New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-23
CAMPAIGN FUNDS.

/ which Mr. Croker and Mr.. Plat have recently
! been indulging in is 10 create the imp
among many people that both controi hor poiitlo"
nurnoses large sums of money more or less lie
! s,,tinateIv acquired Mr.. Platt says Mr.. croker
! exacts contributions from the saloonKeepeFs
and vicious resorts the price FOR the favor oA
/ The city government Mr.. Croker says MI FIhII
/ exacts contributions from corporations as lhe
nrice for the favor of the State Legislature The
average citizen may not be sure that each Is moi
unjust to the others methods, but he Is pretty
likely N accent as fairly accurate the knowE
edge of each concerning the resources OF 'he
/ other and come to the conclusion that both par
/ ties would be lust as well off il their leaders
had less money 10 spend-ostensibly in The de-
struction of each other, really for the building
/ up in their own ranks of compact personal
| following
The ever growing demand for campaign funds
recalls the old philosophical problem OF Inc
meeting of an immovabc body and an lrrcslst-
! ible force Each year more and more energy Is
wasted but relative positions are not changed
/ This is true not merely of the campaigns OF
| New-York leaders 1t is the common tendency
of American politics operating everywhere III
both parties. No one man and no one party is
10 blame beyond others; each complains OF the
others wickedness. and proceeds to follow It's
! w
long ago learned that one block of money could
| counteract another but that discovery has not
! diminished the pressure on their followers for
| money for them to spend, though few Oldtlme
expenditures have been somewhat decreased
The excursion business for the benefit OF voters
absent from home is not so extensive as 1or-
merly and rivalry in the actual buying OF voters
on opposite street corners has been found I'M
profitable Leaders have learned however, that
the most Legitimate expense" for which money
can be collected is the building up of their own
individual hold on organizations. So they re-
tain vast numbers Of men, Ostensibly for cam
paign purposes against the enemy. really to
form an organization of their own. For in
stance the workers hired in this city to get
out the vote" are simply paid a few dollars to
be on hand when wanted to run caucuseS. They
do nothing to win elections. They are utterly
! unnecessary, as some of the machine politicians
OF this city have themselves declared. But year
after year vast sums are sent into the districts,
and after liberal shaving by various brokers
| engaged in the distribution a fraction of them
reaches the watchers and workers. This leak
age of campaign funds Is enormous. The dis
appearance of 100000 raised for use here in
| an exciting campaign some years ago on the
plea to the subscribers that there was great
danger of lack of money TO run the boxes is
| matter Of history. Many similar occurrences
| as to smaller amounts can be told Of by
| experienced politicians The secrecy and lack
| Of all accounts make it easy for campaign funds
! to stick in the palms of those handling them or
| to be used for personal ends of managers.
Vast sums are also wasted in campaigns
! through incompetence and unntelligent fol-
lowing Of tradition. 1t is established that
| campaign literature" must be distributed. To
/ +l,a hat
printing of tons of slangwhanging pam
phlets which are consigned to the waste
basket by their recipients rs promptly as
they deserve The only beneficiary of the sys-
TEN is generally the printer, who is doubtless
faithfully attached TO the political fortunes of
his particular party boss. The money spent on
! torches, uniforms and campaign banners is also
| largely wasted. No sharp business man would
ever expect adequate results from money spent
in such fashion, yet party leaders on both sides
are always crying for more and always raising
panics TO scare their followers into giving it.
The Republicans here are probably more sub
ject to the panic method than the Democrats.
Mr. Croker has such an army of oficehoders
and criminal characters subject to levy without
noise-thanks to Mr.. Platt's gift to him of the
city Of New-York-that he does not need to
beat the drums. The criminals of the second
licans are driven to corporations and business
men who fear ruin Of industries from Bryanism
or the extension Of Tammany's power to Wash.
lngton. However much Mr.. Platt can accom-.
plish by the methods Mr.. Croker describes he
must still rely to a larger extent than his riva
on voluntary contributions instead Of stand
deliver and keep still exactions. 1t needs plead
ing and alarms TO secure them, and that is why
campaign panics are more frequent among Re
publicans than Democrats in this region
1t is a pity that the disnterested thinking
men Of both parties cannot combine to restricr
this growing evil. The English appear to have
done so, and now, instead of distributing grea
sums, as formerly, the parties go to the country
with campaign expenditures greatly reduced
and yet the people vote as freely and intclli
gently and one party is Just as we'll off as the
other. But without great funds machines in thu
parties would be difficult to maintain Tha
may account for the opposition here to all re
forms and effective regulations such as are FIRE
quenty proposed in legislatures, but never en-
acted into laws