The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-15
RUNNING A CANVASS.
ROBERT GRAVES DESCRIBES SCENES
AT POLITICAL HEADQUARTERS.
How the Campaign Committees Organize
and Row They Conduct tho Struggle for
tho Northumberland Importance
OF the Literary Bureau.
Especial Corrcspondence.l

men and managers and clerks and fussv
persons to do! What use have they for so
much money? These are queries which
have never before been able to answer.
Now | know something about il. and
what little l do know. am, as usual. go
ing to try my best to tell.
In the first place, in order to mnnoye n
national canpaign you must have a
national committee. This is chosen, one
from each state, ut the nat ional convention.
The national committee elects its own
chairman and other officers the chairman
usually being man chosen by the can
didate for president
The national committee also elects n
campaign committee, and this smaller
committee undertakes the management of
the campaign 1t must have house to do
business in. This house must be in New
York, for it is n tradition that New York
is the center of politics, no matter what
else it may not be II center Of There is also
tradition that the house must he near the
Fifth Avenue hotel for that tavern is the
heart of all politics in New York. Side 10y
side are the Fifth Avenue and the Hotf-
man House, and it is to herformcr that all
the prominent Republicans of the country
so while in New York while to the latter
all the Democrats wend their way.
Step into either of these inns tonight, and
odds are you will run against half dozen
United States senators, Il score or two of
congressman, half rs many governors and
no end of chaps who have been something
or other of importanC. ana who are never
able to forget the fact. III truth. the have
beens outnumbcr the ares two to one. OF
course it is desirable TO have the national
headquarters as near rs posSiblc to this
great centerCi politics. l.. ;hs respect the
Democrats wee a.. ;. = more fortunate
than the Republicans. They found n
hotEt, an old ;::I;.- ,.i which WIS an arts
tocrntic home III - ':"y. bu: two blocks
from the i'if;i .tVr:.lIc hottl and Oh the
thorong!flre of t!!a; same, willie the Re
pubicans. after two weeks of hunting.
could find nothin:; suitable nearer than
Torty-;hir,l street. II fall mile away
As soon a> they have rented their head.
quarter. the c.::.. pugn committees pro-
coed 10 furnish them They must have
thirty or forty desks, half as many type
writers, some big tables and u great lot
of chairs They must also rig up Il wire
contrivancc nj the entrance to keep Wis
TORS from wandering up stairs until they
are wanted Some visitors, YOU MAY i'm
agine, airy lever wanted in the upper re-
gions, and never get there. At the door
to this wicker PARTITION between the pub
lie room and the private Offices they sta
ton discreet and t;ctful man, who
knows how to open the gate with Il grace
full salaam when diynitary presents him
self, and who knows also how to close the
gate very quickly, but ever so politely,
when Il common striker shows hi, face
Before it can get down 10 work the com.
mittec must hire II lot OF men, 1t must
have sergeantat-arms. a jantor, ste
noYraphers, typewriters, clerks, newspaper
writers. travelling agents, editors Of docu-
ments and n great many other persons
Including ;hc men who are employed TO
send ont documents, l suppose each of the
national committees must have mt work
about $50 men, ana their salaries and en-
penses won't amount to less than $4,000 a
week.
Some of these saaried persons have
what are known as soft snaps. They are
employed Oh the recommendation of their
friends who, as members of the campaign
committee, have "a pull" and am sorry
TO say they are not always eager or com
potent to earn their salaries. The result
appears to he that about five men are ern
ploycd to do what two men might per-
form, aQid that in fact two do perform the
work while the oil hers successfully and in
dustriously sit around.
The first AMI it is generally believed the
most important feature of Il campaign COM
mttec's work is its literary department.
At any rate it is the first department Or
gani2cd, and the one which costs the most
money. was surprised to learn how cX-
tensive these literary bureaus are, with
what skill ANA energy they are managed,
and how much money they contrivc to
spend in few short months. Samuel j.
Iiidcn WAS the inventor of the literary
bureau in politics. OF course campaign
fra al
the printing press and newspaper, but it
remained for Mr.. Tilden to organize this
feature of the business into IL great and
perfect machine. Ever since Tildcns day
we hare had "campnigns of education"
and If the people haven't been fully elu-
Gated III political economy and in the 81 ms
of the other fellow it is not The fault of he
managers Of the literary departments
The literary end of these political shops
has been growing all tho time, until now
1t is by far the biggest thing under the
canvas.
AS soon as the campaign committee has
had live or six meetings and decided on
the lines that are to DC followed, on the
ISSUES" which are to be presented and
discussed as official and presumably i'm.
portant, n corps of writer's is employed To
prepare documents thereon. One man
takes this topic and another that, and
there are subdivisions and abridgements
and minor subjects by the score. At one
time the Democratic committee had about
twenty men Mt work writing documents.
sone of them able men. Volunteer forces
are not depended upon for this work.
Many members of congress or other public
men are willing to write, but experience
has taught The campaign managing editor
that if he wants an assignment worked
nnt promptly he must give it TOT writer
who i, working for bread and butter.
Pretty soon the manuscripts begin pour
ing in, and then they must be carefully