Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-24
DRASTIC PUBLICITY BILL PASSED
~ SENATE DESTROYS A
CAMPAIGN ISSUE,
HOUSE LEADERS HAD HOPED
FOR UNAVOIDABLE ACTION
Believed Republican Senate Would op-
pose Measure and Thus Furnish
Campaign lssue-Lodss Turns the
Trick and Republican Senate Gets
Credit For Bill rs il Now Stands.
Special to Times-Republican.

SpoClAl 10 xlIQeSstlepuDIlCan.
Washington, July Ex-senator Henry
Cabot Lodge, Of Massachusetts, direct
Ing senate procedure in the absence OF
Senator Gallinger. of New Hampshire
was the means of calling the democrat
ic bfun on publicity Of campaign ex-
penses. AS a result the senate, with
what cheerfulness it could assume, has
passed and the house is faced with
as drastic a publicity bill as the most
jealous reformer could desire.
The house sent over about as weak a
bill as could have been prepared and
yet make show Of fulfilling platform
promises. 1t required returns from po-
litical committees only and applied
only to elections. Its omissions must
have been more or less deliberate, for
the house Is democratic and most Of
the majority hail from the south; and
the primary election is a much more
common institution in the southern
than In the northern states. AS it came
from the house the bill required no re-
turns whatever from the candidates
themselves. consequently if would be
statesman did his own collecting and
disbursing the proposed law would not
have called upon him at all for the
story of his misdeeds.
The senate committee on privileges
and elections, partly thru the influence
Of its progressive members, amended
the bill materially 1t made the meas
ure applicable also to the primary cleo
tions, both before and after and to cam
didates, including United States sena-
tors elected by the legislatures. In fact,
the committee vitalized the bill by
making 1t broad enough to reach the
story OF the real evil. the primary. and
with this amendment Senator Dilling-
ham reported 1t.
The senate democrats We're up
stump. They did not want their own
elections made . matter Of public rec
ord nor were they curious to know
what happened in the primaries. 1t was
all we'll enough to give the public the
the financial details Of general cleo
tons, Whose results the primaries had
settled in advance, but it was striking
very close home to look into the pri-
mary. In their hearts the democratic
leaders were praying that the repub-
licans would ignore the bill, thus CIV
ing them the chance to go home and
tell the voters that this great reform
measure had been shunted off the leg
is!ative ways by republican neglect.
They had as little use for the bill as
most Of the republicans but it would
sound fine to the voters to be able to
say that the republicans were respon-
sible for failure to act. The secret hos
tility Of the democrats to the measure
was due, Of course, in large part to
their knowledge that the committee
amendment affecting primaries would
be adopted.
These conditions were known to Sen
ator Lodge and he watched his oppor-
tunity to call the bill up and get the
senate going on it. This came last
Monday. when no one was ready to
continue the debate against reciprocity
and the senate was about ready to adj
journ. AS temporary floor leader, sena-
tor Lodge moved that the bill be taken
up, and of course there were votes
enough. however unwilling. to agree to
the motion. The senate not only ADOPT
ed the committee amendment but stiff
fened 1t everywhere it saw a chance to
tuck in q few words, until the bill Is
now In such shape that it would be
practically impossible for man to run
for either house of congress without
violating one or more OF its provisions.
For example. no candidate is per-
,nitted to expend sum in the aggre-
gate exceeding 10 cents for each voter
in his district or state. If this pro-
vision alone marked the limitation set
upon campaign expenses. the candidate
for senator from Nevada would spend
only $S,1s7.5O If he counted as voters"
every man, woman and child in his
3~4z
on the other hand. Gould expend sever
al hundred thousand dollars without
coming within the prohibition Of the |
tlav. But the senate saw how ridiculous |
such q provision was, SO it qualified It |
'by holding down the senatorial candi-
date to an expenditure not exceeding !
go, 900 and candidate for the house to |
a limit Of $4,000 "in any campaign for
.nomination, and election" Whether
this last phrase would have the effect |
Of splitting these figures in two, as
between the primary and the general
election. IL a nice question for the
constructionist. The ratio between SEN
atorial and representative expenditures
Is an arbitrary one, Of course, and does
not stand on the theory that where q
candidate for the house in Massachu-
sets, for example, might properly pass
senator might legitinately expend four
teen times rs much in accordance with
the number Of congressional districts
comprising the state.
The amendment. contains the ns,,ai
provision that no candidate shall prom
Use any office or his support for any
office for the purpose of procuring po-
litical support. Neither shall a candi-
date for the senate assist in the nom
ination or election OF any member Of
the legislature by contributing any
money or thing Of value" The bill
does not state whether or not this pro-
Inhibition would rule out speech. I'm
It would prohibit the loan
Of an automobile or a horse.
The object Of the senate undoubtedly
was to make the measure as stiff as
possible, thus giving the house demo-
Gratis a chance to pare it down and still
leave the vital principle of supervision
Of the primary election. From all the
now in sight, the house can
do nothing but swallow the dose The
democratic majority do not like it and
had hoped that republican stupidity