The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-17
PUBLICITY LAW.
Ferry Belmont Urges Enaction of .
 Sensible Statute

Ferry Belmont Urges Enactfon of q
 Sensible Statute.
 New York. April Is. 6.--The adoption or an effective national publicity law which would require the publication of the contributions to national and Congressional committees. as well as the expenditures of these committees. was the question discussed today at a special meeting of the national pub lfcity law organization at the Victoria Hotel.
 Perry Belmont, the president of the association, was the chairman of the meeting and the invited guests includ- ed William J. Bryan and Samuel Com pers, president of the American Feder- ation of Labor. Many States were rep resented by the members who attend ed the meeting.
 Mir. Belmont in his opening remarks after pointing out that the publicity law of the State of New York was brought about by the combined efforts of organized labor, Democrats and Republicans, and that this law al- ready had proved beneficial, urged uni ted and partisan effort to secure national law. The bill before the last Congress compelling a publica- ton of contributions and expenditures had been energetically supported by lAAo IudI1DSTS or Ine commit tee having the measure in charge, but the bill eventually reported was so drastic that 1t was almost impossible of enactment
 In Mir. Belmont's opinion the bill failed because 1t interfered too much with States rights. an interference which the Democrats could not cor dially support. MT. Belmont made an appeal for practical law that would be In operation in the national cleo tions of next year.
 Among those present were former Senator William F. Chandler of New Hampshire: Dr. E. I. Jones, chairman n of State Democratic Committee of Maine; Alexander Troup. member of the National Democratic committee from Connecticut; W. H. Martin, Ma tional Democratic committeeman from Arkansas; former Governor Hoge Ty- Hams. and Josiah Quincy of Boston: John Brisbin Walker and Abraham Straus, of New York. and John w. Tomlinson of Alabama
 William J. Bryan was introduced as man who had given powerful aid to the publicity movement. In a brief speech MT. Bryan told what he thought the national publicity law should be He said that all contributions above | before the elections both by the com mittee receiving it and by the person 1 or corporation making it.
 The publicity movement, he declar- ed. rests on the principle that politics should be honest but he declared that there could be no honest politics wher any interest could purchase before cleo. tion promise that certain things Rhal be done after election and when this promise Is concealed from the voters MT. Bryan said that the evil of cam. paign contributions was not confined to any one party and quoted evidence given before congressional committees to prove his statement. The only sure remedy, he averred, was the publica tion of contributions for election.
 Ten days in advance of the election he said. a supplemental statement should be filed giving the contributions after 1t was too late to publish them The surest way of allowing the people to have the kind of government they want. he said, is to regulate campaign | contributions.
 Samuel Gompers. who also spoke said that corporations made their campaign contributions for specific purposes and continuance of that policy means continued corporation domination of the parties