The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-31
LET PUBLIC
IN e FUNDS
Bryan SKIS for Candor'
in Politics.
sPF IS 10 CONGRESSMAN
Contributions to Campaign Should
Be Published.
Nebrsskan Tells Cemmittee ON Eiec-
:. lions that Participates I'm Poli-
ties Is Civic Duty-Fraise
for Roosevelt.

Washington, Jan. 30--"An election Is
a public affair. and participation in pol
itics 10 civic duty. All Arguments
used In elections should be used pub
licly and all means employed TO se-
cure the election of or to defeat a can
didate. should be means which the one
using them would not be ashamed to
have the world know"
This epitonizes the views Of william
J. Bryan on the subject OF publicity OF
campaign contributions as expressed
today before the House COMMITTEES on
Election OF President and Vice Presi-
dent. The meeting was called for the
special purpose Of hearing Mr.. Bryan.
In addition to the full membership,
there was present Perry Belmont and
Samuel Gompers and other labor lead
ers.
Mr.. Bryan declared that reforms only
come when abuses are recognised
mot until there Is an evil to be REM
edied." he said. does one think OF q
remedy" The thing TO be remedled In
American politics. he continued, was
the use OF money to secure control Of
the government "the money being ad-
vaneed by those antag6nistic to the
public purse" ~
When q man resorted to secrecy. he
said. 1t must be because he has some
world to know, or that he distrusts the
Intelligence or patriotism Of the people.
Mr.. Bryan insisted that the most Inn
portnnt thing to be done was to make
the campaign contribution known be-
fore election. He recognised that there
was advantages in hnding out after the
horse II stolen. how the door was I'M
locked. but" he said, II think It much
better to md out before the horse Is
- e. aaV fnsan Lac .4st
The trouble about the publication OF
expenditures after election was that the
knowledge came too late to be OF any
advantage to the people in that cam
paign. 1t was very easy to change the
committee and the personnel OF organ-
taation, he said. and then. make scape-
goats Of those who had been IN charge
Of eiectiena. Nj. hfEan sdeclaFef that
theea cetfld be no ob lection to any one
making campaign contribution n that
contribution represents his patftotie In
terebt IN the cause. He said II was the
duty Of the people to contribute to the
expense OF disseminating campaign ma
teriat by way OF education.
ut has been charged" he said, that
Chairman Cortelyou had received con-
tributions from six thousand contribu-
tors, Is IT, he said. ''it was q matter
to deserve recognition that 30 many
people had contributed" Even II this
were true. he argued that they were
a very slim fraction Of the 100000
voters for President Roosevelt. As for
the Democrats, Mr.. Bryan said that
In 1881 1t had more contributors than In
any previous campaign. Many men
would bet $500 on the result of an
election who would not contribute IS
to a campaign fund. Mr.. Bryan, how
ever, voiced his opposition to the prin-
ciple OF allowing only few men to
provide campaign funds.
EFT follows almost as a matter of ne
cessity," he said, that these men Will
have an influence after the election en-
tIrely out of proportion to their num-
bers or 70 the influence they ought TO
have" In other words, Mr.. Bryan said:
"Without any intention of yielding to
the entreaties of these men, without
any conscious sacrifice Of publis inter-
est TO the private claim. these men who
contribute large sums naturally and
almost necessarily, have this influence
because of the contribution"
MT. Bryan said he was glad Prest-
aent Roosevelt had taken the matter
nm. "EIe has spoken so plainly on the
subject of publicity of campaign con-
trib,,tions." said Mr.. Bryan. that am
s,,ra mat the fact that am a Demo-
crst will not place suspicion upon my
srrument for 1 think have the same
interest In this matter that the Presi-
-. haa axuressed" He declared he
hadc a FAR greater interest in govern
rant and In public questions than in
personal concern about the subject OF
an individual.
"And," he added, II assume that Pres
,dart Roosevelt, and those, who, like
H. have spoken out In the Republic
80 y party. have the same broad general
stsrast that have Democrats who have
spoken out
SC,,sjrman Gaines interrupted with the
.ar,ark that the dificulty of the COM
,osttee had been in agreeing upon a
nlan to accomplish the desired pur-
,,osas. Mr. Bryan replied that ne rec
ognized the difnculty OF settnS a law
s,,f1ciently comprehensive In Its mater
III 1o,,rnose which would not invade the
ar,hsre of the States. but he believed
90 could be enacted along the lines IN
The hearing was arranged by the
pubIIcity Bill Association ana
belmont, it's promoter. presented 10
the committee an abstract OF the laws
- several states relating to the pup
S o. ~ election expenditures. Such
iaa,s he said. had been enacted in six
tasn states as follows. Alabama. Ari-
go california, Colorado, Connecticut,
HTissnnyI Montana. New York, Pennsyl-
yania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia
wisconsin. ,-..,
rhree states, Florida. Kentucky and
Tennessee, had laws forblddln9 corpor-
narsoraI purposes. while IN Eve States,
Maryland' New Jersey, Ohio: Oregon
"a vVest Virginia. publicity laws had
49,, recom mended. The bill under
consideratlon was the one drawn by
NJ ReInont and introduced by Mr.. Nc
Call OF Massachusetts,. II enacted into
law. Mr.. Belmont said 1t could not be
supposed that any one as ne Soiiihs
election would try to evade 1t.