The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-28
Campaign Managers Of The Past
. BY Rufus Rockwell Wilson -


in a single day over the intricacies Of
the position
Most important of all. the chairman
OF national committee must have a
good private bank account. Contribu-
tons to the campaign fund at best are
spasmodic, and often are made in bulk
only toward the close Of the campaign
Chairmen have sometimes advanced
upward OF $500 COO and S400. 600 either
from their own resources or through
pledges given by them Often there
is d deficit at the close Of the cam
paign for expenses incurred at the last
moment, which were beyond the con-
troll of the auditing officers Of the rom
mittees. When a shortage Of this kind
occurs the chairman is expected TO
make il good. In 1854. Benjamin r.
Jones, chairman OF the Republican na-
tional committee, made UP out OF his
own pocket a deficiency of 100000, and
those in q position TO know, state that
the debts of the Democratic national
committee paid by Calvin \ Brice,
after the close of the campaign Of 1855,
were rather over than under half a
million dollars.
Down 10 1896 both the great parties
always had campaign headquarters in
New York In that year and again in
1900 the Republican WAS conducted
both from New York and Chicago. and
/ the Democratic canvass from the city
last named; but this year both nation
al committees are again conducting
their operations from New York. No
two campaign committees organize on
exactly the same lines. but there is a
( general similarity IS a matter Of
I course. Besides the chairman. there is
/ always. a secretary, "A treasurer, a
printing committee, a speakers conn
mittee and a committee on election
methods. The secretary of the commit
tee is the buffer to the chairman. His
/ principal duty is TO entertain all the
men who come 10 headquarters. and To
/ fight of as adrOitly as possible the
I swarm Of people who seek TO capture
/ the place fOE-purpOses of their own
The treasurer IS aided in his work
4 by a finance or advisory committee
/ generally composed of rich men, whC
/ give freely themselves and induce 9th
I ers TO do the same. In some respects
I he is badgeTed even worse than the
| chairman, since he must not only Sc
/ cure funds sufficient to meet the enOT-
nous expenses of the campaign, but
/ must 50 manage the moneys after ht
has them in hand as to prevent a de
/ felt, or at least too great a one, at tbs
! end IF the treasurer is a methodica
business man, and he generally IS, h'
comes TO be known As a hard man Il
get along with by the committees EN-
ployes and even by some of the com
/ mitteemen. early in the campaign. II
1883 John Wanamaker was at the heas
of the finance committee. who hag
in charge the work of raising the Re
publican campaign funds. and care
fully supervised all disbursements. 70
which he received vouchers. Still. a
I have already noted. the disbursement
of the party funds is in large measur
a matter Of honor, and the innovation
introduced by Mr.. Wanamaker has no
been repeated.
The members Of the printing com
mittee have a most important Worl
TO perform. Their first duty is to is
sue political text book containing tn
party platform and various keynote
of the campaign for the guidance o
speakers and the enlightenment of tn
voters. The other literature circulate'
consists in the main Of reprints o
] memorable speeches by distinguish