Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-18
TEN CENTS A VOTE
Senate Places That Limit on
Campaign Expenses.
PUTS IT UP TO HOUSE
Publicity for Primary as Well as
Election Expenditures Provided
in Senate Bill.

The sincerity Of the House democrats
for thorough publicity OF campaign ex-
penditures and contributions will be put
to the test as a result of the action Of the
Senate yesterday afternoon In passing a
stringent and drastic bill. one that goes
farther than any similar measure ever
enacted by either house Of Congress.
The democrats in control Of the House
announced. as a part Of their legislative
program for the extra session, the pas
sage Of bill for publicity Of election ex-
penses before as well as after elections.
And they apparently made good the prom
Use by putting through bill that required
the filing Of statements at least ten days
before elections
Real Fight at Primaries.
1t happens. however, that the southern
democrats are in control of the House,
and it Is we'll known that the fight in the
southern districts Is not at the elections,
but at the primaries for the selection Of
the democratic nominee. After the demo-
cratic nominee is selected In the ''solid
south" it's all over but the shouting. The
bill passed by the democratic House,
therefore. not requiring pre-primary pub
l1city. affected little the southern demo-
Gratis. but. Of course, was important so
concerned, where the main fight is usu-
ally between democratic and republican
nominees at the election.
The republican Senate saw that, II the
campaign publicity LEGISLATION was to be
effective as concerned elections in the
south. 1t would be necessary to compel
the publicity of expenses before pri-
maries. So when the campaign publicity
bill was passed by the Senate yesterday
afternoon 1t contained provisions that
call for pre-primary publicity as we'll as
prediction publicity.
House Republicans Failed.
The bill will probably be the subject
of a prolonged conference between the
representatives Of the two houses. The
republicans in the House made an effort
to get the pre-primary feature incorpo-
rated In the bill before 1t was passed by
the House, but In vain. The Senate con-
ferees will now insist that the House
democrats yield the point.
The blu as II was finally passed by the
Senate was the product of careful and
long consideration by the members of the
Senate committee on privileges and cleo
lions, and of debates on the floor of the
Senate during the consideration of the
bill yesterday afternoon. The pre-pri-
mary publicity feature was framed by
the committee.
But it was Senator Reed of Missouri
who defeated the rich David Francis for
the primary nomination for Senator from
who proposed a still more radical fea-
ture-that limiting the amount of money
that may be expended in a single cam
paign. Senator Reed suggested such an
amendment during the debate, and while
others were talking conferred with his
colleagues and drafted an amendment.
1t was altered as the discussion of it
proceeded until satisfactory paragraph
was framed.
Limit on Expenditures.
It is provided that no candidate for
the Senate or House shall spend in the
election more than a sum equal to 10
cents for each voter in his district or
state, and that no senatorial candidate
shall spend in the primary and election
more than $4,000. and no candidate for
the House more than $1,000.
1t is also provided in the bill that all
general election expenses must be made
public before the election, beginning fif-
teen days before. and making publication
each six days until the election; that all
promises Of political jobs must be made
public. making 1t illegal to promise po-
| to aid in influencing the election of any
member of a state legislature
Inc provision Tor e-primary publicity
was not adopted by the Senate without a
fight. When the vote came seven demo-
Gratis of the south voted against 1t. Sena
tors Bacon. Bailey, Bankhead, Johnson.
Bryan, Overman and Taylor Several of
them based their opposition on the
ground that Congress did not have power
over primary elections