New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-01

| ctement to political activity on the part OF
the office seekers would not paralyze the outs
Us much IA the Withholding OF contributions
BY the offce-holders would cripple the ins.
Now Civil Service Reform being the present
hobby, and Investigations tho best hold OF the
| Democratic party, We suggest that Congress
put itself at once upon an inquiry bearing di-
rectly upon this feature of the business. 1t is
the belief Of many Republicans that. in the
matter of raising funds for campaign purposes
the nd vantage is rather wish the party out OF
power than with the one in possession. And
for this Ieason: that whereas the party i'll pos
session can Only request contributions, or, as
the Democrats put it, lew assessments, upon
one person IN each office, the opposition has an
almost unlimited range for its collections in
the scores of candidates for each place TO he
made vaoant by change OF Administration.
Thus while the Republican Committee has one
person in specified Office who may fairly be
called upon to contribute to the election Of an
Administration that will retain him, the ODDO
sition is liable to have dozen or fifteen asp-
rants for the place, each one of whom IS eS-
pected 10 contribute to the expenses OF his
party sum certainly as large as that sub
scribed by the present occupant of the posi-
ton. For il scarcely need be said that in the
distribution OF patronage by new Adm nistra-
ton, one of the first things considered in the
claims OF applicants is the amount contributed
to the expenses OF the election. Herein lies the
advantage OF the Oiice-seekIng over the Office
holding party. There are more candidates;
they are hungrier; and the bid ling is higher.
The question, then, with the Democratic
=. Il, in
long run help or hurt them. This should be
the purpose OF their next investigation. Let
Congress appoint committee with full power
to conduct this inquiry. Ii may not be practi-
cable 10 examine every person IN office and out,
who contributed to either side In the late cam
paign, but tie investigation could be made
sufficiently extensive to furnish data fOr rea
sOnabiy accurate estimate. Ii wonld not be
impossible, for Instan e, in single town
blessed with POstmasler a Collector of Gus
toms, and an Internal Revenue Collector, to
learn from the Republican Committee the
amount subscribed by each. to be set II one
column. II is not to be supposed that the Dem
ocratic Committee would refuse, in the interest
OF so imn'rtanf a party measure, to furnish the
names OF subscribers to their own party fund,
which being given it would be competent for
the Committee to inquire what Office each sub
scrber asDired to- This being done. il would be
an easy matter TO set OF in opposite columns
the suns paid on the one hand by the ms to
Keep in, and on the other by the outs to get in
and we should have then a pretty good idea OF
the relative advintage of being in possession or
in opposition in the Matter Of raising money for
election EXPENSES. II It should appear from
the Investigation that in the late campaign the
Democrats raised more money from the men
who wrnted to get in than the Republicans did
from thosr who wanted TO stay in, there would |
I've No Indictment for Demo rats to continue
the agitation. The inquiry wonld CT tiinly be
an interesting one, and vastly more useful than
any that has yet been taken up by Demo
cratic Congress.