The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-10
The Executive Committees
Strenuous Work.
The National Chairman and Executive Committeeman
the Great Parties Have the Busiest of BusY
Lives During Presidential Campaign.
BY OSBORN SPENCER.

No doubt Mr.. Cortelyou for the Re-
publicans, and whoever may be chosen
Executive Chairman for the Demo-
Gratis this year, will begin the active
campaign with due respect for the
task which is before them. No doubt,
too. each will acquire increased re-
spect for his job in the months that
will intervene between now and cleo
ton day.
There are many old and wise poll
ticaiaRs who believe much less really de-
ponds upon the work of the executive
committee and it's chairman than is
popularity supposed; that the election
is really carried by a sort of psyche
political undertow, so ITO speak, and
that unless the voting public is very
delicately balanced at the beginning
of the campaign, the committees eff
forts are really not of much conse-
Quence.
But even these men admit that two
or three technical blunders half a
dozen ill-advised speeches-or even
one, for that matter-are sufficient TO
turn an almost certain victory into a
disastrous defeat as Blaine was de-
feated in 1884 by Burchard's famous
three r" outbreak. Beyond perad-
venture the executive chairman whose
Campaign is not crowned with victory
this year will find his subsequent po-
1itical career a thorny one. He will
be almost as much OF a permanent
''has-been" as ex-President are popu-
sarly supposed to be.
Does Not Always Mean Greatness
1t does not follow. however that the
winner will march on to great political
preferment. William f. Harrity of
Pennsylvania, was the last Democratic
Executive Chairman to win a cam
paign, by electing Cleveland in 1892,
but he has never cut so much of a fig
ure in political life since as he did that
year. Mr.. Cleveland rewarded him
with nothing, the overwhelmingly Re
publican sentiment of Pennsylvania
precluded his getting anything direct
from the people, and the world at large
has heard little of him in the last
dozen years.
Thomas H. Carter of Montana, his
opponent. on the other hand. who was
the last executive chairman to lead the
Republican forces to defeat, while
never holding a cabinet place, or other
position of national Importance, has
served his state good part of the time
in the Senate at Washington and has
stood much higher in the councils of
his party than Mr.. Harrity has in the
councils of his. Mr.. Hanna's career
after the executive Craftsmanship of
two successful campaigns was more
satisfactory, perhaps, than that of any
man who has ever filled the place.
William p. st. John, who led the Bryan
campaign in 1896, died of grief and dis
appointment. and John X. Jones, of
Arkansas, who conducted the Bryan
campaign in 1900 has not had much
power in public affairs in the last four
years.
Practical Campaigning Changed.
There has been a good deal OF change
IN practical campaigning in presiden-
tiai years since 1884 The Executive
Committees work is more extensive
than formerly, It's employees are more
numerous, and It has to spend several
times as much money as IL used to.
There IS a widespread notion that a
large proportion Of the average cam,