Evening journal., 1892-12-07
CAMPAIGN FUNDS.
How the Necessary Money Is Raised and
Handled for Carrying Elections.

How the 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 assessmentof 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 8 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 for the party is a poor man.
who is unable 10 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 be even entirely exempted
from assessment, as in the case Of
crippled candidate for county recorder
in Indiana in 1890. A wealthy candi,
date, who can well afford TO pay more,
is sometimes assessed 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 receive money also
from the national committee, usually
through the hands Of the state commit
tee. In the campaign of 1888 the Re-
publican committee in one county of
Indiana received $500 from the state com
mittee, which they supposed, as a mat
ter of course, came from the national
committee.
In the campaign Of 1880, in that same
state, the two leading county managers
of one Of the parties went to Indianapo-
lis and met there n representative from
the national committee They went to
his room in the hotel to talk with him
regarding funds. When he asked their
needs 1t 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 l have been
wanting to see, ;" replied the gratiied rep
resentative from New York. "You can
have as much money as you want; help
| yourselves" lie took down two valises,
and threw them open, showing then
| 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
"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 ex-
pect, if we did not consider the great en-
thusiasm that close campaign arouses,
is voluntary contributions. am not
speaking here of the large sums that are
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 that is
contributed to county and city commit
tees in local campaigns. In the cam
paign of 1888, in the same county that
received $500 from the national commit
tee, one little city of 1900 inhabitants
raised 81 200 a day or two before the
election, after the assessments had been
collected. The money was given volun-
tarily by enthusiastic men. In that cam-
paign, in that county, some $1,000 was
spent by one party alone.-Professor
jerks in Century.