The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-07-20
COST OF ELECTING PRESIDENT.
CONTINUED from page 6, column 3.

night, but it was done at the cost of
100000 and the State was saved.
Candidates for lesser offices have
to bear. the brunt of the expense of
their campaigns; those for president
rarely make heavy contributions. 1t
is not considered good taste, and, be-
sides, the candidates usually are
relatively poor men.
But James G. Blaine gave $685.
900 for the privilege of being de-
feated in 1884. He gave an original
contribution of $4,000, and when
the committee wound up with $780,
900 of debts he wrote a check for the
amount. He was told it would be
returned, but it was not. ST..
Campaigns often wind up heavily
in debt. That of the Republicans in
1888 collapsed with debt of more
than million.
Most business concerns are very in
different about crediting campaign
committee" unless it's bills are en-
dorsed by some Individual able to
pay them. Poor credit and other
things compel committees to pay
from 10 to 25 per cent. more for
nearly everything of commercial
nature, like printing, that is bought.
With all the modern Office eff1cien-
CIV that has been introduced into cam
paign management politics still is
very inefficient and wasteful. 1t is
safe to say that so per cent. of the
money turned loose gets no results
whatever.
This is because everything is done
in a hurry. Election day is certain,
DEVELOPMENTS are rapid and uncer-
tain. The manager cannot afford to
wait until he can find out definitely
about situation, but often must act
on incomplete information.
Grafters, under the various forms
of political grating, get perhaps 25
per cent. of all political funds.
In some sections of the country
the donations candidates are forced
to make to struggling churches,
lodges, public bands, etc., mount in
to the thousands.
Tammany spends from one-half to
a million dollars on an important
election in New York city. 1t takes
100000 or more to provide workers
at the polls on election day.
A torchlight procession, Once de-
scribed by Roosevelt as peculiar
form of idiocy particularly dear to
the mind of the average American
voter" in New York costs from $780,
600 to $4,000. Happily, they are
becoming questionable.
A Madison Square Garden meeting
costs as much.
One sealed letter sent to every
registered voter in America would
take 100000 in postage. Other ex-
penses would make the total cost
about $1,00O,0O0.
It costs $4,000 to give even limited
distribution to a speech.
Some campaign orators come high,
though many take only expenses, and
some don't do that. It is said that
as much as $4,000 has been paid a
single speaker. The average spell
binder gets $40 a night, or about
$50, when so employed, by the week.
Campaigners are using straight ad-
vertising in the newspapers and peri
odicals more and more for putting
their claims before the public. It is
not unlikely that s1O,OO0,000 will be
spent that way this year.
There are said to be more than
100000 professional politicians out
side of ofice-holders-that is, men
who live but sometimes don't thrive
ON campaigns of some kind.
Lord Bryce estimated that there
are only $500 professional poll
ticians in all England, and these in
clude members of parliament, writers
and others who are but indirectly as
sociated with practical politics.
Read The Herald, $3.50 per year.