Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1892-11-19
CAMPAIGN FUNDS

How tho Necessary Money Is Raised and
! Handled for Carrying Elections.
During political campaign the first
and in most cases the chief source Of
revenue is the assessment of candidates.
The amount of these assessments varies
in different localities and under differ
ent circumstances. a common assess
ment in Illinois. for example, in districts
that are not considered especially doubt
full in ordinary elections, is 5: per cent.
of the annual salary, and it is>expected
that all candidates, unless there is some
special reason for exception, will pay
this assessment. However, it not infre-
quently happens that the most valuable
candidate fer the party is a poor lnaa.
who is unable to pay the regular assess.
ment. In that case, the committee, TAX
ing all the circumstances into account,
ask him to pay what seems reasonable,
or he may lie even entirely exempted
from assessment, ass i'll tile case of q
crippled cardidatesfor county. recorder
in Indiara in. 1890. Al wealthy. candi-s
date, who can well afford to paylnore,
is sometimes asseysed a lump sum with
out any especial reference to the salary
that he is to receive If elected.
In national elections local county COM
mittees expect to recciSe money also
from the national committee, usually
through the hanlscf the state commit
tee. In the campaign of 1883 the Ec-
publican committee in one county of
Indiana received: 300 from the state CON-
mittee, which they supposed, as mat
ter Of course, came from the national
committee.
In tho campaign OF 1880. in that same
state, the two leading county managers
of one OF TIE parties went to Indi4napo-
lis and met there representative from
the national committee. They went to
his room in the hotel to talk with hin
regarding funds. When lie asked their
needs it was replied that they did not
come to beg money from the national
committee. but that their county stood
ready to match dollar for dollar Whatever
sum he was willing to give them
"You're the kind OF men have been
wanting to see, replied the gratifed rep
resentative from Few York. '.You can
have as much money as you want: help
yourselves" He took down two valises, !.
and threw them open, showing tlel.. =
packed full of bills. One of the most as
tute of New York political managers is
of the opinion that while they doubtless
took what they needed they failed /,
keep their promise to match the sun
s'dollar for dollar" from their own coun-
ty; but they did keep their word.
Another source Of revenue, and one
that is much larger than we should e1-
pect, if we did not consider the great en-
thusiasm that close campaign arouses, )
is voluntary contributions. am no:
speaking here of the large sums that-cre
raised by national committees from
wealthy men, especially from those who
feel that they have much at stake in ma
tional legislation. but the amount thatis@ s
contributed to county and city commit
tees in local campaigns. In the cam
paign Of 1885, lin the same county that
received $500 from the national commit
tee, one little city of 4,C0O inhabitants
raised $1,000 a day or two before the
election, after the assessments had been z
collected The money was given yol,in--
tarily by enthusiastic mci. In that cam
paign, in that county, some $1,000 was
spent by one party alone.-Professor
jerks in Century.