Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-24
THE COST OF IT.

The campaign that is now being con- ducted for the control of the national government promises to be one of the most interesting of the twenty-six presi- dential campaigns the country has seen. It may be lacking in the dramatic sur prises that have marked some of them and there may be less excitement than some close contests in the past have aroused-but the Philadelphia Press thinks there will be enough interesting features to make it worthy of study and attention. Unpleasant as the commo- tion aroused by one of those great national struggles may be to some, it is certain that they are great popular eau- cators and worth to the people all the time, money and effort that they quad rennially lost.
 One of the most interesting features of these contests is the steady increase of the popular vote. The record of the i've. When Washington was elected to the presidency, the electoral vote was cast by the state legislatures, as the con- stitution permits it to be. This method continued in use in South Carolina un- til 1860, but the popular vote method was in use in some states as early as 1900.
 No complete vote of the country at a presidential election, however, is access ible previous to the election of 1928. In that election 252, ,062 votes were cast, but there must have been a large increase in the number of legal voters during the next four years, as the election of 1882 showed total popular vote of !,156, ,329. From that time on the gain is steady, only one election proving an exception, that of 1864, when a smaller vote was cast than in 1860, owing to the fact that eleven states were then in rebellion, and did not participate. The election of 1S40 saw the poll make one of its longest strides, the sweep and popular enthusiasm which carried William Henry Harrison into the presidential chair, adding almost 100000 votes to the total, 2,410,722 votes having been cast as against ,4O9, ,2O5 in 1886. The 3,OO0,. 900 mark was not passed Euntil 1859 when 3,149,2S7 votes were boiled Each quadrennial contest since ther has seen 100000 to 1,3OO,OOO votes added to the total poll, until in 1888 the poll reached II 1864, ,987. Next Novem Der will see 12, 300, 900 votes cast.
 Another interesting feature is the | lIx5 SFnnr 0F olo president. It is no exaggeration to say probably, that every vote cast nex November will cost $1. This includes the expense of printing the ballots ant receiving and counting them. Thi year the cost will be larger than eve before, on account of the great numbe of votes to be cast, and the adoption O the Australian system in many states The cost of the great nominating con ventions held every four years i enormous, but it can only be con jectured. If to it are added the COS of the ward, district, county and stat conventions, which lead up to tn national convention, the statement tha the expense of nominating presidentia candidates is $4,OOO,OOO may not b much of an exaggeration. When t, this sum is added the money spen during the campaign, in organizing tn, party, on street parades, in holdin, meetings, getting out the vote, an, other necessary things it will be seer that we pay pretty high price for ou politics.