The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-13

a President People now are Wonoer- ing just what will happen to the Democratic campaign if the maximum ,l limit of contribution from a single ih- ldividual as established by Mir. Bryau
 at SIG. 900 Is adhered to. Political lead CTS will tell you that both parties re- lquire in the enighborhood of from three to five millions if they would conduct
 an effective campaign and that without
 such fund 1t will be impossible to
 keep up the fight all along the line. All this, of course, barring the occur
 renee of the political phenomenon.
 known as a Landslide"
 This, however, is different from what
 conditions were in the past. The cleo
 tion of Abraham Lincoln cost the Re- tpublicans only $200.000. The Demo
 crats spent as much on Douglas. while
 the slave-holding wing of the party
 Is said to have spent more to elect
 John C. Breckinridge. Four years
 later. the Democrats had little or no
 money with General Mcclellan as their
 standard bearer. while MT. Lincoln
 could have had an unlimited fund from
 financial Interests in the North that
 believed the war should be continued
 with him in the White House and the
 issue with the Southern States settled
 definitely Little money was needed in
 1868 or 1872 so far as the Republicans
 were concerned The Democratic par | ty was not in. position either year to conduct very aggressive campaign.
 In the latter year, friends of Governor Seymour raised a fund. but 1t amounted
 to nothing compared with what General
 Grant had, or could have had, to bring about his reelection.
 | Big campaign funds were not the rule
 until 1878. That year the supremacy
 of the Republican party was seriously
 threatened because of the scandals dur ef.o H 1 Grant. The Democratic party had
 named Samuel J. Tiiden, man who
 commanded admiration throughout the country. Abraham S. Hewitt, then
 already man of means, was managing
 the campaign for the Democrats and
 Henry Watterson was helping him and
 looking after things in the South.
 Nearly million dollars was spent that
 year. The conservatives estimate it at
 $Soo,ooo, but that figure Is entirely too
 low.
 More than one million was spent in
 the campaign of 1884. Both James c
 Blaine and Grover Cleveland had hosts
 of friends and admirers among the
 wealthy element and these contributed literally to the party fund. Four
 years later, there was the great battle
 over the tariff issue. Two million dol
 lars were said to have been spent | The figures are also conservative
 There is the we'll founded belief that
 the manufacturing interests of Penn
 sylvania and New England alone raised
 more than this sum not so much for
 party. but business reasons. The fig
 ures have been mounting upward ever
 since In the campaign of 1892, both
 the Democrats and Republicans had
 more than a million at their disposal. Four years later and again in 1900, MT.
 Hanna had several millions. not merely
 one or two. at his disposal, to defeat Bryan. That these heavy contributions played a part in the fight goes with out saying.
 It is now in order to consider what
 this money is spent for. There are, l first, the legitimate campaign expenses l National headquarters has between forty and one hundred employees. Their
 wages and the rent amount to $3000 a ! day. Some of these employees are ab-
 solutely superfluous. Tn many in-
 stances they have been put there to ! conciliate some powerful man or fac
 tion of the party and then render noth-
 ing in return for their salary Dur
 ing the campaign of 1904, a former United States Senator and friend of
 MT. Bryan was drawing $150 a week from the Democratic National Head quarters though what service he rem dered in return nobody knew. The next expense is for speakers More
 men than >the public would imagine
 receive both salary and expenses. The average rate is $100 a week. There are men. however, who are paid as much as $500. It is said that Bourlxe Cockran received as much as $l00O for his reply to William J. Bryan in the campaign of 1896. The expenses are
 never very light either. very often
 more than equalling the salary. The
 distribution of singgle speech in
 printed form has cost as much as s5.
 OOO and there have been campaigns
 where twenty of such speeches have
 been delivered and circulated. In the campaign of 1892 a letter of Carl
 SchurZ on the tariff was widely dis tributed especially among the German
 countrymen at cost of more than $5.0O0. '''""
 There is also the spectacular side of the campaign to be considered. New hork and other cities have had torch ilght processions costing as much as | Sl2'OO0. Three thousand dollars have been expended for music, decorations | ana the hire of hall. This sum rep- | resents the cost of some of the | monster mass meetings held at Madi- | son Square Garden.
 These, however, are only minor ex- penseA They have nothing to do with | tne Inner Work or the campaign. The | pig money Is spent from what is | known as the secret or emergency | rund. It has helped on more than one | occasion to turn the tide. The money | goes first into those States that are | doubttul and then to the debatabIe ones. As rule the doubtful States | can have all they need while the de- batable ones must be content with the remainder. To illustrate, the mana gers Of the Republican campaign in Indiana will have the first call on | the party funds while only such money as remains or can be raised in addi- tion Is apt to be used in such States as North Carolina or Tennessee. Both l sides watch the situation so closely as to have an intimation when the State is doubtful or debatable.
 During the closing days of the cam paign of 1888, both Mr. Clarkson. of the Republican. and the late Calvin 5. Brice of the DemocratA National Committee, placed West Virginia among the doubtful States. The Dem ocrats sent $40.000 while the Republi- sans spent $50.o00 there. Indiana was. of course, another doubtful State. The of Benjamin Harrison who had represented it in the United States senate was of course one cause The Democratic nominee for Vice President was Allen c. Thurman. an Ohio man. The Democrats spent $100. 900 trying to swing the state while the Republican 'und was three times greater. Much bribery went on In the State that year. , It is charged that fhe voters vrara (