Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-07-21
PASS PUBLICITY ACT.
DRASTIC ELECTION REFoRh
MEASURE Is APPROVED az
UNITED STATES SENATE.
LIMIi is PUT ON EXPENSES
No Candidate for con0..ss Can Spend
Over Ten Cents for Each Voter n
state--All Pledges Prohibited-
Applies to Primaries.

Washington.-With practical,
unanimous vote the senate passed the
| most drastic campaign publicity meas.
ure that was ever adopted by eithe,
branch OF the United States congress-
Using the prediction publicity bin
passed by the house Of representative
as a basis, the senate constructed /,
proposed law with the following I'm,
portant features:
mo candidate for III senate q,
b use snail spend in the election more
than a sum equal to ten cents for each
voter in his district or state.
mo senatorial candidate shall spend
total of more than $4,000 in the
primary and general election; and nc
candidate for the house shall spend
more than $4,000.
Publicity must be given to all pri
mary campaign contributions and eY
penditures.
"All general election expenses mus,
be made public before the election, be
ginning fifteen days before election
and making publication each six dayt
until election.
"All promises of political Jobs mua
be made public"
The bill further makes 1t Illegal t
promise political places In order to :.
cure election support. or to aid in Id
fluencing the election of any member
of a state legislature.
The bill will be the subject of prob
ably prolonged conference between thu
two houses. 1t originated in th,
house as part of the Democratic
legislative program and was designed
to require the publication of expendi
lures before election, which is not re
quired by the existing publicity law.
The Republicans in the house at
tempted to extend the bill to cover prt
mary election expenses. In the senate
the primary election amendment cou
pied with more radical amendments,
were adopted with little opposition.
The senate amendments authorized
by the committee on privileges and
elections required publicity of all prt
mary election expenses and all pledges
of political jobs or favors. Some OBJ
lection to this was made on the basis
that primary elections were not within
the control of congress. The amend.
ment was finally adopted. however, By
a vote of so to z.
The more rigid portion of the bill
limiting the amount the senatorial o.
congressional candidate may spend d !
any election and prohibiting the max
ing of all campaign pledges, was pre-
posed by Senator Reed Of Missomsi
and adopted only after long debate
Senator Sutherland OF Utah admitted
that the house conferees might force
elimination Of this from the BILL
Senator Reed referred to the cam
paign expense statement filed by Sen
ator Stephenson Of Wisconsin, SHOW.
ing expenditures of approximately
100000, and to other large sums
spent by senatorial candidates. He
finally offered an amendment putting
the total expenditure Of any candidate
at sum not to exceed 10 cents pei
head for the voters in the candidates
state.
Senator Borah said this would per
NIT senatorial candidate in New
York to spend nearly 100000 in hii3
election, while the candidate ~
Nevada could spend only about $1,000
The Reed amendment was defeated
once, but was senewed and adopted.
At one time he had the limit Of eI'
pense at $4,000 for senate candidate
and $1,000 for a house candidate; but
at the suggestion Of Senator Owen o. \
Oklahoma this was increased to $lO'
900 for the senatorial candidate ana
$4,000 for the house candidate.