Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-16

The campaign funds of the political
parties in the United States In the first
century OF independence were not noted
| for their size. In the earlier days Of the
| republic money was not used very freely
| in influencing voters. What could not be
done at rallies and barbecues. with an
! accompaniment of good Kicker. was
| largely left undone. Leonard SWEET de-
/ clared that il did not cost over 500 to
secure the nomination Of Abraham Lin
| coin for the presidency in 1850. and that
! 100000 financed the entire campaign In
| 1864 There was a gradual increase IN
! the size of the war chests of the politi-
cal parties Of the country thereafter I'M
til 1876 but they were not large enough
to arouse much interest in them or for
them to leave their impress upon the
records of American politics.
When 1876 came the democratic candi-
date was Samuel J. Tilden. a born organ
izer. 1t always takes money to secure a
thorough organization. even when none
of II is illegitimately used. And the FUNDS
for organization were at hand. a con-
servative writer has estimated that the
two parties spent some 100000. and that
the majority of this came from the DEM
ocratic war chest; In that campaign amp IGN
chairman of the democratic national
committee and Zachary Chandler OF
Michigan was chairman or the repuol-
can national committee. 1t was the hrst
campaign in the history of the country
when political strategy became an exact
science.
When the election returns began to
come in it appeared that Tilden was
elected. Early in
Early Returns the night Gov.
Hayes had conceded
opponent. Chairman Chandler had smut
UP headquarters in New York and gone
home, admitting defeat. The New fork
Times. regarded as the Hayes organ hau
seut it's early editions to press. cohceo-
ing Tildens election. But Tor very
untoward circumstance the country might
then and there have accepted TlIden 5
election. But just at this juncture there
came to the editor of the Times the late
John c. Reed. a telegram from the chair
man Of the democratic national commit
tee. Mr.. Barnum, inquiring how LOUIS
lana and several other states. which eF-
erybody had conceded to Tliden, hao
gone.
Reed took the cue He knew there was
doubt in the democratic leaders mind,
and that it would not do to abandon
claim to victory in the face Of IT, he
called off his early editions concedinS the
election of Tilden. and substituted ON
ers claiming victory for Hayes lie
then hunted up William E. Chandler. Sec
rotary of the republican national com
mittee and now one of the foremost ao-
vocates of full publicity for all campaign
expenses and contributions. and between
them they started the republican party
to claiming the victory that few hours
before they had conceded to the demo-
Gratis 1t worked. and that telegram did
more than ali of the Tilden campaign
fund to change the result OF the election
In 1880 both parties had sizeable funas,
and most authorities calculate that tne
two spent about a million dollars In 1884
Blaine and Cleveland were the opposing
candidates. and 1t has been asserted that
Cleveland had a s%ade the better OF
Blaine in the matter of funds. Blaine
probably put up more money personaii!
than any other candidate in the history
of the presidency. His initial subscrip-
ton was So, 600, and although Senator b.
F.. Jones and Stephen B. Elkins are cred
tied with having raised a fund Of 100000.
there was still a heavy deficit. and Blaine
himself put In another $1OO.oO. 1t Is
said his heavy contributions more than
anything else induced him to wr"e his
Twenty Years In Congress" to recoup
his fortune. The famous dinner In which
Jay Gould and others. then In had odor.
participated, came to he known as the
feast of Belshazzar. and that coupled
with the Rum. Romanism and Rebellion
remark of Rev. Mr.. Burchard. probably
had more TO do with the defeat Of Blaine
than all the money raised against him.
-