The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-15
HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE SERIOUS WAR OVER FUCKER BILL. First Trouble in Democratic Ranks Occurs Over
 Publicity
MEASURE PROVIDES
 CAMPAIGN PUBLICITY,
By the Vigorous Use of Democratic Whip Leaders Are Successful in Defeating the Republican
 Amendment

Amendment Washington, April 1.-The democratic party met it's first serious trouble in
 the House today. At the close of ses- sion marked by insurgency in the demo- cratic ranks by reason of which the re- publicans narrowly missed scoring tri- umph, the House passed the Fucker bill for publicity of campaign contributions before election. The fight arose over the extent to which the publicity should be applied. But for the vigorous and cou- tinued use of the democratic whip an important republican amendment extend- ing publicity to the individual receipts and expenses of candidates for Congress- would have been retained in the bill when finally passed
 As 1t was, the amendment was adopted over the protest of the democratic lead CTS, by the support of 52 of the demo- crats, who voted with the solid republican strength Resort to a parliamentary move enabled the democrats later to set, rid of the amendment. but 2s of their number refused to change their attitude and stuck with the republicans in oppos- ing the democratic majority.
 The Fucker bill passed finally by a unanimous vote. but only after a stormy scene. The amendment offered by Rep resentative Jackson, a new republican member from Kansas, required all candi- dates for Congress to file statements of the source and the use of their individual campaign funds, in both the primal v ,, and general election.
 Republican Support
 The amendment met instant supf1 from the republican side and encour the opposition of the democratic 'es
 Mr. Fucker of Missouri, chaii
 the committee in charge of
 serted that it would so cha, of the law that it might Is, final passage.
 This did not deter S ats from supporting the JaeksoN s dment. They, with the solid, an forces gave the amendment that re- ! suited In it's adoption, Id the announcement of the votS 0s 7-''a by storm of applause from
 lican side. There was hute ence of democratic leaders as ress of the vote showed the success ot the amendment. As soon as the vote was announced Mr. Rucker moved to recom- init the bill, with it's new amendment. to the elections committee, with instruc- tions to that committee to send he bill back to the House without the Jackson amendment,
 This parliamentary move to squeeze the amendment out of the bill brought about a split in the ranks of the dem ocrats, who had favored the Jackson amendment. Twenty eight of them stood by their former action and voted against the motion to re-eommit this bill, but the democratic leaders mustered enough. votes to carry their point 157 to 149 and the bill technically was sent back to the committee.
 MT. Fucker gathered the members of the committee around him and without leaving the floor he instructed them To re- port the bill again without the Jackson amendment. As soon the vote had been announced he once more reported the bill to the House with the Jackson amendment left out and this motion car rled, 164 to 159.
 Passes in Original Form
 The bill, in its original form. then passed the House without dissenting vote.
 The democrats who stood out against the efforts of party leaders to dispose of the Jackson amendment are: Akin and George, New York; Alexander and Borland, Missouri; Buchanan and stone Illinois; Bukeley, Sherwood and N hitacre, Ohio Burke and Konop, Wis ccnsn; Cox and Gray. Indiana; Dupres, E,stopinal Pujo, Ransdell and Wickliffe, Iouisiana; Goodwin Arkansas; Hamill. Townsend Futile, New Jersey Hardy, Texas; Pepper, Iowa; Raker, California; Sweet, Michigan Thayer, Massachusetts,; Wilson, Pennsylvania.
 The Fucker bill as finally passed makes more stringent the campaign publicity law passed in 1910. That law requires publicity of funds after election. The Fucker bill will require publicity of funds by the campaign committee 10 days pre- vious to the election and the filing of supplemental statements every three days thereafter until election day.
 The Fucker bill limited publicity of campaign expenditures to sums of s100 or over but Mir. Fucker accepted an amendment of MT Kopp, republican, of Wisconsin, requiring the publicity of all payments in sums of s10 CT over for cam paign purposes. Throughout the debate Perry Belmont, president of the National Publicity Law association, and a former member of the House. occupied seat on | the floor