Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-14
A CLUB C M PAIG N
What Secretary Gardner Of the National Dem
ocratic Association Says.
Applications for Charters for New
Convention I'm September.

There are indications that the coming
campaign will be one Of the greatest club
campaign in the history of politics in
America. This, at least is the opinion Of
the officers of the National Association of
Democratic Clubs. This association received
yesterday sixty applications for new clubs
and today there were many additional re-
quests for charters from all parts of the
country.
Il believe" said Mr.. Lawrence Gardner,
secretary of the association. to a Star re-
porter today. that more political clubs will
be formed and working during the coming
campaign than at any similar time in the
past. / have never known SO much interest
to be manifested in the-formation of clubs
During the last campaign we had 1000 clubs
in working order. with an average member
ship of one hundred and sixty-two This
record will be surpassed during the coming
fall, Judging from the way applications for
new clubs are coming in
The second quadrennial convention of
democratic clubs will convene at st. Louis,
Mo, September % and it is believed that
thlrty-five hundred delegates will be in at
tendance. Every club is entitled to one dele
gaze. and in addition TO one delegate for
every one hundred members. The conven-
ton at ST. Louis will be for the purpose of
discussing the best methods for organizing
and working political clubs, and the en-
thusiasm that will be engendered Oh that
occasion, 1t is believed will result in The
formation OF large number of additional
organizations.
The officers Of the national association of
democratic clubs are now considering The
best means for encouraging the formation
Of political clubs. and at the convention in
81 Louis an effort will be made to advance
the work or the national association by
adopting what is known as the North Caro-
INA system III North Carolina the demo-
Gratis have perfected system of clubs
as bolt.
suits ON election day than could be secured
by any other method. Every county of
the state has club, which is given author
ity to form other clubs within the county,
all OF which are under the general man
agement OF the main Organization. The
Clubs FOL mulate plan for reaching every
voter within their jurisdiction, and 1t is
sald that after man once joins a club
mere IS no longer any danger that he will
fall. not only to cast his own vote on cleo
ton day, but to become PROSECUTING agent
for his party. Political clubs do not thirty e
IN every state owing to political conditions
FOR instance. in New York democratic
clubs have never been considered as re-
inarkably successful largely because Tam
many is jealous Of dividing its power with
any other set Of organizations On the
other hand. political clubs accomplish an
immense amount of work ia Wisconsin
Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana Ohio Ken
lucky and Tennessee. and it Is in these
states chiefly that the national association
IS ioohiHS forward TO perfect the club Or
CARNATIONS. During the last campaign the
National Association of Democratic Clubs
claimed member ship OF about 600 600
TINS year they will make an effort to run
this total between one and two millions.
Senator Faulkner Expected.
Senator Faulkner. chairman of the DEM
ocratic campaign committee. will arrive
here at . o'clock this evening. When he
gets here he will have conference with
Secretary Lawrence Gardner and others in
regard to the active work to be done by
the committee in the matter of sending out
campaign literature. The committee has
made eXte nsive preparations in general
way. Plates have been prepared of many
OF the important campaign documents to
be distributed, but II is yet to be determined
which OF these are TO be used and the
quantities CT each that are to be ORDER d
from the printers. The committee intends
sending out an immense amount of litera-
ture, and, with this object in view. has
now stored at its headquarters 4,U0,tr0 en-
velopes, franked ready for use.
Representatives Otey and Swanson of
Virginia have called at the committee head
quarters to arrange for securing a stock of
literature to distribute in their districts,
and the committee has received extensive
orders from many sections of the country.
Secretary Gardner has just ordered an in
stalln1ent of 10000 copies of Congressman
Nc Mllan's speech, entitled What This
Congress Failed to Do