Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-21
coNrRIBurIoNs ANn TIE LIN.


Since the adjournment OF the DEN
yer convention Mr.. Bryan has been
laying special stress upon the plank in
the party's platform demanding the
enactment OF laws prohibiting corpora
lions from contributing tc the cam
paign funds of the different parties in
national elections. The Nebraska
leader shows symptoms of desiring to
make this a paramount issue. He has
held conferences on the subject and is
sued proclamations and screeds by the
score dealing with this question as
though IL we're a newly found one on
which he has filed letters patent and
an application for a copyright. The
platform demand on the subject is as
follows:
We demand the passage Of a statute pun
ishing with Imprisonment any officer of a
corporation who shall either contribute on
behalf Of. or consent to the contribution by,
a corporation OF any money or thing Of
value to be used in furthering the election
Of a president or vice president vi the
United States, or of any member Of the
congress thereof.
In spreading campaign literature on
this subject Mr.. Bryan has beer to
special effort to call attention to the
fact that the republican platform
adopted at Chicago contains no de-
mand for such a legislation. His
charge in that respect is true. The
republican party platform makes no
demand for such a law for the sole
reason that such a law already exists,
passed at the suggestion of a repub-
lican president by a republican cor
gress. Mr.. Bryan is asserting that
the republican candidates cannot be
elected without the support of the cor
porations, and yet the republicans
have passed the law making it unlaw-
full, with heavy penalties for violation,
for any corporation to contribute to
the national campaign funds of any
party. The last session of the Fifty
ninth congress passed this law:
(PUBLIC-NO. 36.)
An Act to prohibit corporations from max
ing money contributions in connection
with political elections.
Be it enacted by the senate and house OF
representatives Of the United States of
America in congress assembled, That it
shall be Unlawful for any national bank, or
any corporation organized by authority OF
any laws Of congress, to make a money
contribution in connection with any election
to any political office. 1t shall also be un-
lawful for any corporation whatever to
make a money contribution In connection
with any election at which presidential and
vice presidential electors or a representa-
tive in congress is to be voted for, or any
election by any state legislature of a United
States senator. Every corporation which
shall make any contribution In violation of
the foregoing provisions shall be subject to
a fine not exceeding Sc, 600, and every officer
or director of any corporation who shall
consent to any contribution by the corpora
ton in violation Of the foregoing provisions
shall upon conviction be punished by a fine
not exceeding 1000 and not less than $3.50.
or by Imprisonment for a term of not more
than one year, or both such fine and i'm
prisonment in the discretion of the court.
Approved January 26, 1907.
Mr.. Bryan is left in a somewhat en-
~barrassing attitude. He must either
confess that he did not know that such
a law was in existence or admit that
his e%loquence on the subject is de-
signed wholly for campaign purposes
and to fool the people. The law en-
acted meets every demand of the Den
yer platform and IS even more string
ent in its penalty provisions than the
demand of the Bryan-made platform.
Congress has exhausted it's powers in
the premises. 1t has forbidden led
eral corporations, including national
banks, to contribute to any campaign
fund whatever and has forbidden any
and all corporations from contributing
to campaign funds where the filling of
a federal office is involved. The ques-
ton is not one of speculation. 1t is a
matter Of record. Mr.. Bryan and his
~lieutenants nave a choice open. They
may confess ignorance or plead guilty
to intent to deceive.