The Portland daily press., 1899-10-30
| 1T Is ILLEGAL
To Solicit Campaign
Funds by Letter.
50 Rules the Civil Service Com.
mission.
Elk Senator Edmunds
Gives His Opinion.
Decision Has Bearing on Ohio
Campaign.

washington, OCTOBER ga long OH =
cial statement rev iswing the legal phases
OF the political assessment question and
holding that the soliciting OF campaign
funds by letter comos clearly within the
rem edial provisions Of the civil service
law, was made public by the civil service
comm ission tonight Tine commission
made the statement because Of circulars
|, sent out by w. II. Burdeli. a. treasurer
OF the finance oominittee Of the Ohio
Republican state executive committee
soliciting contributions from Federal am
ployes. The commission says the Ohio
circulars bring up clearly the question so
long awaiting judicial determination as
to whether soliciting Of contributions for
political purposes by means Of letters ad-
dressed to Federal officers and employees
at their offices constitutes an offense
under the twelfth section Of the civil SER
vice act. The commissions ruling or
brief now made public was submitted by
President Proctor Of the commission to
ex-senator George 4. Edmunds Of Yer
mont who was chairman Of the Senate
judiciary committee at the time the civil
service act was passed. The latter in his
opinion. which the commission gives
particular Significance. says;
az entirely agres with the conclusions
stated in the brief. l think IL Is clear
that the soliciting Of suoh political aids
by means of ths post office is distinctly
within the prohibition of section XII. of
the act TO which refer. The language
OF the section is 'That NO person shall in
any room or building, etc., solicit In any
manner whatever, ete. 1t is not that no
person teing In q room or building shall
solicit, but it is that no solicitation
shall be made In any such place mo mat
ter where the'person making the solicita-
tion may be-
Aftsr quoting this letter, the commits
sion reviews at length legal decisions op-
posite to the question under consideration
and sa Us that from them, the conclusion
is unavoidable.
"rhat the writing and sending through
the United States mails OF u letter ad-
dressed to an eff Ger or employe Of the
government at his Office, asking for
contribution OF money for any political
money for that PURPOSE" and that since
such solicitation has Its full effect only
upon the delivery of such letter to the
addressee, which delivery occurs within
government building. Ii is an act OF
soliciting done In government building
and hence comes within the meaning
Of the express terms OF the statute.
The commission adds: 1.-The statut o
does not deal with the mode OF soliciting
but the fact itself and 1t would have been
most unusual If Congress had undertaken
to specify the different forms Of solicit
ing 1t is not sufficient for the party
manager to keep from the hui ldiug in
order to avoid the legal penalties while at
the same time he commits all the harm
which Congress intended to prevent.
The evil has been aggravated by the large
numb of circulars sent to employees OF
the government through the mail, that
agency being very convenie mt one by
which to reach number of persons.
That these very circulars were denIlitely
in the minds Of Congress as main
source of the evils sought to be remedisd
is clearly inferrabls from the fact that
uu m bers OF such circulars were actually
presented and read and the fact Of their
being sent through the mails to persons
in the government employ clearly alluded
to during the debates in the Senate prior
to the passage Of the BILL.