The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-12
FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR
CAMPAIGN EXPENSES.

To THE EDITOR or the SUN-StT: III Mr..
Bryan has. as is reported. said ditto to
Mr.. Burke and approved the Presidents
recommendation to Congress that IL pro-
vide IAN appropriation for the proper and
Legitimate expenses Of each Of the great
national parties. an appropriation ample
enough to meet the necessity for thorough
organization and machinery, which re-
quires a large expenditure Of money there
need not. suppose. be- anything said OF IL.
These two seem TO be our predestined rulers,
and fortunately they are. a. to the ways
and means OF their rule. saying ditto to
one another. That will prevent collisions
and disturbances.
But yet IL occurs 10 me TO ask our two
lawgivers how they will identify each
Of the great national parties" TO which
the money IL to be paid and by what rule
10 IL to be a~ppOrtionsd. Why exclude the
small national parties? Which will no
national" and not Federal or State or
iOcalg Why limit the gift to the "Organiza-
ton and machinery" requiring a large"
expenditure and do nothing for the re-
quirement Of a less expenditure?
The author and the indorser OF this won
derful" (using a word now go E~ashiOnable)
scheme will probably say that the fore
going deals only with a detail, m so l will
sllude to substance at the risk OF exciting
derisiOn by mentioning the Constitution.
Where do Mr.. Roosevelt and MIR. Bryan
and power given to Congress- to apprO-
pirate money and authorize its expendi-
ture for such a purpose? I was perhaps
sucked in a creed outworn." but never
theless IL does seem to me that the on
stitutiOD expects n requires each State
to defray the cost Of appointing electors
who are to vote for President and send the
list TO the President Of the Senate at WASH
ingtOn. the cost of choosing members Of
the House Of Representatives at Washing
ton by the qualified voters in and Of each
Congress district in each State. and also the
cost OF choosing Senators from each State
by the Legislature thereof. IL looks to me
like a State business throughout and not
at ali a national affair. excepting perhaps
that each house in Washington can be the
Judge OF the elections, returns and quail
fications of its own members. Why then
should Congress foot the billI Naturally
each State will not object to putting its
hands in the Federal treasury. but why
should il submit?
IL may be replied that the Government
at Washington will die il the States do
not choose the President. Vice-President and
Congressman and send them thither. But
has il come to this. that the States will fail
to do their duty IL the cost is not paid at
Washington? The United States has no
electors or voters or voting. They belong
to the States in severalty. as l have been
taught. Are not the States now TO be
trusted for anything?
l can recall the dates. some forty years
z @. when the whole scheme began for
supervising votes in the States for Presi-
dental Electors and for Congressman.
Those were the days when the Administra-
tons OF Grant and Hayes we're trying to
secure negro voting and maintained to that
end the idea that Congress can guard the en-
tire machinery of voting IN States. Against
that pretension by very radical Republicans
the Supreme Court lifted and put down
a vigorous heel. But while the validity OF
the pretension a in doubt. some Of the
Federal courts let drop phrases which i'm
piled that Congress could take an active
hand in Congressional and Presidential
elections and even apply force in the States.
Out Of that negro episode has grown mod
ern fussing over legislation by Congress
regarding money payments in voting
contests.
A1 Jne source ana mOtlVe OF ina inter-
ference at Washington with voting in the
States for executive and legislative officers
OF the Washington Government has dis
appeared, had o the interference proposed
by the President and Bryan and all other
Congressional meddling with campaign
expenditures better stop
IL is a pity that. az is usual with him. the
President gave a conclusive reason for
stopping and then recommended going on.
He was right as a trivet' when he wrote
to Congress:
There ls, however. always danger In laws OF this
kind. which from their very nature are dlnicuIt
OF enforcement, the danger being lest they be
Obeyed only by the honest and dls0beyed by the
INSCRIPTIONS so a. TO act only as a penalty upon
honest men. Moreover, no such law would hamper
an INSCRIPTIONS man Of unlimited means from
buying his own way into once.
The Hartman exposure was confronting
the President. A. F. q.
WILMINGTON, Del, December 10.