The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-18
"SOAPo In POLITICS.

A floating item without credit purports
to give the origin of the use of the word
soap" for money. 1t says: ''Th- Repub-
lican national committee in the presidential
campaign of 1850. which resulted in the
election of Garfield, used soap in its
cipher dispatches as a synonym for money
and it has meant money ever since" Be-
sides being inaccurate. this does in
justice to the surviving members of the
Republican national committee of 1850, one
of whom is an honored citizen of Indian
apolis.
1t is a reflection on the intelligence of
these Republicans who bore the heat and
burden of that day to suppose that they
would use n cipher code in managing the
financial affairs Of the committee. The
danger of cipher dispatches had been dem
onstrated in the presidential campaign of
1876, when the discovery Of number of
them, which. on being translated, proved
to have been sent by persons closely con-
nected with Samuel j. Tilden, relating TO
corrupt agreements for the purchase of
electoral votes in Florida and Oregon, led
to an investigation by a congressional COM
mittee. 1t was during the campaign of
1876 also that Senator w. H. Barnum.
chairman of the Democratic national COM
mittee, wired the chairman of the Indi-
committee: "You may buy seven
more mules OF course, the dispatch be-
came public. cipher dispatches always
do. Although near relative of the mule
has since become the exemplar of the DEM
ocratic party, the mule did not figure in
| politics at that time, and everybody knew
| that the dispatch meant the chairman
| might draw for an additional sum of
| money. The publication and translation of
the dispatch proved very embarrassing to
| the Democratic managers.
| 1t is probable, though there is no docu-
| mentary evidence of the fact. that the Re-
publican managers in Indiana did use some
money for campaign expenses in 1880. but
there was no cipher dispatching on the
subject, Senator Stephen w. Dorsey, of
| Arkansas, was secretary of the national
| committee and Hon. John c. New was
| chairman of the Indiana state central COM
| mittee, and also a member of the national
|
| affairs. They called a spade a spade. and
when they meant money they said money.
| not soap" Whatever funds the national
| committee may have deemed necessary for
| the prosecution of the campaign in Indiana,
| circulating literature, hiring halls, paying
brass bands. getting out the vote. etc.. was
sent by trusty messenger, not by cipher
telegram. 1t is a matter of local history
that when the campaign was drawing to a
close Secretary Dorsey himself came here
with a large sum of money in a trunk, not
! soap box. Chairman New assured him
that the State was already practically car
ried. and that he did not need the money
nor desire the responsibility of handling
it, At first Mr.. Dorsey was inclined tc
doubt that the State was already secure
but on personal investigation he became
convinced of the fact, and carried all the
money back with him. 1t was probably
used in some State where the preliminar,
work of educating the voters and pledgins
them to turn out and vote on election day
had not been as thoroughly done as it hat
been here.
A book entitled "A Dictionary of Ameri
can Politics." published in 1888, says Soap
political slang term for money; usual.
applied to money corruptly used" Thi
shows that the term was in use before 1855
but it did not originate with the Republican
national committee nor in Indiana. Still
less was it used in a cipher code as
synonym for money. because the member
of the committee were too worldlywis
to use cipher dispatches. The term origi
mated in New York. where the of ciphe
dispatches in politics did. Many OF tn
members of the national Republican com
! mittee of 1850 have passed away, but tn
! Journal is sure those who survive woul
resent the implied innputation on their In
, tellgence contained in the floating item re
ferred to.