The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-09-14
CAMPAIGN FUNDS FROM RAILROADS.
immense Sums Contributed to Re-
publican Party in 1886.

Walter Wellman in September Success.
Much has been written Of the power
Of railroad corporations in our politics.
1t is true that in many States certain
railways maintain political staff.
With them it is business matter.
They seek to protect their property
from the unjust exactions of legisla-
lures and public officials. It must be
remembered that certain class of pol
iticians and legislators is constantly
endeavoring to strike railroads.
That is, certain people get up adverse
bills and demand pay for defeating OF
dropping them. The railroad officials
fight fire with fire. Sometimes they
stop blackmail by gathering within
their own control the power which
shall make attempts at blackmail
harmless. Being thus led into politi
cal activity in self-defense, now and
then a railroad having on its staff
men of genius for politics overplays
its hand and seeks to control with alb
solute sway the actions of one or both
of the parties within a State, setting
up or pulling down men at will.
Doubtless it is true that in at least
one-tbird Of the States railroad infu-
ence is paramount in the affairs of one
or both Of the political parties, but it
is not directly through the use of
money that these roads operate. The
nass-the little pink slip of magic
/. erm-is their instrumen tality. I'm
az % the persuasiveness of free trans
ration in the tribe Of politicians
who are ever on the move from town
to town, attending local and State
conventions and fixing up their little
schemes. In many State politician
WHO pays his fare is curiosity. The
railroad pass is one of the poGentiali-
ties Of government N our great and
glorious country.
Twenty years ago the manager of a
presidential campaign who had in
hand fund of three or four hundred
thousand dollars to defray the expen-
ses of his operations thcagh himself
opulent Gradually the sum required
by national committees grew aud grew.
until, in 1896, high water mark was
reached by the late Marcus A. Hanna
in bis manipulation of the campaign
for William Mckinley. Through Mr..
Hanna's bands, that year, passed sum
falling little under Sc, 000, 600. | am
we'll aware that the amount has been
often given much higher figures, reach
ing, in some instances, to S15, 600, 600
or s16, O,OO0 W. Bourke Cochran
said in the house of representatives,
last spring, when his own campaign
expenses were under discussion, that
he understood that Mr.. Hanna had
used total of about S15, COO, 0G0 But
my information comes from good au-
tEority. The actual sum raised and
expended by Mr.. Hanna was within a
few thousands of the sum | have
named.
There is little doubt that. if it bad
been deemed necessary to compass the
defeat of William j. Bryan, twice as
much could have been raised. So great
was the alarm among men of means
over the danger which menaced the
standard of values that all Mr. Hanna
had to do was to write down on slip
of paper the amount he thought a
bank, corporation, or an Individual
should pay, and in nearly every in
stance the assigned sum was promptly
checked to Cornelius n. Bliss, the
treasurer of the committee. The
largest subscription, have been told,
came from an insurance company and
amounted to 5000, GOO One railroad
company gave 100000. Eight or ten
railway companies subscribed one
fouth as much each. Probably hun
dred or more banks and trust compa.
nies sent their checks for from Sl0
| 900 to $40, 600 apiece