The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-07-24
AS TO PUBLICITY OF GAM =
PAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Inc LOulSVlllS lines, IClGiiIuS W oul
comment on the Taft and Bryan plans
for securing publicity, expressing our
preference for the Taft idea of showing
good faith-namely, by appointing a
treasurer in State which has a string
ent law compelling publicity of cam
paign contributions and expenditures
says:
As New York is the only State on the
statute books of which such law is to
be found, it is supposed that The News
means that both Mr. Taft and Mr.. Shell
don will refuse to accept secret contri-
buttons in New York. 1t will not be
difficult for them to instruct the insist
ent donor that he can find an accredited
and recipient representative in Chicago.
In the light of the specific declaration
| of the Democratic platform and the res
oiution adopted at Fairview in response
to the expressed wish Of Mr.. Bryan and
Mr. Kern, and in view of the known
necessity in which Mr.. Taft stands of
monetary support from the corporations,
The News is either singularly guileless
| OF hopelessly bound to its idols to argue
with seeming seriousness that Mr.. Taft
mas CdhGh du GlICGbIhS ulStbOu "
publicity for Republican campaign con-
tributions.
Well, wherein is the Democratic
scheme any better? At least Mr. Taft
has done the best he could do to show
that he wishes to have real publicity.
He has gone to a State where the trea-
surer of the campaign fund must file a
| statement under oath Of each cent receir
ed and expended. AS we said before there
! is DO doubt that Mr.. Sheldon can evade
the law by receiving subscriptions in
Ohio, in Chicago, in Hoboken, or any
other place which does not come within
| the Jurisdiction of law requiring pub
| ilcity. But he and MIR. Taft say that
| they Go not intend to do anything Of
ment with a nod and wink and accep!
| the plank in the Democratic platform
which declares for publicity as
guarantee that we shall have it =? Our
| contemporary says that we are guileless
! in taking these assurances at face value.
F.; II SO, why does it expect us to receive
! a: face value the pledge given by the
| Democratic campaign committee ? We
are quite wilingto say that if that COM
miltee will go step or two farther than
! the Democratic platform goes, doing
away with that provision which agrees
| not to make public subscriptions OF
500 and less-a provision which makes
| it SO easy for the skeptical to say that
| the whole thing is a farce, seeing that
it is the simplest thing in the world to
split large contribution into a number
Of small ones--if it will then initiate Mr..
Tafts example and do what it can to
show bcna tides by appointin trea-
suTer from State which cOmpels an
accounting under oath of mon eys re-
Geiyed and expended in tue campa ign
| we shall not follow the example Of our
contemporary and say 'Oh, well, no
| matter, ycu are going to lie about the
hing anyhow! = TO the contrary, we
| shall welcome the action as promising
j real reform; not. let Us hasten to say,
because we are so green that we do not
i-aoH that the law can be violated; not
.hat We are 50 confdjng that We do not
@rew that politicians 90 not believe in
runeing campaign on a Sunday-school
basis, hu. because politicians somesimes
understand that it is good politics to
| measure up to public demand and ex-
. pectations.
lie trust our contemporary is not
lsboring under the impression that the
Democratic National Committed voci
ferousiy demands that the public take no
tice Of its stand Oh campo ign contribu.
tons IS due entirely to its conscientious
! scruples gainst using money to 'ac-
! eelerate public opinion" as our friend
! MIR Lemuel Ely Qnigg would say -
! 3 Gilmore News.