Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-13
MONEY NOW RAINS IN
Upon the Democratic National Com
mittee, Where 1t Has Been
FOB A LONG TINE SADLY WANTED.
The Franking Privilege and Chief Clerk
Kerrs Hustling
ALL THAT KEPT THINGS GOING AWHILE
tFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

this city and the headquarters of the Ma
tional Committee at New York are unre
mitting, and. it is, possible that the inside
view of things is at times more easily at
taInable here than in the metropolis
By one Of the local sages who has just re-
turned from q visit to the national head
quarters it is learned that the hasty visit of
Cleveland to New York, the other day, was
to correct an impression that he had sur
rendered everything to Tammany. 1t is
asserted that some of his friends had been
promising for him, without his knowledge,
a concession of every demand that Tam
many could think of, and something more,
and that things got so badly mixed it be-
came imperative the ex-President should
come on himself and have personal con.
versation with the sachems and reach a
clear understanding of what could be and
what could not be done.
Money Now Fairly Raining In.
The courier who brings this news informs
the correspondent of The DISPATCH that
all the points of dispute are now satis-
factorily settled, and the money is beginning
to rain down on the committee. Previous
to Saturday the National Committee was
sadly lacking in the matter of funds. In
fact, there was very little money except
that which was furnished by ex-Secretary
Whitney and his personal friends The
organizations in New York and individuals
and organizations all over the country have
been slow to respond to requests for cash so
long as it seemed apparent that the
factional situation in the Empire State was
ominous of defeat unless a composition OF
the quarrel could be effected.
Since the meeting, last week, of Mr..
Cleveland and the Tammany braves. and
the announcement that Senator Hill will
speak for the party during the campaign,
this informant asserts a revolution of feel
ing has occurred, the condition of the treas
ury at headquarters Is improved, and
everything is now moyiug with vim that
did not seem possible a week ago. At the
beginning of the week there was nothing
promised but silver-tongu-d orators, but
now the stuff was pouring in that could
give the orators long odds and show more
results than they.
Clerk Kerr Obliged TO Hustle.
If the condition of the treasury at the
headquarters in New York was discourage
ing it certainly could not be more so than
that of the Congressional Committee in this
city. At times the latter has been without
sufficient funds to pay the postage on the
unfrankable documents it wished to send
out, and the local people got tired putting
up the money and giving their time for
little or nothing as well. One day last
week, when the cash drawer was entirely
cleaned out to the last penny, Chief Clerk
Kerr, of the House, ex-Chairman of the
Pennsylvania State Committee, was so ex-
ercised over the matter that he planked
down 5000 of his own money, and then went
out among his little army of employees of
the House, and in an hour or two came back
with $500 to add to his own contribution,
and this $500 seemed a munifcent sum to
the poverty-stricken laborers at headquar-
tiers.
The complaint is loud and bitter among
the rank and file of the workers of the party
that the moneyed men will not put up.
They say that while the Republicans can
get all they want for the asking, the Dem
ocrats have to beg for all they get, and get
mighty little for the begging. If it were
not tor that beautiful imposition upon the
country known as the franking privilege
the Congressional Committee could as we'll
shut up shop. Never did this privilege
serve so nicely as in the current campaign.
Each member of Congress is entitled to all
the envelopes he wants for frank king, and in
this instance he wants all that the COM
mittee pIeases to order and stamp with his
name.
Things Not Like They Used to Be.
There was time when a member was
to write his name with his own
hand in trsnking letter or a document,
but now it is only necessary for the clerks
of the committee to secure the envelopes
and use the rubber stamps which imprints
on the envelopes a facsimile of the sigma
ture of the member. When it is remem-
bered that the Democrats have well on
toward 800 members of the House, and |
nearly half of the Senate it will be easy to
imagine the remarkable collection of curious
signatures in rubber that might be seen
ranged on the private shelves of the Demo
cratic Congressional Committee. No wonder |
,ne of the workers of that body explained,
in answer to Q question, that the literature
,f the party was all being sent out from
this year, on account of the
superior facilities for mailing"
OF course the Republicans are also max |
ng use of the frank for all it is worth. The |
gamut of fac SMILES is not so |
but it is a distinguished |
yamut, and each signature is used oftener |
ind gets just so much more advertising than |
t would if the number were equal to that |
If the Democrats ANY speech, any bill, |
any report of committee, anything which |
s printed by the Government, in fact, is |
considered frankable, and it is needless to |
Iay that the great bulk of the number |
nailed is Of Government printing.
= sideshows Also Beating the Drums.
The silver men are the only people who |
appear to indulge extensively in the luxury |
il sending out mass of matter that must |
,e paid tor. Day after day wagons of the I
express Office are weighted down with doc
,ments of the National Committee of the |
rec silver crowd, who have elegant and |
spacious headquarters here, and, regardless |
If former party afiliation, are carrying on
campaign of education on their account,
md whether it helps or hurts the party to
which they have belonged, they do not ap-
pear to care a fig.
Add to this lavish outpour of literature |
If the old parties and of the silver people |
he mountain of matter being distributed |
~ the Peoples party, and one can imagine |
aintly the intensity of the work that is be- |
ng done to convince the voters of the |
country that they don't know ANYTHING |
bout it, and that if they read the many |
multiplied and contradictory arguments of |
ZACH one of the parties suing for favor they
will know less.
Secretary Tracy and His Labors
Secretary Tracy, of the Department of |
he Navy, has been very busy man since
lis return from his summer cruise, and not |
. little of his business has been that in
rolved in looking up all the facts which he
proposes to array in answer to the
harges that have been made against
he department in regard to armor
,late tests, the change from DETECTING
O vertical turrets, changes In the form Of
he plates OF the 'fbelt armor," etc. The