The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-02
THE COST OF CAMPAIGNS.
How the Campaign Fund is Spent--Who
Gives the Money?-An Estimated
Total of Twenty Millions.
New York Sun |

edged commercial, political, social anG
brain centre of the United States. The
pending campaign will be directed
from this city. Already the national
Democratic committee has fitted up
quarters at 10 West Twenty-ninth
street, and the Republican national
committee will not be far behind with
new headquarters for the campaign in
West Twenty-ifth street, near the
Hoffman House. The Democratic
committee has whole building, and
will at once get to work with a large
force of clerks and assistants to do the
active work of the campaign. There
the executive committee will have its
rooms, the paraphernalia Of the cam
paign will be stored, and the sinews OF
war expended.
How much does it cost to rum Presi-
Dental campaign? We have no annual
reports to guide us. The committees
are close corporations. They work large
ly in secret. They do not blazon either
their receipts or expenditures on the
housetops. They get contributions from
sources that would not on any account
be made public, ana they expend
money for purposes that may appear to
be remote from the legitimate campaign
work. We can therefore hardly expect
to arrive at more than an approximate
estimate of what it costs.
The preparation and circulation of
documents is a very important part OF
the work of national committees. The
literature ofeach campaign is Of neces-
sity of a very lively character. 1t gen.
orally consists Of reprints of memora-
ble speeches by distinguished party
men. Often these speeches are the
apparent outcome Of Congressional
debates, and nominally prepared to be
spoken in the halls of Congress with
reference to some pending legislation.
They are generally crammed with sta
tistics, and no party ever failed to be
prepared with voluminous array of
figures to show that the other party
would bring ruin and desolation upon
the country, and that all its representa-
tives had been wasteful and eXtrava-
CANT, if not corrupt. Portentious col
umns of arithmetical calculations are
printed By the cart load and shipped to
all parts of the country to be distributed
at the local headquarters. The advan-
tage Of Congressional speeches is that
they cali be sent free through the mails
as parts of public documents, thus say
ing printing and postage.
The Tllden campaign was the most
remarkable in the history of the coun-
try for documentary work. Long before
the National Committee got into work.
. ing trim Mr.. Tilden had organized
what Was facetiously termed literary
bureau and it proved most efficient
adjunct. His keen intellect compre-
hended lully the value of accurate in
formation He knew all the schemes
ofthe enemy to misrepresent the issue
and befog the voter with sophistres.
He covered every point in the campaign
with terse, vigorous pamphlets, which
We're sent in every directicl in liberal
quantities, and when the National
Committee got organized his plans
were adopted and carried out. The
result proved the wisdom of his fore
thought. 1t was to be expected that
his vast fortune would be used in his
own behalf, and many wild stories
We're circulated as to the amount which
was empted from ''Tilden's barrel"
The fact was that in this legitimate
work he expended about $3.50, 900. The
literature of that campaign did much to
set the principles and history of the
Democratic party clearly before the
country, and to pave the way for other
victories.
The indications are that the pending
campaign will be a memorable one for
its documents. The fruitful topic of
the tariff will give occasion for mo-
mentous piles OF speeches, tracts,
rhymes, Statistics, and facts on that
ineXhaustible topic.
A most important and costly work of
the National Committee is the sending
out of speakers and the payment Of
their expenses. The speakers must be
men Of reputation, whom the people
will flock to see. They must be men of
strong physique, capable of standing
the rack of travelling and speaking con-
secutively for months. Of course the
speakers must be paid. Sometimes
they get as much as Sl00 night, which
is indeed moderate price for profess
sional man. They 90 from place to
place, making substantially the same
speech, and yet varying it for each
locality. These speakers get quiet cue
from the National Committee and are
cautioned as TO the peculiarities ofeach
locality. They talk differently to the
farmers from what they do to the city
people. As Il rule those speakers are
preferred who are full Of anecdote and
know how to point political argument
with a joke. Such men as Sunset Cox
or Col. Bob Ingersoll are in great de
mand, and generally talk themselves
hoarse before the campaign is over.
The National Committees must keep
up u wide correspondence. They are
obliged to beinformed of the progress Of
the campaign and to look out for the
disputed points, rs General would
support weak spot in his army. Then
there is 4 vast amount Of telegraphing