Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-07
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
sise OF rational Campaign Fund In
Recent Teara.

Recent Neers.
Receut testimony in the life insurance
investigation regarding contributions made
by these companies to political campaign
funds gave temporary interest TO the old
question, How much money is collected
and used In national campaigns The
Washington Post undertakes to answer the
question by giving figures vouched for as
correct These figures show:
Fund Of the republican national
committee In 1901. 81, so, 900
Fund of the republican national
committee In 1900. 2,S00, 900
Fund Of the republican national
committee In 1926. ................... $500, 900
Fund OF the democratic national
committee in 1892. ................... AfO0, 900
Disbursements OF the republican fund last
year were as follows:
Remittances to state committees. 100000
For literature $4,000
Maintaining speakers bureau $4,000
For Autographs, advertising and etc. 10000
Salaries and expenses at head
Miscellaneous expenditures. ........... 10000
Balance at close OF campaign. 10000
The statement that more money was
collected and expended in the election OF
Cleveland in 1892, than in the election of
Mckinley in 1896, will cause many people
TO insist on the Mlssouran's prerogatlve
AOt a SuONlIe. Inc 1OSt COulpilcS IN THESE
words: But the 1895 fund was not the big
gest ever raised in the interest of presi-
Dental candidate. The late Senator Hanna
knew that when he was alive, but never
publicly stated so. Mr.. Bliss also knew 1t,
but likewise was silent. There were other
men who more properly could have taken
the pubic into their confidence, but they
apparently saw no reason for so doing
The largest amount of money ever col
lected to conduct a national campaign was
in 1892, when Grover Cleveland was a
candidate for reelection. The late william
c. Whitney obtained the bulk of that fund.-
and 1t was a trihe over 100000. have
this on unimpeachable authority. and the
statement cannot be successfully con-
uoverted any more than the other figures
herein given can be proven incorrect. But
Mr.. Whitneys fund was not used to pur-
chase the election of Mr.! Cleveland
thirteen years ago; it was expended in
legitimately furthering the interests Of the
democratic nominee just as the money
contributed in 1896 and 1900 was devoted
to the intelligent promotion OF the republl-
can cause"
Coming down to last years contest the
Post says: TT is possible to give not only
the size of the fund raised by the repub-
licans last year. but also to present a re-
capitulation of the manner in which It
was disbursed Two items consumed
nearly two-thlrds of the entire fund.-
namely, literature and assistance to state
committees. Very nearly one-third of the
H,9OOcOO at the disposal of the national
committee was expended in the printing
and distribution of political pamphlets,
Re at
pressage alone amounted to thousands of
dollars. 1t would be correct to state that
about S55O.0OO was utilized in this way.
Fully a third Of the fund was sent to the
republican managers in a dozen or more
states where the local committees had
exhausted their own financial supplies. 1t
is we'll within the limits of accuracy to
say that at least between $650OOO and
100000 was paid out in this manner. The
chairmen of the state committees who
were the recipients of such aid doubtless
have records to show that the money was
expended in stimulating interest in the
campaign by the employment of bands
and the customary popular attractions
and for literature on topics which were
of special interest in certain localities.
,"Another big item consisted of the SAL
aries to employees at the headquarters In
New York and Chicago and the rent of
the offices. At the two headquarters there
were fully go men and women engaged in
a score of different capacities. Through
out the campaign the weekly salary ex-
pense and rent roll aggrega about
$4,000, and by the time the contest was
ended and headquarters closed up, $4,000
was paid on this account. Next came
the lithographing and advertising account
Millions of Autographs and campaign but
tons were distributed throughout the coun-
try, and in the .neighborhood of $4,000 was
expended for this purpose and for adver-
Using in magazines and periodicals. 1t will
be recalled that Chairman CorteIyou in
troduced an innovation in 1904 by printing
highly attractive advertisements in the
leading magazines. and in this way reached
something like 100000 or 100000 people
Those who are familiar with some of these
details of campaign management will re-
call that the democratic national committee
here was much discounted when IL learned
OF this ingenious and sagacious method OF
advancing the republican cause
Even larger than the Autograph bill was
the account of the speakers bureau Pres
ident Roosevelt's managers made 1t a rule
at the beginning of the campaign that
every man who was speaking under the
auspices of the committee should get his
transportation at headquarters. In other
words, the chairman placed a ban upon the
use of free passes. Thus most of the large
corps OF stump speakers had their travel
ing expenses paid out OF the committees
treasury. A large majority OF them, more
over, received compensation for their serv-
ices. Altogether it required between S1T5.-
900 and 100000 to maintain the speakers
bureau. This item completes the recapitu-
lation, with the exception of the balance
which was left in the treasury at the close
of the campaign. This was between Ss5. 900
and 100000.
Exaggerated reports concerning the size
of the balance have appeared in the last
two or three months. One story had II
that it amounted to about $4,000 and this
report gained extensive circulation. To
any person who may think the actual bal