The Portland daily press., 1892-07-27
NEW YORK POLITICIANS.
How they Train for Political Campaign
as for Prize Fight.

1t has become customary in the last
few years for politicians to go into train
ing for the work of a campaign in the
way that athletes do when they are pre-
pairing for some physical contest, says
the New York Sun. The strain of a
political campaign tells on the bodily
powers of any man, and, unless he has
prepared himself for it, just as likely as
not he will be sick before election day or
will find himself in such state that he
cannot carry his work through to the
end. For the six weeks before election,
if he is actively engaged in local politics,
he must see men at all hours of the day
and night, take his meals when he can
or not at all, smoke all kinds of cigars,
and drink all sorts of stuff. 1t requires
good constitution to stand this, even
with preparation, and without it there
are few men who can bear up.
It was the old habit of the local poll
returns were in to some place in the
mountains or along the seashore to recu-
perate from the hard work of the cam
paign. Often they were not well enough
to go until they had treatment from
their physician. Politicians, as a class,
are not long lived, and their life of irreg
ularity and exposure makes them sus-
ceptible to such diseases as pneumonia
and typhoid fever, which find their hold
on feeble consti tuition or on men weak
ened by continued strain and effort.
The records of the district leaders of
New York of all parties show that if the
insurance companies were to make them
into a special class they would rank with
followers of extra hazardous occupations,
with the workmen in some employments
whose average life is under twelve years
and who are extremely liable to sudden
death.
Through this habit of recreation after
election there came the formation of sew
eral clubs of prominent politicians, such
as the well known club in Pike county,
Pennsylvania, back of the Delaware
River, of which Assessor Cahill was one
of the leading members, where a num-
Der Of well-known Tammany men were
accustomed to spend the month of
November. The Wawayanda was
another political club which was at that
time used for recreation after election,
though it is now open and popular dur
ing the summer season as well. In
Westchester county, near Katonah, the
home of William III. Robertson, known
as the Bismarck of Katonah, was
another of these clubs where number
of east side politicians were accustomed
to CO. In Rockland county was another
political resort for politicians after
election.
AS political methods changed and de-
veloped so as to require more unremitt-
ing attention to details and less brass
band hurrah and enthusiasm, which
are nothing like so trying as house to
house work, the political leaders felt the
necessity for preparation for cam
paign as a pugilist would prepare for a
prize fight or runner would make
ready to try to break the record. A
man could not well conduct a campaign
| if he had constant headaches after the
first two or three weeks of it, or if his
SUOIIldCu W6uJ UdCk Oh ulIu dUOuG UIC
second day of registration. 1t was real
lied that the man with clear head and
well-working internal apparatus could
handle his district better than an invalid.
From this knowledge came the custom,
which is now almost universal among
politicians, of taking several weeks
training before the active work of the
campaign.
September is usually the month Sc
| lected, after the Conventions have been
| held for the nomination of the Federal
and State officials, and before the Con-
| ventions to nominate local candidates.
| To permit of this resting and training
| time the local Conventions are held later
than they used to be, and the local cam
paign is begun promptly with the local
nominations. and not with lnll between