The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-01
HEARST BARREL
 HAS NOW RUN DRY Presidency of the United States
 Cannot be Bought HAS GIVEN UP THE FIGHT Feels That He Has Been Greatly ln1- posed Upon by scheming Politi-
 clans-Has Spent About
 $2,ooo,ooo.

Chicago, May (speciaL) )-Walter
 welman telegrapths the Reeord-Herald
 from Washington as follows:
 The financial and political collapse of
 the Hearst presidential boom is the talk
 of the hour. Little surprise was express
 ed here when news came from St. Louis
 that MT. Hearst had cancelled his con | tract for 150 hotel rooms during the con vention week in that city, and that he | had informed his lieutenants that no
 more funds would be furnished for polit- ieal operations. It had been understood 1 here for some time that Hearst was near | ly at the end of his string. so far as spending money for delegates was con cerned, and that the hour was near at 1 hand when he would find it necessary to cut off his campaign expenses and husband his resources in taking care of his newspaper enterprises. According to the version given this morning by the Washington Post, a paper which from the first has been friendly to Hearst in letter to A. M. Lucas at St. Louis, MT. Lawrence western manager of MT. Hearsts interests, quoted Hearst as fol- lows If the people want me they can have me: if they don't want me l don't want the place" In other words, MT. Hearst has discovered at last that the presidency of the United States cannot be bought. He has tried and failed, and at last knows he has failed But he makes the discovery, according to the best information, only after spending princely fortune in the vain pursuit of | this will -the-wisp of his inordlnate ambition. The estimate which 1 gave 1 some weeks, coming from one of Hearsts S
 New York employees that the Hearst boom had up to that time cost million and half of dollars, is now believed to | be too low figure. Others in position
 to keep fairly close tab on his expendl- 1 lures declare that the grand total will
 rise to two millions of dollars
 First Came to Light.
 The first sign of financial trouble in
 the Hearst presidency-hunting expedi-
 tion came to light a few months ago, when Mir Hearst formed a company un- der the laws of New Jersey to hold the stock of all his New York newspaper properties It was understood at the | time that this was device for manu- l featuring collateral which could be used | In the banks for loans. and for weeks
 there has been gossip in financial cir
 cles in New York city that Hearst was | d heavy borrower. His newspaper prop
 critics in five cities probably are not paying their expenses. Newspaper men
 who nave q close idea of affairs of the l Hearst journals say he is breaking even | In New York; losing q little in Chicago, making money In San Francisco losing rapidly in Los Angeles and burning 1t in Boston
 MT Hearst's private fortune, added to that of his mother, doubtless is strong enough to carry all his business enter prises through, and no fear Is expressed of bankruptcy or failure of any sort But the political organization which Hearst had built up almost entirely by the use of money was making such enor- nous demands that something had to be done to avert a general smash, and MT. Hearst wisely concluded to drop politics and attend to his legitimate business n- terests
 Made the Last Touch.
 About three weeks ago ex-Congressman Lentz of Ohio and other friends of Hearst came back from New York and reported that the self-made candidate had sua- ceeded in inducing his mother to advance him another million, or at least a large sum of money, and that the chase of tae Presidency would continue as before This was good news for all of Hearst's myriads of workers in the political ftl4 But in a few days came whisperings that Mrs Hearst had said, when she gave up that contribution to her sons campdign fund, 1t would be her last and trouble was scented at once by the knowing. From all appearances the Hearst mana gers have cleaned out Mrs. Hearsts last allotment, and the barrel has now run dry.
 Indications of the approach of the end were given a few days ago, when an- nouncement was made that Mrs. Hearst had notified Kindergarten school in this city, established by her, that she no i longer could contribute the usual funds ! for it's support This was followed by news from San Francisco that Mrs. Hearsts benefactons in. that city were being reduced similarity.
 Now come tidings that Hearst himself has given up the 150 rooms which he had engaged in the St. Louis hotels for the 800 delegates he expected to have; that he has notified his agents the barrel is empty and that orders to cut expenses to the bone have been issued to the local managers of the chain of Hearst news papers.
 Mrs. Hearst Is Beloved. It seems pity that the name of Mrs. Phoebe Hearst has to be drawn into this wretched business, She is a woman be- loved throughout the length and breath of the land for her munificent generosity, her endowment of a great university, her aid to shools and her open-handed help of all charities and good works The millions who respect and admire her will hope that her fortune has not been im- paired by the wildgoose chase of the presidency which her energetic and pecu- liar son has just finished. No one planes her for standing by her son and giving him chance to test his theory that the presidential nomination of great polit- ical party in this country can be pur- chased like any commodity, and that the presidency itself is within the reach of a man with long enough purse who will go after it on the plan of smashing every man who has dollar and giving a dollar to every man who has none.
 Mrs. Hearsts friends here some of them very well advised as to the state | of her affairs. say she will not be em- barrassed by the losses of the estate in the roliticai field. Mrs. Hearst Is good business woman and has managed a0- mirably the great properties left her by | her husband, former Senator Hearst of