Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-30
SOME CAMPAIGN EXPENSES.


The WAY Money was Spent at Chicago.
A gentleman who was on the inside at
the Chicago Republican Convention, says
Washington special, expresses the con-
fident opinion that the Arthur campaign,
from first to last, did not cost less than
$500, 900, and that the cost of the Blaine
campaign was very much greater. At
frst glance such figures may seem almost
incredible, but when the variety Of ex-
penditures. and the length of time in
which disbursements were made are con-
sidered, the sums total do not strike one
as so excessive after all. For instance.
from one to three months in advance of
the meeting OF the convention money
IN large or smaller amounts was sent by
the managers of both sides in a score or
more States TO influence the selection Of
delegates. Headquarters were opened
also both in Washington and New York,
where delegates TO the convention who
most welcome, and cases were not infre-
quent where delegates afflicted with that
financial embarrassment which often falls
upon sOjOurners of a lively turn of mind
were accommodated with loans for which
no acknowledgment of any character was
required. ParlOrs at one of the leading
hotels here were taken by the Arthur
ing OF the convention and attendants
installed whose duty it was
to look up all delegates who
came to Washington, whether Ar
thur or anti-Arthur, and make things
pleasant for them. At Chicago, for at
least week before the convention met,
splendid suites of parlOrs were occupied
in all the leading hotels by both the
Blaine and the Arthur managers, and the
a for fn nnk cfT Tn pt
have been several hundred dollars a day,
to say nothing of the refreshments which
were dispensed, and the direct disburse-
ments for music, badges, etc. The Arthur
people brought as a flyer from the home
of Senator Miller, of New York, who was
working hard for Blaine, gIee club of
large membership, quartered them in
expensive style, and paid them all big
wages to make both night and day hideous
in bawling campaign dOggerel in front of
the Blaine headquarters. The amount
really spent with delegates who
were influenced in their votes by COM
mercial consideration, can only be con-
jectuTed, but there is no difficulty in per-
ceiving that in this outlet many thousand
dollars could easily disappear. The
query may be naturally suggested as to
where all this money was furnished, as
there is no evidence that one cent of it
came from the principals. But there is
no trOdble on this point. Friends who
have benefited or who expect to be bene-
ited by the success of their favorite are
always ready to contribute. They are
not, as a rule, unselfish, for they
expect to be fully reimbursed in
the pickings which will fall to them.
One of Mr.. BlaIne's friends is credited
with having ''chipped in" S50,0U0 to the
pot for the management of his campaign,
and if Blaine is elected he expects to be
repaid tenfold. In this respect the COM
ing Democratic Convention will be en-
tirely unlike its recent Republican prede-
cessor. No spots" have been raised to
be used in manipulating votes in the in
terest of any one of the aspirants for the
and whether the choice to be
made shall be wise or foolish, it will at
least be made free from all suspicious of
improper or illegitimate influences.