The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-11
, men Of wan street a.

contributed by men of Wall street as
ISOLATION.
1t is fact. however, that the great
er part of the money which is being
expended. in some cases lavishly, in
behalf of this or that candidates NOM
ination is contributed by men VINO
have no Wall street associations anu
by citizens whose home is elsewhere
than New York.
The Wilson Campaign.
Governor Wilson has now been cam
paigning in behalf of his own nomina-
ton for president for nearly year.
These campaigns have involved travel
which has included the greater part or
the United States in its itinerary
Travelling of that kind costs money
Governor Wilson ha> n, private purse
with which to NEE tnosa expenses
Therefore the inference is inevitable
that itch men are contributing to the
Wilson presidential nomination cam
paign fund. The estimate has been
made that already the Wilson nomin-
alton oaign has cost some1hat in
excess of fifty thousand dollars.
The Roosevelt Campaign.
On the other hand, the various ex-
cursions which Co1onci Roosevelt has
made and is again to make in support
of his own nomination for the presi-
dency have made it necessary that a
large campaign purse be secured. The
evidence has been fairly strong that
this purse has been we'll ST. piled by
wealthy men of Chicago whose names
have l en- mentioned. These men.
however, cannot have supplied all the
funds which have been necessary to
meet Colonel Roosevelt travelling ex
penses and the maintenance of Roose-
Welt bureaus in Washington. Chicago,
New York and other cities. Then, again,
from what privy purse has come the
hi oh, hos 20
the travelling .41penses of Senator La
Toilette and those entailed by the
maintaining of La Toilette bureaus?
Whether this large sum has been adj
vanced by La Toilette himself or by
friends is not to the point, for the real
question is. Why is it deemed expedient
to spend large amounts of money by
candidate for the presidential nom
ination and by an organization which
is anxious to bring that nomination
about?
The organization perfected to secure
the nomination of Speaker Clark is
carrying on an aggressive and earnest
campaign which must cost a good deal
of money. Somebody is contributing to
that fund. UndoubtedI,- the Rep1IhIi
making appeals for funds with which
to meet some of the expenses which
the organization is compelled to face
For the First Time.
For the first time in the history Of
American politics presidential nomination
campaigning has been carried on AT great
cost, so that, from one point of view. it
may be not amiss TO say that in case any
one of the candidates now campaigning
for his own nomination be nominated,
that nomination was procured bv the ex-
pendfture of large amounts of money, al
though in perfectly lawful way
But it is not SO much the expenditure
of money per Sc as it is the altered atti-
tude which men who have ambition 10
receive the presidential nomination this
year have taken as compared with those
whose availability or claim to the nomi-
nation was subject of national discus
sion prior to 1912.
Until Stephen A. Douglas set aside the
preceoents and entered into the presiden-
tial campaign of 1850 it was thought to be
wholly unworthy the dignity of the presi-
Dental candidate to appear upon the
stump. What Douglas did in 1860 has
been only infrequently done in later pres
idential campaigns. But Douglas did not
appear upon the stump to advocate his
nomination. He was nominated first and
But, as far as history shows, no Amer
lean citizen has ever publicly advocated
his own nomination and made excursions
throughout the country in support of his
claim until within the past eighteen
months There are many men who do not
look upon activities of this kind as whole
some. 1t is for this reason that there
are not a few members of each of the two
parties who wonder if. after all, it may
not be the better part to nominate for
president some man who has not ap-
his hand begging votes for his nomina-
ton president 1t is possible that
within the next two or three weeks an
association may be organized a public
meeting may be held for the sole pur-
pose of criticising this latter-day cam
paigntng personally by candidates for the
nomination and the utilizing of large
sums of money for the purpose of conf
passing the nomination. HOLLAND.