The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-24
NEW YORK CITY POLITICS.
What It Costs to Run for Office in the Great
City-SOme Big Assessments.
Specia1 10 lndfananoIia journal

What It Costs to Run for Office in the Great
City-some Big Assessments.
Special to the indianapolis Journal
NEW YORK, Oct. 23.-Ths cheapest municipal
election campaign in this city within fifteen
years cost $4,000, and the dearest $3.50, 000
These figures represent, be it understood, the
outlay on behalf of the city and county ticket
by party, and has nothing to do with Congress-
men, Assemblymen or aldermen. The town is
| divided into 842 election districts, so that the
number of voters at any one point is small The
safeguards of the law are so many, and the su-
peryision of the polls so thorough by the rival
interests, that actual fraud in the taking and
counting of ballots is very rare. This army of
watchers on election day is a heavy expense.
The aggregate vote is about two hundred thou
sand, and it costs 81, 900 to merely mail set of
ballots to each voter. The maintenance of gen
eral headquarters is chargeable to the
party fund, and 80 are certain Incl
dental OUTLAWS, but the orators, banners,
works and other indictments belonging to
outdoor meetings are customarily provided by
separate political clubs, candidates and interests
what are regarded as honest expenditures
are here considered The direct purchase of
votes is matter of speculation. and is by no
means so common as in some rural districts
When done al. all it is practiced in parts of the
towr where personal character is lowest.
The biggest assessment ever paid to party by
candidate was taken by John Kelly. for Tam
many, from John Reilly, the present register,
and IL was $4,000 The Office was then worth
about as much as that annually for two years in
fees, but has since been reduced to salary. The
usual price has been 500, 900. The county clerk
ship was assessed the same, and the shrevalty
$50, O00 But some of the canvasses have been
vastly extravagant to the participants through
outputs of money beyond the regular
contribution to the party fund: It
is computed that Mayor Grace spent $780, 900
in his last campaign, and not many dollars were
wasted, for he conducted his own political bu-
reau, and would not let the strikers fool him
much P. Henry Dugro offered to Tammany
$lOO, 600 for the mayoralty nomination which has
been given to Abram S. Hewitt, but the leaders
did not think he could be elected Independently
and so went into a fusion with the rest of the
Democracy. Dugro is very rich and ambitious
Roswell 2. Flower would have spent as much as
that If the labor party had nominated him in
stead of George. His liberality is remarkable
He donated $4,000 to the Cleveland fund and
500, 900 to the election of Hill as Governor He
spent $5O, 600 to beat Willie Astor for Congress-
In the present remarkable struggle for the
Hewitt are wealthy, and yet the campaign will
not cost them wonderfully. Hewitts assessment
is only OO00 and it is doubtful if he will spend
an equal sum individually. Roosevelt has paid
in a like amount to his party treasury. Hew-
tits election is deemed certain, and
Roosevelt's hopeless. Hence there is no
call for money in big quantities The
bulk of the campaign funds will be got from
the candidates for lower but more remunerative
Offices. With Hewitt and Roosevelt the nomlna-
tons sought tho men. But If Henry Georges
chances should become promising, through the
adherence of Irving Hall, or by means of that
fealty which the trades-unions have promised to
him, then Hewitt could reasonably be expected
to thrust his hand deep into his well filled wallet
In the case of George. reliance is placed on the
unionists to do gratis the work which regular
political parties have to pay for, and the COM
paratively small necessary expenses are met by
assessments on the unions He pays the bills of
his own activity in stamping and other forms of
electioneering. Probably he will thus get rid of
$1,000 Should he be elected, not the least of the
wonders of twill be that 1t was done without
fat fund. OMAR JAMEs.