Evening star., 1936-08-04
HOrse-and-Buegv Campaign

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American politics is that despite the
great improvements in transportation
and the transmission of intelligence this
country has experienced. the four-yearly
presidential campaigns still proceed upon
the old rhythm of the horse and buggy
days. For more than century these
uuadrennial contests have run for nearly
five months each. The pace was set
in times before the railroads, before
the telegraph and, OF course, before
the telephone, the airplane and the
radio. The schedule was established
when travel was slow and difficult,
when roads we're bad, when mails
were laggard and uncertain. True,
the country was smaller in actual dimen-
sions and much time was required tor
delegates to reach their meeting places
and for the news of their selections to
be announced to the electorate. Rela-
lively speaking, it would be possible now
to hold the nominating conventions IN
September instead OF in June and to be
assured of the fullest information reach
ing every voter in ample time before
election day to permit discussion and
an understanding choice.
Proceeding upon the long established
schedule, the campaign is now in It's
second phase, that of perfectlng the
organization of the major parties. The
don as their candidate on the llth OF
June, nearly eight weeks ago, and the
Democrats on the 9th of June, more
than five weeks ago. And yet neither
campaign machine is fully in gear The
Republicans have had to reorganlze their
campaign machinery, while the Demo-
Gratis have had only to carry on with
their existing organization.
Now the tumult and the shouting OF
the nominations and of the poSt-conven-
ton notifications and acceptances have
died and the air is beginning to buzz
with oratory and argument, both directly
and by radio. Thousands of columns OF
news print are daily devoted to inter
views, reproduced speeches and the obSer-
yations of commentators, but yet the
welkin is not ringing with eloquence or
disputation. A Summer lull has occurred
for which doubtless the people as
whole are grateful. An occasional poll
is taken and announced to whet the
interest of the prospective voters, but so
far there has been no verifcation OF the
prediction, early made, that this will be
an exceptionally lively, if not dirty"
campaign.
A presidential contest costs big money.
Nobody knows exactly how much There
Is never a full accounting of expenses,
although under the law returns must be
made of the expenditures of candidates
for Office Nobody regards these re-
turns as complete by any means. But it
is known that the total goes into seven
figures and there are times when an
eight-fgure estimate would not strain
the public credence. If there were
agreement between the major parties
and they set the pace for ALTO cut the
campaign down to three months at the
most, from nomination to election, much
money would be saved and the result
would be just as satisfactory to the
country as at present. Perhaps more so.
The persistence with which the old
presidential campaign calendar is fol-
lowed is the reverse of complimentary to
the intelligence of the American electo-
rate A two month contest, with nomina-
tions made early in September, would be
Just as effective in arousing the people and
in acquainting them with the issues at
stake and with the personalities of can
didates as this present long -drawn-out
ballyhoo of time-Worn traditional adher-
ence to a chronology that for fully half
a century has been a sad waste of time.
All the proceedings that have been
stretched out between the primaries of
last Spring, the conventions in June and
subsequent convention aftermath could
lust now be under way without the
slightest chance that on election day
the voters would not be fully prepared
to cast their ballots with full under
standing of the issues and full appraisal
of the opposing candidates.