The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-11-18
CAMPAIGN SECRETS.
HOW THE NATIONAL COMMITTEES
WATCHED ONE ANOTHER.
Spies Kept Each Committee Informed oS
the Movements of Its Adversary-Tie
Politicians Say That Politics Is Purely
n Business Matter.


the Movements of Its Adversary-The
Politicians Say That Politics Is Purely
Business Matter.
Especial Correspondence.l
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.-Now that the
presidential struggle is over and the
country is counting up the votes, burn
ing bonfires of celebration and taking
care Of the wounded, it will do no harm
to tell some of the secrets of the cam
paigp. Every campaign has its secrets,
which find their way to the public after
the election. While the campaign is on
every avenue through which informa-
tion could possibly leak out concerning
the inside affairs of the two great camps
is closely guarded. Despite all the pre-
cautions taken by both the Republican
and the Democratic campaign com
mittees in New York it is a remarkable
fact that each committee knew all the
time just about what the other was do
ing. In running from one camp to the
other l found that whatever Mr.. Whit
ney and his associates of the Democratic
committee were doing was known with
in few hours to Chairman Carter, Mr.
Manley or Mr.. Clarkson at Republican
IteAONl lltii ltiSs II NdS ~ lAAC " li4OI
worked both ways. Every night before
putting his weary head upon his pillow
General Manager Whitney knew just
what the Republicans had done during
the day, how much money they had re-
ceived, what they had done with 1t and
how much they still had left in bank.
How these secrets were carried do
not know, and probably not more than
four or five persons in all the world have
any adequate notion. My belief is that
each committee had spy in the camp
of its rival, possibly some man of high
standing who was being paid a very
large bribe for his treachery. Yet, when
you come to look over the names of men
in the two committees who were on
confidential terms with the managers,
you can't find any one of whom you
would suspect such baseness. There
Is no other way, however, in which
the secrets of the committees could
have been carried So quickly and so
promptly from one headquarters to
the other. Some years ago Il prominent
Republican campaigner was actually
caught selling the secrets of his COM
mittee to Samuel J. TilGCn. lie was
suspected, and his associates hi;Cl a de
teCtiVe to shadow E.m. He was traced
to Mr.. 1ilden's loUsci III GramerCy park,
where he remained more than al hour.
After that he was debarrcd from the
secret councils of his committee. Yet he
was never exposed, and today holds q,
prominent place under the government
and is looked up to as Il great party
leader.
One thing which strikes the acute OBJ
server very forcibiy il that the manage
meut Of these national campaigns has
become purely business matter. The
side which has the most money, the
most earnestness and energy, the smart
est operators, wins. This i the theory
of the politicians. The campaign man
ayers have little faith i'll the intelligence
of tie people or of the influence which
discussion and thought about the qucs-
tionS of the day may have upon the re-
suit. To state the case more accurately,
the professional politicians believe that
the issues of campaign are generally Il
standoff-thut is, their effect balances.
What one side gains on the tariff the
other RECEIVERS on some other question.
If the issues cause loss to one party i'll
n certain locality, III some other locality
ltlG OlHNI l}aI ~ " III Dt ti4t StlHtA. L A4t
law Of average applies even to the mat
ter Of desertions from party fealty, of
which there have been an uncommonly
large number in this campaign. After
all these things have offset each other
there remains a margin of votes which
is to be manipulated and controlled only
f.Ic work, 10y organization, by use of
money and other influences of Il more
practical nature than the views which
a man holds upon the leading questions
of tine day.
Here is where the professional cam
paigner steps in. Here is where ne finds
use for enormous sums of money. In
watching the progress of this campaign
/ found the managers on both sides
placing more confidence in a check for
SIC, 900, signed with Il name which made
it good at the paving teller's window,
than in such q letter us that of Judge
Gresham, in which he announced his in
tent.on TO vote for Cleveland, or such n
letter as that which George Ticllnor Cur
lis wrote, taking himself out of the Dem
.ocrat .c ranks and putting him in sylnpu-
thy with the Republicans. OF course
the campaign managers welcome all
such letters, from big men and little.
Just as they welcome every thing which
1nal1es votes for their side, even in the
most trivial of ways. But rs between
n L.. tcr of this nature and check for
$1,000 | believe they would all choose
the check every time.
This is humiliating. 1t is a disgrace
TO the American people that money
should be such powerful factor in the
manipulation of our popular elections.
But it is the plain, blunt truth, and there
is no need of Disgusting it. To test this
matter l asked prominent campaign
managers in both camps what would Ice
the effect if one party had all the best of
it OH the issues, in the popular opinion,
in tie current of public feeling. and the
other side had all the money. Invaria-
bly, the answer was, with smile which
seemed to bear with it somewhat of con-
tempt for the simplicity of the man who
coulj ask such foolish question: "Why
money would win hands down. The
other fellows wouldn't be in it."
While there is some truth in this, as
every man who has occasion to watch
the conduct of great campaign knows
tso we'll, ] deny that the case is as
SfrNtehaA "a sac managers would have