly by voluntary contribu-
ton. The burden falls chiefly on wealthy
partisans who expect to share in some
way the benefits ensuing from the election
Of their candidate. II takes the form Of
a tax only in the case Of oiticeholders,
who are assessed for election expenses by
the party in power, custom that often
falls heavily upon department clerks and
minor officials. The burden touches the
people remotely and indirectly, il at all,
while in reality they derive an actual and
immediate benefit. The various devices
by which their sympathy and support are
solicited serve to awaken more active
interest in public affairs, and the masses
thereby acquire The rudiments Of politi-
cal education, instead Of remaining In
apathy aud ignorance Of tho condition Of
the country and the administration Of
the Government. Great as the costs Of
our elections may DO, they cannot be la
mcnted rs an unmitigated burden upon
the people.