The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-24


mittees so nightly that they fell over
each other to get his pictures. In
short time after his first pictures
were shown he had to put in half a
dozen magic lanterns and employ a
regular staff of portrait makers. Had
the active campaign lasted a year in
stead of a few weeks he would have
cleared up a big fortune. AS it was
he made a very snug sum of money
out of it-enough to give him a good
substantial start in a permanent line
of business.
Possibly political cartoons should not
be classified as campaign gmcracks,
but at all events the Executive Com
mittee department that selects and
buys the badges and buttons and por-
traits generally takes charge of the
cartoons also.
At the beginning of recent cam
paign cartoonist who had once been
a great power in the land by reason of
his graphic portrayal of the short
comings of one of the political parties,
but had lost his grip, decided to seek
rehabilitation by doing campaign car
toons. Not finding a newspaper place
readily, he concluded to strike one or
other of the committees. He had shift
ed his political allegiance in the mean
time and was somewhat doubtful which
party to apply to- but finally decided
in favor of the party of his first love.
His indication to the Executive Com
mittee that he would be glad to help
elect their candidate, for a considera-
ton, by making for them cartoons
which they should furnish to the news
papers free of charge. caused a great
fiutter in that political body, and it
was decided to employ him at once.
Two obstacles arose, however. There
was one important article in the par
tvs creed that he would not support.
and he had exalted notions. as to the
amount of money he should receive
1t took a long time to get over these
things. The artists repugnance to the
Objectionable doctrine was overcome
with comparative ease, but the pay
was different. For awhile neither ar
fist nor committee could be got to
name figures at all. When the artist
after many long pow vows, fixed $50
600 as about the proper thing there
was CONSERVATION among the commit
teemen. They argued the case with
him for two days and tentative COM
promise was reached on $37500 This
didn't go with the committees treas
urer, though, and as a last resort
committee employe who had some
practical knowledge as to how car
toons stood in the market" was asked
to fix the matter up" He and the
had-been cartoonist had several inter
views, some of them stormy, and the
upshot was that, basing his compensa-
ton on the largest number of cartoons
that could possibly be used, the artist
was to receive $3,75O instead of S37. 500
or just one-tenth as much as the fig
ures mentioned in the tentative com
promise.
So far all was satisfactory The
executive committeeman who had
recommended the taking on of the
employe who cut the cartoonist
down nine-tenths congratulated him
self. The employee thanked heaven
that he was pleasing the committee
and had visions of a fat and perma-
nent job after the close of the cam
paign, providing his party won. The
cartoonist was happy because, while
$3.50 was by no means $37 500. it
was the same as 1915 a week for ten
weeks, or $1S750 a cartoon, since only
twenty cartoons were needed.
But there was more trouble coming
IT was planned that the committees
editorial board Cor whatever it was
called) should pass on each cartoon
before it was sent out, and the COM
mittee employe already mentioned
was to serve as the medium through
which the artists ideas should be
presented to the board. Had it been
possible for him to get board and
cartoonist together occasionally there
might. have been no friction. but il
turned out impossible to do this. or. in
fact. even to get the cartoons passed
upon at all, at least half the time. The
result was ten weeks spell of heart
disease for the committee employe.
NOT being able often to get official
sanction for the cartoons. he had to
put them out on his own Judgment.
only to find, after they were out. in
many instances, that some member of
the committee objected to the subject
CHOSEN or its treatment. In fact there
was hardly one of the cartoons that
some one didn't condemn as sure IN
Burchardize' the campaign. So seri-
Gus did the situation become before
election day that the unfortunate
employe had visions in his dreams
every night of political cartoons that
either missed the point or were posi-
lively detrimental to the cause. and
OF an outraged Executive Committee
wreaking vengeance upon him for let
ting the Objectionable drawing 90
forth to the papers.
Possibly IL is not right to classify
campaign songs as political gimcracks
either' out this particular committee
employe. who had to listen to hum
dreds OF them that campaign, would
certainly put them i'm that category.
beiore the active campaign was a
fortnight old II seemed to him that
every man, woman and child in the
country had written. or was about "a
write. or at least felt able to write a
campaign song. Apparently every men,
per OF the committee and every state
committee chairman from the ATTAIN
tic to the Pacific had hosts of song
writing friends Anyway, they all sent
songs 20 the committee. by every mail
seemingly. and this particularly unfor-
tunate employe had to try the most
of them out.
At frs when he took a bundle ~
manuscript songs and music home al
night and asked his wife to play the
airs on the piano and his daughter Ia
sing the words, they were quite de-
lighted with the novelty OF IT, But
when. on one never-to- be- forgotten
sunday morning he asked both of them
10 stay at home from church and
struggle with eight-seven different
pieces of political doggerel and eighty
seven new pieces OF inharmonious, un-
melodious scores. they reVolted gent
~ TO be sure. but with a degree OF
nrmness that left no room for argli-
ment. They both declared that they
had sung the praises OF the presiden-
tial candidate he was working for un-
I'll they we're completely tired out.
moreover. under the strain OF irving
the songs they had lost sympathy with
the party he represented. and from
that time on till election day they de-