Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-11-05
the COSTUMES or ELECTIONS.

The cost of presidential elections, to
say nothing of the millions expended in
campaigning, amounts in the aggregate
to an en- ormous sum. For example, it is
estimated that about 100000 persons will
vote in New York city, and about 100000
in Chicago. In New York the election
will cost the taxpayers little over $l.34
for every vote cast, ard in Chicago the
cost will be fraction over so cents per
vote. This is very marked differences
and it shows that the eastern metropolis
is still ahead of its great western rival In
some respects. Chicago may have
larger population, and undoubtedly has
more voters than New York, but when it
comes to expenses the western metropo-
lis is left hopelessly in the lurch. The
great disparity, Is, however, easily ex-
planned. In New York, $50 a day is paid
for polling places in stores, and 500
each for street booths, while in Chicago
only $15 day is paid for rent of stores
and no street booths are used. But it is
altogether likely that Chicago will, in the
course of a few years, become so thor
oughly reformed as to equal, or even sur
pass New York in both of these items.
We can not imagine that ambitious city
going on much longer without hand
some outfit of street booths and her able
corps of expert reformers can not but
feel chagrined at her present pitiful
paucity in this respect. And what is the
matter with real estate and rents in Chi
cagof Why is it that store is worth in
that city less than one-third of the New
York valuation?
And there is another suggestive fact in
the explanation of the immense differ
ence in election expenses of the two
cities. New York pays her board of can
vassers $4,000, while Chicago pays moth
ing at all to the men who canvass her
vote. 1t is claimed that this is proof OF
the superior patriotism of the western
city; that her best citizens tumble over
each other in their anxiety to get the job
of canvassing without money and with
out price, for no other motive than love
of country. We shall not question this
claim, for our present purpose is simply
to illustrate the costliness of elections.
It is a heavy but necessary burden on the
people, and yet there are states in which
elections are held annually, and there are
citizens who do not feel happy unless
they are in a whirl of political excite
ment.
In the District of Columbia, with a
population equal to that of five or six
Nevadas, and greater than that of either
of two or three other states, the people
are spared the cost, and, to some extent
the excitement of elections. And yet
they manage to live and prosper, because
the people of the states do the electing
for them. The thirteen millions of citi.
zens of forty-ive states who will vote
next week will elect the men who will
control the affairs Of this city and dis.
trict, some for four, and others for two
years, from and after the 4th of March
next. For this reason our people have g
greater interest than those of any state
in the result of the campaign. The states
have their Legislatures, their cities have
their councils, and both have their execu'
tive officials, but this district has no OH.
cials except those which are elected by
the people of the states or appointed BY
the president or by his appointses.
Washington Post.