St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-24
AMONG THE REVIEWS.

IL SedS0naOle anu valuable article Is
that in the April Forum by Sir Henry
James on the corrupt practices act of
England. 1t is seas0nable because so
many legislatures are considering meas
ureS having the same end in view, and
it is valuable as showing not only the
long and until recently futile efforts to
secure purity Of elections in England.
but as giving the outline of the act
which has practically driven corruption
from the elections of that country. AS
the attorney general OF Mr.. Gadstone's
administration who drew the act. the
writer has familiarity with the sub
ject which voucheS for the authority of
his statements, as we'll as their ac-
Curacy.
Especially is it to be noted that the
experience in that country was the same
as ours has been in the decision of con-
tested election, and that there they were
driven by the almost uniformly partisan
nature of the decisons.a as long as left to
the parliament, to create court for the
especial trial Of such cases. Another
feature is the readiness with which
juries there rendered verdictS OF guilty
in trials for violations OF the act III the
prosecutions first brought under it. 1t
was this prompt and energetic support
of the law which carried terror to those
who would willingly violate it II they
felt that they could trust to JurleS TO
| either disagree or acqult.
The English act applies only to the
| election of members Of parliament. 1t
becomes much more difficult matter
| when,as here, we are trying to formulate
| a law which will cover the election OF all
| officers; and the subject gains interest
| from the next article, contributed by Jo-
| siah Quincy, the author of the Massa-
| chusettS law. who was chairman OF the
! Democratic central committee or that
| state, and is now assistant secretary or
! state. The English precedent was OF
| little value to the trainers OF the MaSSa-
| chusetts law, and they did not attempt
| to INCORPORATE the greater detail and
stringency of the English act The
| main feature of the Massachusetts act IS
! to secure publicity for the amount OF
money used, the persons contributing IL
| and the use it is put to. Not only the
| candidates, but the committees are re-
| quired to file itemized, verified state
ments of receipts and disbursements.
| No limit is put on the amount that may
| be spent, as does the English act, and,
| while certain acts are prohibited as
corrupt practices" they are not as
numerous as in England.
One effect of the publicity of contrib
ut0rS is that the committees have greater
| difficulty in getting contributions, those
who had given literally before refusing
| now because they do not care to have
their gifts published. This is not with
out its compenSations, however, as Item
ableS the committees to refuse money Tor
purposes customary, but of which they
do not approve. The law was cleverly
evaded by contributions being sent to
the national committees with the under
| standing that the money was to be
spent in the state.
The law works well, so well that a
movement is on to extend it by prohibit
ing the use of money tor paying naturall-
cation fees, campaign speakers for sery-
ices, buying uniforms, torches and the
hiring of teams to bring out the voters.
Candidates and committees will hail
with pleasure the prohibition OF uni
forms, torches and all the usual IAN
farOnade of campaign to which they
now contribute because the other fel-
lows will. Where they are used they
become the leading feature OF an even
ing given to speaking. They draw the
crowd, delay the speaking, while mar
shals, proud of their fuss and feathers
and saShes and unusual Importance
parade the streets, delaying the speak.
clouds of smoke swarm into the hall,
every man proudly conscious that he
and his club are the one attraction
/ of the evening. The speaker is OF
last, the parade of first Importance,
4 BY far the largest portion OF the ex-
penSe of a campaign is made by these
utterly absurd and inconSequentlal dis
plays. They may have certain value
for the majority party; they arouse
party feeling and help to swell the
1 votes. But to the minority party they
are a positive detriment, because they
\ absorb large sums of money that could
be better employed in the dissemination
of printed argument and defraylng the
expenses Of speakers. The prime need
of minority party is to convince men
of the opposing parties OF the righttul-
ness of its cause. 1t can become the
majority party in no other way. Every
available dollar should be devoted solely
to that end. Not cent should be vast
ed in display, no matter how much the
other side Squander III 1t.
A companion article is from the pen
of j. B. Bishop, one of the editors of the
New York Evening Post, on "InSuffi-
cient Restriction Of Campaign EXpendi-
lures" 1t deals with the results of the
laws enacted by several states requiring
a sworn statement by the candidates OF
all moneys spent by them in their cam
paign. The New York law is farcical
in its results, because it eXemptS cam
Daign committees from making such a
statement. When, he says.Gov. Flower
uade his affidavit that be had spent III
his campaign but $1,000 by himself, OF
any other person for him, directly or in.
directly, 1.-The whole state burst into a
guffaw at the grOtesque imprObability
of the statement" it became well
known that Mrs. Keep. his sister, hadput
into the hands of the committee very
large sum of money entirely unbeknOwH
of course, to the governor. Another de-
feet in all the laws is the indefinlteness
of the penalty clauses. While the pen
atty is fixed, the court having juriSdic-
zion and the officer whose special duty
1t shall be to prosecute are not specified.
The transfer of contested election cases
from the legislatures to the courts is all
other reform which he urges.
We will have to wait for the devel-
Opment of stronger public sentimentin
Minnesota before we can secure the pas
sage Of a corrupt practice act. Two legis.
latures have now refused, in one or the
other body. their sanction to this much
needed law. The mere politicians look
on ii with aversion; the people are yet
Indifferent. But the mere fact that
measures have passed one of the houses
shows that this is one of the electoral
reforms which is forcing its way re-
sistlessly along. and which will in time
overcome all opposition. Meantime we
will have the benefit of the experience
of other states to guide us in the forma-
ton of an effective and salutary law.
p. j. S.