The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-11-24

Colonel lienucfa0n, CllAlrInuu u lhe
lIubbcll assessment committee, having
heard mighty thunder afl aiong tho line,
rises to tell what his committee did and
what il graclonsly forborc 10 do. One
thing the committee did OF which Colonel
Henderson makes no mcntion-it helped
10 defeat tho Republican purity and eject Il
Democratic House. .,.I b.
but let nshcar tho committees apoloyist.
The committee did no! assess women, and
boys serving their country were let
of. Not third ofthc clerks were "struck,"
Mild requests were made, but no threats OF
or de,na,ls-the untruthfnlncss OF which Il
would not DO difficult to prove. Nobody
has been reported 10 headquarters for re.
iusins to come up TO tho committees idea
Of Il volunteer assessment payer. Where the
money was needed in the family Tho com.
mittee would not take t-that Is not with
British bulldog at the civil servants
head.
Colonel Henderson makes his bolde.t
bid for 4 restoration OF public confidence
in the committee and its methods when he
declares that 100000 will cover all the
money raised from oTice-holders. Tomen
living in the buoyanl atmosphere Of river
and harbor appropriations 100000 ma,
seem almost too small to mention--certuin.
ly too insignificant TO raise such storm
about. But in the backwoods OF philadel.
phia, New York, Boston, Cincinnati, Chi.
cago, and places fnr,her back there arc
voters who will think no better OF the
amount than Of tho method by which il
was raised. These voters have recently
been heard from, and they had some views
to express on the subject OF assessments.
Elections can not be conducted without
money. A few dreameH Of light and easy
school Of politics think so, but they do moi
consider that somebody has to puy for the
ballots they Use. There are other Legitimate
EXPENSE; that is 10 say, expenditures be.
yond suspicion Of corrupt practice, how.
ever opinions may diller with regard to the
need or policy thereof But this whole
burden did not faiiou liubbclis committee.
Every candidate for Congress contributed
to the expenses Of his campaign and was
helped by the contribution Of every can
didatc on the State and county
ticket. The cost OF run for Con.
gress ranges from $500 in the South to, say,
$4,000 in the East. Several notable con.
tests are said 10 have exceeded that sum rs
the expenditure Of single side. Robe.
sons expenses in the recent campaign are
put ut $4,000, covering success ut the pri-
maries and defeat at the general elections.
$1,000 would be low average Of the sums
raised at home, and thanks to DO natioua.
committee. This would give ia round
numbers 81, 100000 us the cost OF the cam
paign for Congress, equally divided be-
tween the successful and defeated candi-
datcs-tive times as much money rs ought
to te spent Tor such purpose.
Outop Of all this IIubbcll's committee
comes along with 100000. Where did it
80, and whom did it elect? In the next
House we shall have only enough Repub.
licans to make respectable minority
how many les should we have had if Hub
bells committee Ind conlented itself with
tho distribution Of National campaign
literature? Very many less? Then the
Republican party has weaker hold on
the country than Republicans would like to
believe? The money WIS raised from gov
ernment employers who will not get it
back. Nobody will ever know how it was
appropriated. But one Of the lessons OF
the late election is that help oil this kind
hurts more than it benefits. And this is Il
lesson to bear in mind for the future.
Hubbell did not invent the system, but
the American stomach has turned against
it, and this is Il point for managers Of tho
next campaign 10 remember. Possibly the
present Congress will do something to help
them in tina, direction. ,lri g--s-4.s