The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-07-20

Grants first campaign marked the
beginning of large campaign funds in
national elections, but Samuel ]. Til
den, who most perfectly of all Ameri-
can public men had great genius for
both practical politics and statesman
ship, discovered the modern method
of organized begging and spending
pursued by the party committees.
But it was left to Mark Hanna and
| Thomas G.. Platt to perfect the
method by adding fat frying" de-
vices and adopting spending meas
ures Napoleonic in their boldness.
The day of the "big beggar" has
passed, as late publicity compels cam
paign managers to depend for the
bulk of their funds on the very public
on whom they are spent. In the old
days when a campaign Jagged some
one with talent for "shaking down
the plum trees was appealed to, and
he would grab the telephone and ex-
change conversation for $4,000
checks.
Marshall Jewell, when chairman of
the Republican national committee,
raised $4,000 in single day in
Boston, and Levi P. Morton once did
better in New York by raising. $780,
900 in the same length of time.
The "big giver" also has seen his
| day. Committees are afraid to touch
for contributions larger than s10,-
600.
A dozen men, including William
L. Scott, William c. Whitney and
Oliver H. Payne, gave out of their
private funds a total of 100000
to the Cleveland campaign of 1888.
Scott is said to have given S250,0O0
of it.
William K. Vanderbilt is supposed
to have contributed $4,000 to the
Mckinley campaign of 1896. A be-
nevolent savings organization voted
$25, 900, to the same campaign "to
protect it's depositors.'
Thomas F. Ryan was one of the
best "givers" of late years. He vir-
tually financed the Parker campaign
of 1914. He first gave 100000.
Many, however, give out of pure
sporting impulse or for sentimental
reasons. Some even give substantial
sums anonymously, and widowed
women of means have been known to
send checks for as much as $4,000
out of pure and unalloyed sentiment
for the party or candidate.
"The work of collecting the funds"
says George B. Cortelyou, of the Re-
publican campaign of 1904, "was car
ried on by a force of 700 or 500 per-
sons scattered throughout the coun-
try, with organized bureaus in large
cities.'
A subscription book scheme work.
ed beautifully in that campaign and
helped to induce some 1000 different
individuals to contribute.
Perhaps the most popular of all
funds was that raised for Bryan in
1908. More than 100000 persons
contributed. One man-Ewing, of
Illinois-collected $4,000 in five and
ten cent pieces. Many other individ-
uals and some newspapers raised sim
liar funds, and many thousands con-
tributed to the fund of little more
than s1,OO0,000, which was raised.
However, the contribution was neces-
sary after all. Several gave as much
as $4,000, and Herman Ridder,
treasurer of the committee, gave
$4,000.
National campaigns are organized
with infinite care and detail for both
raising and dispensing funds. Though
collecting the dough" calls for skill,
diplomacy and ingenuity, getting rid
of it most eficaciously demands
much higher order of genius.
A campaign headquarters is organ
lied as perfectly as the Offices of
bank. But that is for detail. The
big work is done by men capable of
political generalship.
Campaign managers must be quick
in discerning weak spots in the op-
ponents' lineup and must attack
those spots with boldness and alert
ness. They must keep up perfect
defensive and anticipate attacks from
the "enemy."
A political campaign is run very
| much on the same underlying princi-
pies as a military one.
Managers must be original and,
above all, quick in decision and &C.
tion. They have little time to inves-
tigate and are tormented by hordes
of would-:be advisers and petty graft
ers. No two political fights can be
oonducted in tho Same Wav A slo-