The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-08
A CRANK BILL.

| The Massachusetts legislature now has
before it-and there is some assurance that
! it will pass-a bill which requires the pub,
LEGATION by political committees and candi-
dates of sworn statement of the amount
of money expended by them for campaign
purposes. These statements are to be made
out, sworn to and published Immediately
following the election. 1t provides that
every political committee, district, town,
city or state, which expends in campaign
over 500, shall have a treasurer, and
through his hands all money received OF
expended shall pass; he must keep de-
tailed account of the receipts, and record
of the expenditures, and file with the sec
rotary of the commonwealth return set
ting forth all Of the committees receipts,
and detailed statement of all its eXpendi-
lures and Disbursements Every member
of the committee who receives or disburSes
money must give a detailed account to the
treasurer who must also include this in his
report. Within ten days after election the
successful candidate for any Office, congress
sional, state, county or municipal, must file
W. tn the secretary Of state detailed state
ment of the moneys contributed, disbursed
and expended by him lin attempting to Sc
cure, or in any manner in connection with,
his nomination or election to such office,
provided that all such moneys shall exceed
in the aggregate one hundred dollars y
The expenditure of money to influence the
action of a caucus or convention, the result
OF an election, or the vote of any person in
caucus, convention or election, is declared
a misdemeanor, though the candidate may
cause to be circulated printed matter
1t is hardly necessary to remark that
the bill is Mugwump measure.
Only vain and impractical men would
attempt to cure election evils by
such a law, and men who entertain proper
regard for the rights Of individuals would
never think of interfering in this way
with the affairs Of citizens. The almost
idiocy of measure like the one proposed
becomes at once apparent upon examina-
ton of the bill. Neither the committee nor
the candidate could be induced to report a
criminal expenditure Of money any more
than the man who buys votes can be coaxed
into cOnfessing the fact in order to get him
self into prison. But the principle of the
bill is wrong. It is the concern Of the law
to punish for bribery and corruption, but it
is not the affair of the state how man en-
ploys his money, so long as he does
not employ it criminally. If the
candidate wants to hire orators,
buy space in newspapers, employ bands or
do other legitimate things connected with a
campaign, it is none OF the business OF the
state nor Of the public, and it is unjust and
impudent to require him to expose his pri-
vate affairs to the community, to tell what
he paid this speaker or that editor, how
much it cost him for dinners and refresh
ments, and so on.
If some of the political cranks could
have their way there would be mighty few
liberties left to the individual in this
country. The state would exercise "a cen
sorship over the citizen more intolerable
than that which Expresses people Of the old
world