The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-15

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.
.xxlI-Mr. Bsyan,s Third Attempt

% enter politics, and h -.
without conspicuous daness
Itself. Ever since its ornS{
the American Federation ~
1t an announced policy to ~
Of politics. The excelleat
for this was that both Of Il ~
cessors, the National Lshcp ~
and the Knights Of Labor. ~
TO smash in their efforts q -.
politics. So the campaign !, r;
showed that organized nm ~.
at least 60 through the mcllIs.
political activity without No.
integrity shaken. In 1916 ~
Grafton got very definite Iss
for workman during the ~ q ,
turn for its political support =
year It Is again In politics. mt j.
so little to choose between j, =
two major parties that il srss
TO accomplish little. But IN n
ganixAtion Of q Farmer-Labm -
10 not to be forgotten.
An interesting, though n,
not important phase Of thas
campaign was the conduct d n
Republican end of it BY III. ~
cock: His efforts ~ Z 0nIis
manager really marked tie e1 :
the old era of loose method -
prodigality in campaign m1,,4
ment, and the inauguration q 4
strictly business system q -
ing presidents.
Mr.. Hitchcock may be III
have elected Mr.. Taft with ~
index Mr.. Taft would ~
have been elected In any can.
it was generally conceded that 4
Hitchcock methods had much ID y
with the large majority hs ut z.
these same methods have fxua
in campaigns ever since. 4
When the Republican headqu|
tiers was opened, the usual ha1|
Of the faithful gathered anil
There were the great orator. p
were accustomed to receivsstn|
one hundred to five hundred loIS|
. week each for several veeh n
fore the election, together VA n
the expense money they could y
pend There was the great NJ
erhood Of political chairvasl
who were accustofed to beins y
commodated with soft jobs, =
who always had been 20 accul
dated before. There was the u
disguised blackmailer who VI
throw his county to the Demoa1
unless he was promised q oamnQ
job and the postmastership IN I
home town.
Ousdng the Dead HeAlA
All Of these got scant courtsQ
They ran into an organizes
which was rigidly Departmental,
They had . hard time getting to
men higher up. It was made au
to them that relatively little mon
was in circulation. and that VII
ever got q share Of it would hsset
deliver some real and valus
consideration in return.
While Mr.. Bryan was touring U
country and drawing his usual 90
audiences. little or nothing VA
ing heard from the Republicu
No orators took the stump for tn
until late in the campaign. II.
was considerable alarm over 4
state Of affairs in some quarts
Mr.. Taft himself went 70 Repuh
can headquarters to zee what
Hitchcock was doing. That nj
ager was found working over
enormous card index. The west,
|, knew, was the debatable gfou
and his plan was nothing less b
to find out how every man in
, middle west intended to vote.
| to influence him by personal n
to-man argument and by cu
means to vote the Republican =
, His organization comprised al
twenty state chairmen, 1,50o co
ty chairmen, 10000 precinct a
mitteemen, $4,000 poll-takers,
he was thus placed more or
directly in touch with some
million voters. He turned loose
orators, too, at the last NOM
and he did not neglect newspa
publicity. But his system of 90
to the individual voter was
main reliance, and it appafel
worked.