New-York tribune., 1910-06-22
THE NATIONAL PUBLICITY BILL
Ex-senator Chandler Highly Approves
The Tribune's Affirmative Stand.

To the Editor or Inc ITlOuHe
Sir: Reading and highly approving the
recent Tribune editorials in favor of the
passage of the national publicity bill House
bill No. 2250I. which on April Is went from
the House to the Senate, and there, on May
13, was reported favorably by Chairman
Burrows, but with amendment am led
TO ask you to publish a few suggestions
from me which are pertinent and, believe,
are important.
If the bill is not acted on In the Senate,
or if it is acted on at late moment and
an amendment adopted and sent back with
the bill to the House. and no action is there
taken which will result in the final passage
of the bill and its approval by President
Taft. it will be impossible for the Repub-
.lican party to give any just or adequate
excuse for thes failure 1t will be charged
by the Democrats with much pIausibility
that the whole performance of dealing with
the bill by the Congressional majority was
a trick-an insincere movement to, pretend
to favor and get to defeat legislation in the
direction OF honest elections, to which the
Republican party is pledged over and over
again by it's platforms and it's leaders.
In company with Messrs. Perry Belmont
John NJ Thurston and Cameron Kennedy
of the National Publicity Law Organization,
I have been engaged in urging the passage
of the publicity bill in the exact form in
which it passed the House. where it has
been vigorously pressed by Representative
Mccall and others with fidelity and zeal
Our circular letter to the members of tho
organization dated February 26; 1910,
shows the grounds on which we urged the
passage of a bill providing only for the
publicity contributions, leaving the further
duty of securing publicity from state COM
mittees to be performed by the state legis-
latures. All attempts to induce Congress
to do more than this have aroused questions
of states rights which have tended to de-
feat all legislaton-did defeat it two years
ago-and there have been many charges
that these conflicts were -factitiouS, con-
trived by Republicans only to prevent any
legislation whatever.
If by any possibility this has been a Just
complaint to any extent, it will be wise
and prudenut for Republicans to prevent
any repetition thereof in the coming mo-
mentous political canvas, which, more than
any I have known in fifty-four years, is to
test the sincerity and good faith of the
great Republican leaders.
Senator Burrows chairman of the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Elections, is
an ardent advocate of the bill-nay be said
to be an enthusiast in its favor. He thinks.
however, that the amendment he has IA
vorably reported in the Senate is advisab bic.
This strikes out the clause adopted by the
House which provides for one publication
of the receipts and expenditures of the ma
tional and Congressional committees from
ten to fifteen days before the election,
we'll as the full publication thirty days af
ter the election.
This publication before election was not
part of the original plan of our organiza-
tion, although l believe the great majority
of its members now favor it. Senator Bur
rows in his report ESenate Report No. 6S9,
May 13, 1910l exhibits the fact that Mr..
Bryan is in it's favor and Colonel Roose-
velt against it, as shown by his, public, let
ter to Mr.. Bryan of September 81. 1910.
Personally I warmly favor the House
provision, but unhesitatingly advise leaving
1t out by adopting the Burrows amendment
If this will prevent wrangle which will
defeat the whole bill, to the great injury
of the Republican party. I earnestly ASK
The Tribune to continue It's timely and in
dispensable advocacy of the passage of the
publicity bill. w. f. CHANDLER
e Concord. n. H., June 20, 1910. -