The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-10-06
is good, sound talk, both moral and
THE BIG CONTRIBUTIONS.

thing new; but it has been definite
and has led to better understanding
Of what the contributions amounted to
A letter from Cornelius n. Bliss. Ma
tional Committee Treasurer, to Harry
s. New in 1900, was brought into the
testimony, and for the first time made
public. Mr. Bliss was unquestionably
an honest, straightforward man. In
that letter he stated that he handled
the Republican National campaign
funds in 1899, s1.600.000; in 1896
s3,250,00o; in 1900, $4,000 900; in 1904
100000. Presumably these figures
are not only accurate but aggregates.
Mr. Bliss. as treasurer of the commit
tee, doubtless handled all Of the funds.
and the sums stated were the totals.
| There has been a sort OF myth that Mr.,
Hanna in 1896 handled money by the
tens Of millions of dollars. 1t appears
that he handled but little over one
third Of one Of those tens.
In view of these figures one can
hardly fail to be astonished at their
smallness. They are minimized out Of
all proportion to "the expenditures for
campaign purposes in the different
States. We do not doubt that in some
of the larger States as much is cx-
pended in any one of some Of the
great States at an election, as the to-
tai expenditure in an average Presi-
Dental campaign; and as 10 the latter,
it must be rememb bered that the United
States is an immensely big country.
There arc upwards of 20,000,000 voters
in it. Suppose that letter is sent to
each of those veters and a two-cent
stamp put upon it, That in itself
amounts to $4,000 If to this we add
the cost of travelling expenses of cam
paign speakers, the cost of meetings,
the publication and mailing of speeches,
the getting up Of professions and trans
parencies, it will be seen that million
dollars cuts but small figure in this
tremendous country. To mail five let
ters to each CT the 20,000,o00 voters
would itself amount of $2,000,000 for
postage alone, to say nothing of the
cost Of getting up the material, the
pamphlets, the speeches, the arguments,
and the pleas, When it comes to deal
ing with 20000,000 voters as the Ma
tional Committee has to do, the very
carry with them conception
Of vastness that is altogether lost sight
Of when one considers alone the sum
spent in the aggregate without stop
ping to consider the details that make
up the total sum. To spend fifty cents
upon each voter in the way Of supply.
ing him with arguments, letters, PAM
phlets. and circulars, would be a small
matter, but it would amount to $10,-
100000 in the aggregate. 1t is seen,
that the highest sum ever
spent by the Republicans in National
amounted to far less than
twenty-five cents for each voter.
Mr.. Morgan stated very frankly not
only the amounts that he had contrib |
lted to the campaign funds, but the
reasons why be had so contributed. tt |
appears that the contributions of Mr.,
Morgan to the Roosevelt campaign |
'und Of 1904 we're first made known
% Roosevelt through Morgan's g testi
nony, and Roosevelt expressed his sur
Prise that Morgan should have con-
5Hbuted SO largely that year, since
Morgan was one Of the chief defend
lnts in the Northern Securities merger
'ase which Roosevelt, as President, was
prosecuting against the Morgan inter
ssts. But Mr., Morgan contributed his
money, as he explains, in line with his
conception Of the best interests Of the
public. He wanted business to proceed
lndisturbed, without material change
If policy in the Government, and so
hat all contracts and negotiations
,ould be conducted on the basis of
conditions already existing.
Col. Roosevelt hotly insists that he
lever asked anybody for contributions,
and he cites the Archbold case and the
Morgan case illustrative Of this. 1t is
10 doubt true that Roosevelt did not
n general solicit contributions. No
candidate personally does this, This
solicitation is made by the committee,
ind especially by the subcommittee on
finance. Mr. Bliss as treasurer also
solicited funds, and, as shown, he re-
'eived the Standard Oil contributions
n 1904, and when the members of the
inance committee asked S150,000 more
rom the Standard Oil company and the
directors of that company refused TO
rive it, Treasurer Bliss warned them
hat they were making mistake,
When, later, Roosevelt, as President,
,urned fiercely upon the Standard Oil
company and attacked it in the courts,
he directors saw the wisdom of Mr..
Bliss S warning; but they were then in
for it, and had to defend themselves
the best they could. Whether Mr..
Bliss had in mind the probability that
President Roosevelt would turn upon