The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-05-13
WOULD ENFORCE LAW
Assemblyman ingalls, Declares
Publicity Is the Sure Way To
Make Honest Elections
MAKE WORKERS HARD TOFIND

The feeling is growing among the
members of the legislature that the
best way to limit the expenditure of
money in elections will be to secure
wide publicity of the manner in which
the money was expended, to whom it
was paid, and the amount, and the
best way to do this is to strengthen
the present corrupt practices act 50
that no candidate can get away from
publishing such a statement as the
act calls for
It is held that the present act if
properly enforced is drastic enough to
meet all needs. This view is taken
by Wallace ingalls, Of Racine, a mem
Der of the assembly committee on
elections, who has given much thought
to the subject.
"The present act is as drastic as
any that could be drawn, :" said Mr.
Ingalls,. "All that is needed is to pro-
vide means by which it will be fol
lowed strictly and if this is not done
the candidate who does not do so will
suffer severely. This, it seems to me,
can be done by slight additions which
will prevent any one from getting away
from filing a proper expense account.
AS the fact stands now every candi-
date is required to file a detailed ex-
pense account showing where and how
and to whom he paid any sum in excess
of So. If such an account is filed the
manner in which every cent in excess
Of the sum named is spent will be
made known.
II am inclined to believe that il it
was known that every one who handled
money for candidate was to have his
name published and given broadcast to
the people Of the state you would find
| it difficult to get persons who would be
willing to do this sort of work
Gone Of the weak points in the
present law is that the law is not en-
forced. It is left to the district attor-
ney to prosecute any one who fails to
comply with it's requirements. The
district attorney, occupied with other
matters is oftentimes lax in taking any
action. 1t seems to me that if the
failure of any district attorney to act
would make such failure cause for his
removal from office he would pay more
attention to this matter than he does.
"Then it might pc well to go furth-
er and provide that any candidate who
does not comply strictly with the law
and file such an account as the law
calls for would forfeit his Office if
elected or his nomination if nominated.
Unsuccessful candidates might be made
liable to thirty days in the county
jail. The penalty for failure should
be Jail sentence and not a fine.
Those who would be the greatest of
tenders would care little for a fine,
but they would not like to go to jail
fer thirty days, for even one day, for
that matter.
There must be some limit placed on
the expenditure of money in elections
and it seems to me that we can reach
this better through amending present
laws and securing their enforcement
rather than by enacting new laws
All the election bills will be taken up
this week by the committee on cleo
tiens. It looks as if the Twesme bill
providing that voters shall ask for the
ticket Of their party at the primaries
will pass. This, it is held, would re
move one of the great objections to
the primary and keep voters in their
own parties instead Of enabling them
to turn in and help out candidates of
other parties, where their own ticket
was safe.
Assemblyman Hull has in a bill
which has almost been lost sight of,
providing for the holding of the Sep
TENDER primaries on the fourth Tues
day of September instead of the first
Tuesday 1t is further provided that
the Board of canvassers should meet
the first Tuesday in October and the
lplafform convention shall be held tie
second Tuesday in October.
The bill is not likely to pass, as the
general feeling is that ii there is to
be any change in the date of the pri
maries they ought to be held earlier
rather than later, so as to enable the
newly elected chairman more time in
which to perfect an organization.