Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-23

more elilSuteHeu PUBIC Seilliuieul anu
largely because of the insistence of |
Mr.. Bryan upon the limitation of cam |
paign contributions to individual con- |
tributors and complete publicity to all |
considerable contributions neither has |
as yet the volume of subscriptions to |
its fund that under other conditions
would be already in hand. This does
puzzle the old line politicians. Down
in Ohio somebody started what was
called League of Thirty Cent Clubs.
The only subscription asked to the
Democratic fund is 80 cents. But the
plan being worked on the endless chain
| system does nevertheless bring in some
considerable remittances. besides inter
Nesting a multitude Of people in cam
| paign to which they are contributing.
| though only in 4 small way. One of
the famous old money getters-Tam-
many would call him the Wiskinkie-
spoke to me in high indignation over
this device. Said he, at let's the con-
tributor off for 80 cents when you
might as we'll have got So or SO from
him. In some instances that may be
| the case. In more the 80 cents is all
the contributor could afford or be
| willing to give. In many he enrolls
himself in the Thirty Cent club and
sends his larger contribution direct to
headquarters.
Then there are the newspaper sub
| scriptiOnS. Not less than $50 Demo-
cratic papers are inviting subscrip-
lions to the campaign fund and remit
| fnv 20 !,
-Four states now and four publications
! are struggling for pre-eminence IN this
useful service. The Commoner leads
the list as money getter, with the
Houston Post, edited by Colonel r. NJ
Johnston of the national committee,
q close second. The New Orleans
Daily States and the Nashville Ten
nesSeean are struggling neck and neck
for third place. This method of rails
ing funds from popular subscriptions
will develop and grow as the cam
paign goes on. Every now and then
some new device for extending it Is
presented, and all are given careful
attention by the finance committee
The one thing that has not been done
is to diverge in the slightest degree
from the spirit of the resolution adopt
ed at the first meeting of the national
committee after the convention which
declared against soliciting or accepting
contributions from corporations. Not
one such contribution has thus far
found its way into the Democratic
treasury.
l have no way of knowing what the
Republicans are doing in this matter
Of finance, but there seems TO be SC
little evidence of active work on their
; part in soliciting small individual sub
scriptions that the natural Inference is
, that they are again going after the
corporations and the trusts. The pres
ence of Sheldon, Du Pont and Others
, on their finance committee seems to
make this Inference justifiable.
MIR. Bryan's Tact.
I Two phrases used by Mr. Bryan in
: his speech at the Illinois state convep
5 ton at Peoria greatly pleased the
p friends In Illinois of the amiabIe and
+ admirable candidate for governor of
: that state, Hon. Adlai L. Stevenson
/ General Stevenson, it will be remem
date with Mr. Bryan in 1900. Moreover
there had been and is still continuing
an attempt on the part of certain hos
u tile forces in Illinois to make it appear
> that the managers of the Stevenson
y campaign We're pushing him forward
to Mr. Bryan's detriment. The frs
= words used by Mr.. Bryan in address
ing the convention, which was one o.
the most impressive state conventions
! have ever witnessed, were: "Eigh
years ago the Democratic ticket wa
Bryan and Stevenson. This year an
heartily content that in Illinois /
should be Stevenson and Bryan" Thi
at once put the audience and the dele
gates. who were practically 4 unit TO
Stevenson, in the best good humoI
And the effect of this tactful utteranc
was heightened when, speaking littl
further on the same line and referring
by indirection to the general report
that Mr.. Stevenson might run ahead o
him, Mr.. Bryan said, II wish for you
candidate for governor the biggcs
vote possible or imaginable, and l onl.
hope that his surplus will be so larg
that he may be able to spare little o
1t for me-"
Chicago
WILLIS ]. ABBOT.