Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-09-27
Washington. D. c., Sept. 24.-Cam-

Washington, D. c., Sept. 24.0Cam-
paign funds are running low this
year. No authoritative statistics have
been compiled, but on a conservative
estimate dimes are being dragged in
where dollars formerly flowed in, and
it is not to be overlooked that there
is a decided difference between drag
ging'' and FLOWING" ,
All of which means that the poll
ticians of all parties are up against
It,. They have on their hands a fight
that would call normally for larger
expenditures than have yer been
made for such purposes. and they are
discovering that they will have only
about d tenth of the that
they should be able to command.
Party organizations have almost dou-
bled in size since all the women have
suffrage, and the demands that are
made on the committees have more
than doubled. but when the hat is
passed 1t comes back practically
empty.
Men who are responsible for fin
ancing the various committees are
growing gray and haggard. Others
who have always counted in, campaign
years on lucrative employment or
profitab BILE business relations with the
committees are jobless and contract
less. It has a sad situation. The
Glooms have driven all the joys out
Of politics. ", @ III
1t is not many years since a ma
tional chairman announced that in his
Judgment contributions to campaign
funds. should be limited to $1,000 and
another politician of equal promi-
hence declared that that limit was
too high-$100 should be the maxi
num-.
This year the man who could get
thousand dollar donations would be
hailed as his party's saviour, while
be rated Is little less than a genius.
Those who would question the truth
of this. need only go to the head
quarters of either Of the dominant
parties and undertake to sell any"p1an
or proposition that involves; the
spending of money. They will be con-
WINGED in short order. They will hear
tales of poverty that are more than
distressing, and. what is o to the
point. they will find it next to i'm
possible to do business with the
committees for the good and sufficient
reason that the committees have no
money with which to do business.
One Mans Sad Experience
One man whose business is in the
line Of campaign publicity features
had a particularly unhappy expert
ence in Washington this week. He
had worked out a plan that had ev-
erything to recommend it and that
he wal confident of selling to a GER
tain committee an soon as he could
lay 1T before the chairman. He ex-
pected a contract representing several
thousands Of dollars. He got what
tradition says the little boy shot at.
did you sell your proposition? a
friend inquired.
that chairman isn't buying. he's sell
ing! He sold mo d poverty and hard
luck story that was 90 sad we wound
up weeping on each others shoulder
land before I left he had me digging
up a ten-spot to help keep his COM
mittee out of the poorhouss. And
guess I was lucky to get OF at that
price"!i
As yet no one has come forward
with q satisfactoryt explanation Of this
statesof affairs. The same 'individuala
and the same interests that heretofore
have been interested in the success OF
this or that party to the extent that
they would contribute freely and more
or less literally to campaign funds
are-presurlably still interested.
There are al many reasons why they
should contribute in 1922 Al in 1920,
or 1915. or 1900 or in any other
year Our political methods have not
changed. It has not been made un-
lawful to do that which will cause a
campaign treasurer to smile.
AZ q matter Of fact, this having
been q tariff making year 1t would be
taken for granted that contributions
would be more liberal and more nu-
merous than ordinarily. Moreover,
q bitterly contested election liz in
prospect, with . possibility Of a shift
in the party control OF the legislative
branch of the government. and that
would be expected. normally, to be
productive OF fat party exchequers.
In the face Of all this the actual
situation At the time the campaign
should be in full swing Is little short
OF appalling to the party workers,
and that may be said for both the
Republicans and Democratic. Expect
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