New-York tribune., 1907-04-19
GOVERNMENT TO PAY.
CAMPAIGN FUND PLAN.
President Nay Ask Congress to Pass
Ne70 National Election Lac.
IFrom The Tribune Bureau. ]

Washington April 1S.-The President is seri-
ously considering the advisabilIty Of asking
congress to enact a statute providing that all
campaign expenses of candidates in national
elections shall be betrayed by the government,
ana appropriating the funds therefor. He has
not yet taken up the details but believes they
can be satisfactorily worked out. His experience
has demonstrated TO his satisfaction that the
necessity OF raising campaign funds by popular
SUBSCRIPTION is a serious evil. And yet cam
palgns cannot be conducted without the sinews
or war Large sums needed to meet per-
Iecty legitimate expenses. 1t is entirely in ac-
cord with the spirit of American politics that
each candidate shall have ample opportunity to
appear before the voters submit his views and
his version of the issues involved and also that
every voter shall have opportunity to learn
the type of man who solcits his suffrage and
the respect in which he is held by prominent
members of his party. All this cannot be ac-
compiished withouy generous funds. and at
present the only Sthod of raising such funds
is by an appeal to the public for contributions.
large share of the campaign funds, under the
present system. is made up of contributions
from men more or less financially interested in
the result of the election. too often by those who
expect some return in the form of undue liber-
ties or preference from the candidates to whom
they render financial support. 1t is remedy
for these conditions which the President is
seeking.
or course, an essential feature Of such
scheme would be strict accounting for every
penny expended. and that would at least mill
tate against the improper use OF money in
elections. Presumably Congress would have to
appropriate lump sum. to be divided among
the candidates duly nominated at legitimate
conventions, and this would require statutory
enactment 10 define precisely what might be
regarded as a legitimate nominating cOnven-
ton. 1t is fact not generally realized that
at the present time the government meets a
large item OF the expenses OF every national
election. This is done through the extension OF
the franking privilege to any part OF The Con-
gressionaI Record" Members OF Congress de-
liver long speeches. or obtain leave to print
them IN The Record" which are intended sole
" for campaign purposes. and while the gov
ernment does not defray the cost of the re-
printing, it permits such speeches. when re-
printed to go through the malls under the frank
Of a member OF Congress. The saving in postage
which this amounts to can be appreciated only
by who has been associated with one Of the
big campaign committees. a comparatively
simple extension of this privilege would be
statute permitting members Of Congress to have
their remarks printed at the Government Print
ing Office. within prescribed limits. and dis
tributed from there.
II is also assumed that a non-partisan. or
rather a bipartisan or tri-partisan election
committee would have to be created by Con-
gress to apportion the sum appropriated and
TO audit the expenses of the various campaign
committees. OF course, these are details which
the President has not yet worked out, but he
hopes TO be able to do before he writes his
next annual message and he sincerely hopes
that he will he able. with the help OF Congress-
to devise some method by which the evils OF per-
sonal campaign contributions may be elimi-
mated AID freer and fairer elections insured