Evening star., 1932-11-13

Pal oCo A1bAlNA GAldlA W pdIIJ DCllCAlI pOo~
sibly is not without foundation.
Such pilfering and waste, however,
is insignificant as compared to actu-
ally necessary expenditures. The Doodle
to be derived from the distribution of
a campaign fund has been largely di-
minished since the enactment of the
corrupt practices act Of 1910 and its
subsequent revisions, as well as by the
generally higher intelligence of an in
formed electorate.
Keeping that electorate informed of
the up-to-the- minute developments in
campaign issues and the conveying of
constant and adequate instructions to
local party workers constitute the great
est item of national campaign expense.
The basis of this expense is The
enormity of our national territory and
its huge population. The election of
1928 brought out 36,724823 persons who
voted for a candidate for President.
When it is considered that these mil
lions must be reached through 48
States, in country 5000 miles across
the proportion OF the problem becomes
obvious.
The 1928 campaign inaugurated the
general use of radio broadcasting as a
means of disseminating political prop
aganda Almost overnight radio has
beorne the largest item of expense in q
presidential contest
A national hook-up over either oi
the two major broadcasting systems
represents a cost of $4,000 an hour,
State and sectional broadcasts, oi
course, cost in proportion. Each party
spent close to 100000 for radio 4
years ago. The party budget-makers
exerted desperate efforts to hold that
item down in the recent campaign
each tentatively appropriated between
100000 and $l,000,000 as the lowest
figure which would accommodate their
most economical needs. But radio is
most voracious nibbler at the party
pocketbook. No unanticipated attack
can be made by a radio campaign
orator Without its unanticiPated counter
attack and its unanticipated cost.
Enormous Radio Cost.
The item of radio alone In this cam
paign cost the Republican party at least
10 times as much as it spent to elect
Lincoln. It's bill for 1928 was greater
than the entire national committee
budget in 1912.
The next largest item OF expense
probably was distribution of campaign
literature" Just how much that item
cost in the recent campaign 1t will be
| impossible to say until the national
treasurers have made their recapitula-
tion for their complete congressional re-
port, but some idea of the extent ano
Importance of this sort of campaign
activity may be gained from the fact
that each party has approximately no.
600 local committee chairmen. Cam
paign instructions, pamphlets. books
] butt ~
which must be remailed by these Local
committeeman, is piled into the post
Offices in every presidential campaign
1t is fair estimate that each of these
committeeman receives at least 10
pieces of mail, ranging from letters to
huge parcel post packages, from a CEN
trail national distribution point in each
campaign.
From a shipping plant fully mechan-
lied with electric monographs, ad-
dressing and stamping machines and
systematized for mass production as
completely as a modern automobile
factory, the Democratic National Com
mittee distributed from New York
more than 50,000000 pieces of mail
High up in an office building this plant
occupies 5000 square feet of floor
space and employed more than 100 per-
sons. Great rows of metal filing cases
contained a mailing list of nearly a
quarter of a million names. Storage
space for thousands of packages over
| flowed into Railways. and the outgo was
estimated in terms of trainloads These
cargoes included more than 5000 ,00C
Roosevelt and Garner buttons.
Enterprise Less Elaborate.
From Chicago and Washington the
Republicans conducted similar en-
| terprise on a less elaborate scale
| The headquarters of the Democratic
National Committee, which, departing
from the usual scheme of decentraliza-
ton, were concentrated in New York
employed approximately 800 persons
with an estimated pay roll of $20,500 a
/ week.
| Some Of the more spectacular CAM
/ paign activities with which the public
| Is most familiar are not as expensive as
might be imagined. A presidential can
didate can barnstorm the country from
coast to coast in a special train fol-
about $50, 900. Governors, United States
Senators, Representatives in Congress;
and ChautauQua orators, who constitute
the sideSfows Of q stumping campaign
customarily pay their own expenses ol
have them paid by local communities.
A national convention usually cost:
less than $4,000, but the two Chicago
shows this year ran up to about $50, ,00(
apiece! That expense, though, is borne
by the convention city.
The national committee Of politica
party is always loaded down with so.
called independent organizations, fire.
quently more or less worthless but some.
times dangerous to ignore, which attacl
themselves to the cash register. Or.
ganizations such as these are the grav,
trains of any presidential campaign. A
racket of equal perniciousness is tn,
last-minute demand for cash to b.
thrown into the fight In States tha
are assumed to be pivotal. That des.
perate measure frequently Is sheel
waste. The Democrats sent e60, 900 int,
] Pennsylvania In the last week Of thl