Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-02-05
Primary Election Rules.

|
mltted to the governor yesterday
the attorney general undertook con-
struction OF the primary law, inter.
preting each section and particular.
ly considering sections relating to
the expenditure of funds by and for
candidates before the primaries.
The substance of it has appeared
heretofore in The Register and
Leader. Section :32 prohibits per-
sons from giving or receiving com
pensation for political services and
attaches severe penalties for it's NO.
lation, "the object of the section and
the intent Of the legislature being to
secure the unbiased expression OF
the voter at the primary election"
the attorney general adds:
1t was not the intent Of the legis.
lature to prevent persons from ac-
cepting pay for performing service
to candidate which is in no sense
political: that is to say, candidate
for Office may legally and properly
employ clerks and stenographers to
take his dictation, write his letters,
copy, his speeches, take CLIPPINGS
from newspapers, mail his letters
and send out his speeches, clippings
and announcements to persons
whose names are furnished by the
candidates, and perform all other
services which come within their le-
gitimate occupation or calling. He
may legally and properly rent head
quarters, pay for halls in which to
make speeches, pay the printer for
putting his speeches in type for dis
tribution, hire liverymen to drive
him from place to place and pay the
railroad company for his transporta
tion. Such services are innocent
and the candidate, or his friends for
him, may properly pay for the same
and the persons who perform such
services may legally and properly
receive pay therefor.
On the other hand it would be un
lawful to pay stenographer or clerk
or any other person, for writing let
ters tohis friends soliciting their sup
port for candidate for office; or to
pay for managing campaign, a
person for making speeches, inter
viewing volers, soliciting votes, get
ting voters to the polls and other
like services.
1t would also be unlawful for a
news paper to accept pay for an ad-
vertisement for candidate urging
reasons for his nomination, ETC.; nor
can newspaper lawfully publish
for pay, matter disparaging a can
didate. Nor can a candidate,
nord any one for him, lawfully
cause newspapers containing matter
favorable to his candidacy, to be
to be sent by the publishers
to persons who are not regular sub
scribers, and pay for same and
publishers who accept pay
for papers SO sent would te
subject to prosecution under this
section.
The thought running through the
whole section seems to be that the
citizen may not make a commodity
Of his duty to the public. 10 illus
trate: John Brown is an expert Ste
and a popular man in his
county and state. A candidate for
office says to Mr.. Brown:
81 want help with my correspon-
dence and | will pay you $500 for
the next two months If you will
come to my headquarters, take my
dictation, copy my speeches and
mail them out to list of names
that | will furnish you Mr.. Brown
accepts the employment. The trans
action is legitimate and proper and
not prohibited by the section under
discussion. If. however, the candi-
date should say to Mr.. Brown: "You
have a wide acquaintance and a
great many influential friends. |
am candidate for Office. If you will
come to my headquarters and write
letters to your friends throughout
the state urging them to support me
and in other ways use your personal
influence to get votes for me, / will
pay you $500 for two months for
such work" The transaction is il
legal ahd both the candidate and
Brown would be guilty of a violation
of section 32 of the act in question.
In the first part Of the illustration
no duty to the public is involved in
The contract between the candidate
and Brown; in the second, it is
Browns public duty as citizen of
the state to support the candidacy
Of the person most competent and