The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-23
Judson Drafts Amendment Putting Teeth Into the
 Corrupt Practices Act
ccontinued from First Page.)

T
 The Judson act includes provisions limiting the sums of money candidates may expend for their political behalf The old act provided that in the case of each candidate for nomination and election, or both. his expenditures were limited to $15 for each one thousand registered voters. The Judson act separates nominations from elections and treats them differently. It allows a candidate for nomination $10 for each one thousand Cor major portion there of) registered voters who voted at the last preceding election for the candi- date of the same party and for the office for which such candidate seeks a nomination. A candidate for election may expend $15 for each one thousand Cor major portion thereof) registered voters. qualified to vote for the office in question at the next preceding elec- ton. This will allow, if the Judson act is adopted, the next Republican candi- date for the nomination of governor to expend $1000 in his own behalf, and if nominated. he may expend $3.500 to ahead of MT. Lilley. his successor 1nay spend $1.1G0 for his nomination and s3.500 for his election
 The political statisticians have not yet been able to figure out how much cash this apportionment would bring ip to the party treasury, but in view of the fact that there would be ten candidates authorized to expend 5, ,5OO apiece, it can be seen that theOret1c- ally the coffers would be filled. But there is still another good side to this layout. It forbfdS some one rich can didate carrying the rest of the ticket with him, in order to gratify his own ambition Then the restrictions of the Judson act in other particulars so reduce the fixed expense of an election that new economies would be surely introduced.
 The other changes are of a clerical
 iofi yyhi q h were more fancifu1 than real. Sec tions 2 and 3, which have to do with defining a party treasurer or political agent, and how money is to be paid to a party treasurer or political agent, remain unchanged. Section 4, which has to do with the payment of election expenses, takes, under the Judson act, from the candidate the right to adVer- tise or distribute newspapers, that be- coming a charge upon the party fund or the political agent. Section pro vides for the payments which may be lawfully made, and is changed only In a. manner to Straighten out disputed points of no great significance, and to ments, such. for example, as the mat ter of conveyanceS to the polls Sec tions and in the present law are left unchanged. They relate to an ac- political treasurer and to sworn state ments of expenditures. Section s, which provides for the sworn state ments of candidates, is amended to read more clearly. The remaining sections remain practically the same, except, as noted above, in the case Of the election court.
 It is the opinion of those who have seen the draft of the Judson act that a proposed law has been drawn which will raise the political standard Of the State and in several ways drive home the good work done by the commls- sion appointed four years ago to un- dertake the work of investigation. The fact that it has necessarily the sup port of a Repub ublican leader of MT. Jud- sons influence makes its final passage reasonably sure.