Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-11-25
AMOUNT It COST TO
ELECT A PRESIDENT
Taft's Brother Was the Largest
Individual Contributor.
Report Of Treasurer Sheldon of the Re-
publican National Committee
Fund Smaller Than Usual,

New York, Nov. 21.-When the
report of George r. Sheldon, republi-
can national treasurer, is filed with
the state auditor of New York at
Albany. it will be found that the re-
publican campaign which elected
William H. Taft president was con-
Quoted with a fund OF about 81, 700, 900.
to which Charles P. Taft, brother of
the candidate. was the heaviest con-
tributor.
1t will show that Charles P. Taft
backed his brothers. campaign with
$3.50, 600.
There were four contributions of
$25, 600, the donors being Andrew
Carnegie. Nelson Cromwell, P. J.
Morgan and Whielaw Reid
President Roosevelt threw $1,000
cash into the pot in addition to a
series of letters.
Four years ago the republican
management had about 81, 600, 600 for
the campaign, and eight years ago
about $1,000, OO0 These sums were
exclusive of the amounts raised and
expended in. the various states. This
year the fund which Mr.. Sheldon will
report includes these state contribu-
tions which were sent by the various
state organizations to one or the
other of the two national head quart
ers and from here redi stributed to
the states again.
10000 PERSONS CONTRIBUTED.
Aside from the large sums given by
Charles Taft. the contributions were
made up of mostly small sums. APP
proximately 10000 people contributed
TO the fund, both eastern and
western. The western fund was con
tributed by 5000 different republicans
and there were women among
them.
An examination of the western lists
shows that the financial support Of
the republican party in the campaign
did not come from the big public
service and public utility corpora
tions, from the railroads or the banks,
but from the commercial interests of
the country.
Contributions made by railroad men
were surprisingly small. In the west
Marvin Hughitt, president of the
Chicago and Northwestern railway,
leads the railroad contributions with
81, 600 and many of the officials of
this line gave their individual checks
for smaller sums. In comparison
with this may he noted the contribu-
tion of John I. Harahan. president of
the Illinois Central, a Hartman
property. Mr.. Harahan's contribu-
tion was $50.
SOME GIVE 25 CENTS.
The commercial interests of the
west backed the republican candidate
literally. Both wholesalers and re-
taileis contributed generously to
campaign in which quite apparently
they thought the stability of business
interests Was involved.
In spite of the particular appeal
which Mr.. Bryan made to the plain
people for dollar contributions, it is
probable that a comparison of the two
campaign lists would show as many
small subscriptions to the republican
as to the democratic fund. They
run as low as % cents, 80 cents, and
70 cents. with hundreds of 81 dona-
tions. There are still other thousands
ranging from s. to SO, and pages of
SO, $15, and $25 contributions.
The fund WAS notable for one
thing, and that was the great number
of democrats who contributed to the
republican rather than the democratic
fund Another feature of interest
in the fund is the number of women
who were interested enough in the
success of the republican party to con-
tribute to the campaign fund in sums
ranging from $50 to So. Mrs.
Marshall Field was a subscriber and
so was her sister, Mrs Eddy.