St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-08-21
Millions Wasted in Politics.
HOW MONEY Is THROWN AWAY IN PRES
IDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.

| lDfN IlAL CAMPAIGNS.
In 1860 the editor of the Times was
chairman of the republican state COM
mittee, and Pennsylvania was the piv-
otal state of the great national contest.
The success of the republicans in the
October struggle of that wear settled
the national battle and made Abraham
| Lincoln president. The state commit
tee organized the party in every cleo
ton district, had the ablest speakers
IN every section of the commonwealth.
twice made a careful estimate of the
whole vote of every election precinct,
and the entire amount of money eX-
pended was Sl2,0O0, of which $4,000
went for renting head quarters and
hall and $1,000 for printing. The entire
expenditure of the state committee in
1850 would not now pay ordinary and
incidental office expenses of the COM
mittee of the same party, although
the vote of Pennsylvania is not now
classed as doubtful, aud the commit
tees expenditure in this state has
reached, in subsequent national con-
tests, full 10 times the expenditure of
1860. What causes have thus multi
piled the cost of political campaigns
in state that is not regarded as de
batable And If the cost of campaigns
has thus multiplied in undisputed states
what must be the cost of campaigns in
disputed and controlling states
II the startling increase of the cost
of political campaigns was confined to
the head quarters of parties, it might
be regarded us tolerablc: but with all
the lavish waste of tens of thousands
at committee headquarters, the cost
of campaigns has increased even more
recklessly in the rank and file of the
party. 1t has been announced rs one
of the hopeful signs of the activity
and enthusiasm of the republicans in
this city that they will organize, eGuip
and parade 2O,t uniformed men for
marching in the campaign. Has any
body ever deliberately calculated the
cost of such campaigning If not, is
it not time that somebody should do
ItY The organization, equipment and
marching of 10000 men as occasion
may call them out for three months,
including music, fireworks and the
many other inevitable expenses of pub
lie demonstrations, will average not
less than $50 for each man, or an ag-
gregate expenditure of $1,000, 900.
This Is estimating only the actual cash
cost of the modern political campaign
i'll one city and in only one party: but
who can measure the Indirect cost that
must be added to such reckless expend-
iture Who can count the value of
lost time, the value of lost love of in
dustry, the value of lost sobriety, and
the value that would atone for the
general decentralization that is insepa-
rably connected with campaign that
draws at will upon the time, industry
and pockets of 10000 active men ?
And what the republicans do iri the
way of campaign extravaganza, with
their 5000 Office holders and 10000 de-
pendents and eXpectants, the demo-
Gratis will initiate as far as their great
ly lesSened resources will allow. They
can't organize, uniform and march with
music and torch any 10000 or 10000,
but they will doubtless strain as close
to 5000 as possible, and thus pinch and
pull S2UU,OO0 more as tribute to the
prevalent political campaign extrava-
gance. Some of the same men in both
parties, who will go around when chill
winter shall have succeeded the thun-
der and enthusiasm of the election
contest, to collect money to feed the
hungry, clOthe the naked, warm the
freezing and minister to the sick, will
now go around to inspire the waste of
million or million and Il half, in
empty and ineffective party parade. In
their present mission, they appeal to
party enthusiasm, to the cupidity of
the venal and to the ambition of the
IL l. L
but when the 25,000 men of both
parties shall have expended their more
than "A million dollars on the mere
pomp of politics, and one or the other
of the parties shall have succeeded, it
will be Il hard task to raise tenth of
the political expenditure for the relief
of the poor, among whom will be many
who appeared in shining plume and
shield on political dress parade.
And when these vast campaign eX-
pendltures of party state committees
and of party parades are footed up in
their startling totals, only part of
the cost of the modern political cam
paign is ascertained. The average
cost of IL presidential campaign in each
precinct, for ordinary precinct pur-
poses, is not less than 800 precinct
for each party, or II total of SIj0,O00.
TO that must be added the expenditure
of not less than another 800, 900 by
the respective city and ward commit
tees then must be added the steady
stream of political strikers who com
pei general, ward and precinct com
mittees and candidates to stand and
deliver to the tune of tens of thou
sands, and to all must he added the
he,vy contributions Lied nmnn hnsi- @
ness men of hoth n,rties in tTis c;t,
who will he Iuckv If thev nscamn viii
SJ50 mn The nftic.-LoiIar, H., and
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