The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-02-08
fORfAIR CAMPAIGN
IAN MAKES PLEA BEFORE THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
ELECTIONS.
.,,.e Facts Made Known Before Elec-
.or So People Will Have an OPP
.o,+unity to Judge-When Secrecy
:. Escorted To, 1t Is Evidence There
Il something to Hide.

.;on Is A public affair and participation
,,oltics is a civic duty. All argu-
n+s nsed in elections should be
,.od publicly and all means employed
cocnre the election of or to defeat
candidate should be means which
.,o one using them would not be
..bamad to have the world know"
This epitomizes the views of Will
liam J. Bryan on the subject of pub
1;oitv Of campaign contributions as ex-
.rocced before the house committee
~ elections of president and vice-pres-
s5ort In addition to the full member
chin there were present Perry Bel
.,ont and Samuel Gompers and other
labor leaders.
Mr. BRYAN declared that reforms only
come when abuses are recognized.
Not until there is an evil to be
-omedied," he said, docs one think of
remedy.
The thing to be condemned in Amer
lean politics, he added, was the use of
money to secure control of the gov
eminent, money being advanced by
those antagonistic to the public purse.
Has Something to Hide.
when a man resorts to secrecy"
ba said. "it must be because he has
something to gain, that he does not
want the world to know, or that he
distrusts the intelligence or patriot
ism of the people"
Mr. Bryan insisted that the most
important thing to be done was to
make the campaign contributions
known before the election.
The trouble about the publication of
expenditures after elections was that
the knowledge came too Late to be of
any advantage to the people in that
campaign.
Mr.. Bryan declared that there could
be no objection to anyone making a
campaign contribution, eff the contri-
button represents his patriotic inter-
est in public cause
He said it was the duty of the people
TO contribute to the expense of dissem-
mating campaign material by way of
education.
1t has been charged, he said, that
Chairman Cortelyou had received con-
tributons from 5000 contributors, as
if" he said, 1T was a matter to de-
serve recognition that so many people
had contributed
Bet, But Not Contribute.
Even if this were true, he contin-
ued, they were a very slim fraction of
the several million voters for Presi-
dent Roosevelt. AS for the democratic
party, Mr.. Bryan said that in 1897 it
had mere contributions than in any
previous campaign. Many men would
bet $500 on the result of an election
who would not contribute SIS to cam
palgn fund. Mr.. Bryan, however,
voiced his opposition to the principle
OF allowing only few men to provide
campaign funds.
1t follows almost as a matter of
necessity" he said, that these few
men will have an influence after the
election entirely out of proportion to
Their numbers or to the influence they
ought to have"
MI Bryan said he was glad Presi-
dent Roosevelt had taken the matter
up He has spoken so plainly on the
SUBJECT of publicity of campaign con-
ulOutlons," said Mr.. Bryan, chat I
dill sure the fact that / am demo-
cid' VIII not place suspicion upon my
argument, for l think 1 have the same
interest in this matter that the presi-
uent has expressed"
he declared he had far gerater in
crest IN government and public ques-
.Ons than in personal concern about
.ne success of an individual, "and,"
ne added, Il assume that President
roosevelt and those who, like him,
nave spoken out in the republican
party have the same broad general in
crest that have democrats who have
spoken out"