The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1913-10-30
COST OF OFFICE
SEEKING HEAVY
Men Who Know Discuss Meth
DDS Past and Present.
is LIMITED TO $4,000
Wise Ones Say That Ia Not Sufficient
to Make the Race for
Governor.

st. Paul-(SpeciaD- were dis.
GUESSING the cost Of running for public
office the other day at the Merchants
hotel and the talk naturally centered
on the big prize, the gubernator1al
nomination. The bunch was one
prominently identified in a managerial
way In days gone by. One of the
number had figured in the conflict OF
a year ago. Under our present pri
mary law" said one member Of the
group, $4,000, believe, is the limit
of cost for a man seeking the govern.
orship, of which $1,000 can be expend
ed by himself. No man can success.
fully make the race for that amount
of money and the men who drafted the
law knew as much when they named
that figure. Postage alone will con.
sumo the limit Of expenditures permit.
ted by law" And so the talk ran.
The concensus of opinion was that
$4,000 was little enough, but that
$4,000 or $4,000 came nearer being
the amount Of money needed to take
proper fling at the highest Office
in the gift Of the people. As to the
minor offices, such as state auditor,
secretary of state and the other ex-
ecut1ve positions, it was agreed that
the expenditure of the first years
salary, $4,000, for campaign purposes
was necessary. The bunch held that
it could not properly be done for less.
The amounts named, though, were
held to have only to do with men try
ing to break into official life, as those
in Office had a lead Of fully Is per
cent and consequently could get by
with much less. The organization
and those drawing a per diem from
the state through the grace Of those
in office was a factor that only lavish
expenditures on the part of those on
the outside could overcome. Con-
tinuing his talk on expenditures that
the outside world knows little of the
one with the latest managerial expe-
rience declared that it was the so
called progressives who represented
the heaviest tax on candidates treas
ury. Il know it, he said with some
bitterness, for 1t was these fellows
who got the bulk of our money and
they gave nothing in return. 1t has
made an organization man of me, for
in the ranks you will find hundreds
of men willing to help, their only hope
OF reward being the success of the
party or possible future recognition in
some way. Your talky progressive,
the one who is always yelling Down
with the gang has only one rule and
that is the coin. He would be on the
other side if he could, but the other
side would not have him. That was
our experience and it cost my people
$4,000 and little in the way of re-
turns to show for it, In telling of this
experience I am necessarily conceal
ing names and I am not relating some
Of the secrets that were passed around.
These fellows did not tell all they
knew, but is was enough, and I give
it to you so that if you have the itch
you can in way figure out the cost.
:. !. !.
Continuing this subject of the cost
of running for Office under the pres
ent primary law one gubernatorial
candidate of bygone days tells me
that a proper poll list for mailing
purposes cannot be obtained for q
cent less than $4,000. Letters sent
out on three different occasions to
voters throughout the state by one
candidate who figured in the last
gubernatorial struggle depleted his
bank roll to the extent of 5000.
Workers represent at least $4,000. r.
G. Dunn, who figured in the campaign
Of 1905, tells of how one piece of mail
sent out by him for the purpose of re-
futing falsehoods which were being
circulated by the enemy cost him S1O,-
900 for postage alone. And so it
goes on down the line, a touch at
every turn of the road. Talk as you
please and pass all the laws you want
", OAuSOoCChlu6 ID u Sp6uuluG
game and every new law only adds to
the cost. Only the wealthy or those
backed by wealth can play it. The
laws as they stand now are against
the outsider. Progressive measures
their trainers called them, but miss
my guess if there will not be just as
great a clamor in the near future for
their repeal as there was for their
passage.
Though several Minnesota suffra.
gists have come out openly for Mrs.
Pankhurst, the English militant, and
her methods, the rank and file of the
women in Minnesota who are agitat.
ing the ballot for their sex do not
take kindly to Mrs. Pankhurst's adj
mission to the United States. Thew
believe she will hurt the cause. Mrs.
Eugenia B. Farmer, press chairman
OF the States Women's Suffrage asso.
citation, looks on the thing with alarm.
A. l.. Ward of Fairmont, prominent