The age-herald., 1900-08-19
WHAT T COSTS ID
 ELECT A PRESIDENT
About Twenty-Five Million Dol lars Expended Every
 Four Years.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
 Twenty-Five millions of dollars! That is
 the enormous sum that will be expended
 during the coming three months in elect
 ing the next President of the United
 States.
 According to the estimates of some po- itical leaders, a much larger sum will
 have to be spent by the time the cam- paign ends. Twenty-Five millions of dol lars is accounted a conservative estimate. Upward of that was used in the cam paign of 1895, and more money will be ex pended this year. Both parties are more prosperous now than they were in 1896. Unless one could get behind the scenes and account for the bulk of this vast sum, few probably would believe that many
 millions could be used by the politicians in so short time. With each succeeding Presidential election it has become easier and easier for the managers on both sides to use money bounteously. This does not mean that there is to be a wholesale de- bauchery of voters. No one knows just what proportion of the 25OOO,O00 will go to purchaseable voters It is known, however, that only comparatively small part of the total will be used in this way.
 With the opening of national headquar- ters in this city last week by the Republi- cans the campaign to re-elect President Me kinley was got under way. The Democrats
 
 though they soon will be doing in Chicago practically the same thing hat the Repub- iicans already are doing in this city. The Republicans, unlike the Democrats, already have decided upon having two great na- tional headQuarterS-one in New York and one in Chicago. The Democrats may open national headquarters here, later, but they will start the campaign with Chicago as the Democratic storm center.
 It was an old idea of James G. Blaine f1at fIa,, al ducted from two central points. The Plumed Knight used to impress the impor- tance of this view upon his Republican friends, but the idea never was formally adopted until the campaign of 1896. When Marcus A. Hanna became chairman of the Republican National Committee he decided to try MT. Blaine's plan, and it was found to work admirably. It is being followed again this year, and Senator Hanna, as commander in chief of the Republican forces, will divide his time between the l two national headquarters.
 Senator James K. Jones' chairman of the Democratic national committee, has not | yet made arrangements for formal head quarters elsewhere than in Chicago. The managers of William J. Bryans' canvass four years ago conceded the east to Mckin- ley at the outset of the fight and for that reason were content to have desk room in the headquarters of the Democratic State committee. MT. Bryan, Senator Jones ana | other Democratic leaders this year believe there will be strong tactical advantages Tn having headquarters in New York and in | conducting stiff fight in what they used to call "the enemys country" This done | the general outline of the Democratic and Republican campaigns will be similar It was repeatedly asserted by MT Bryan supporters in 1896 that they had little mon ey with which to conduct their campaign. Despite this statement, well informed poli- | ticians estimate that the Bryan managers had not less than $2,500, 000 for use in that campaign. It was conceded on all sides that the Mckinley managers had as much, ana by many they were credited with possessing a much more substantial campaign fund. | All kinds of politicians agree that the two national committees had at least So,oVo'0VV l to spend in the fight of four years ago. ana l the same authorities are unanimous Tn de- | claring that the two committees Will nave | fully as much this year. For every dollar that the national committees spend It IS | conservative estimate that the state com | mittees of the two parties will spend 1our and this will make up the total cost or szo'- O00 900 that this election will cost
 | TO show where so much money goes, | studv of the cost of campaign speeches alone is very instructive Each national l committee spends at least s5oO,oOO TOT speeches and the State committees spend | ten times as much more. There is one item of eleven millions. The Republican nation al committee this year will send out 2,ooo l speakers from the New York headquar- 1 ters and 5000 speakers from the headquar- 1 ters in Chicago The Democrats will send | out an equal number. These speakers cost 1 on the average $110 a week. that such in | cludng salaries to the spellbinders and | an expense allowance of sS day. Some Of the campaign speakers receive salaries as l high as $25O a week, while others are con- | tent with S25 a week and their expenses l The average cost of these speakers to the committee is 110 a week, and they are on l the stump eight weeks.
 While the national committee of each party thus will have $500 speakers out, the various State committees will have ten times as many more on the stump. The l salaries of speakers engaged by the State committees may be less than those paid l by the national managers, but the State l committees have to pay the rental of all | the buildings in which campaign meetings l are held. This item adds tremendously to | the total.
 l One of the most expensive items in the l campaign next to the speakers is that of | printing and stationery. For this each na- l tional committee spends at least $5o0, ,00o l The number and size of the documents sent out have increased with each cam | paign, until this year it Is expected that the Mckinley and the Bryan managers l each will send out no less than hundred million documents. Before the Garfield Hancock campaign was half over the Re pubicans and Democrats had sent out more than GOO documents, and this style of campaigning has become more popular with each Presidential contest. The bulk of this matter is sent by ex- press to the chairmen of the various State | committees for distribution. A great deal | of 1t goes free, being franked from Wash 1 ington. Speeches delivered in Congress by I Republicans and Democrats constitute a | large part of the campaign matter, and ! Republicans and Democrats alike take ad- | vantage of this opportunity to get to the | voters speeches favorable to their side in