The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-11-01
LESTa WE FORGET

defense of the republican campaign
fund of 1904 is that no campaign fund
could be raised by such methods to-
day without committing a crime They
are prohibited by law, both state and
federal law.
If the corporations today were to
contribute to a national campaign
fund as they did in 1904, when Mr..
COrtelyou was chairman of the repub-
lican national committee, their re-
sponsible officers would be sent to
Jail If a campaign manager today
concealed contributions as the repub-
lican national committee did in 1904,
he would be sent to Jail
The American people have made
crimes of the campaign practices that
were pursued in 1904, and that he
still defends New York World.
The American people, republicans
and democrats alike, have made cam
paign practices such as those OF 1904
crime. The views of the American
people, regardless of race, color Or
political creed, are reflected in cam
paign publicity laws which nearly ey-
eryone in the rank and file wishes to
see enforced, and if need be. amend
ed, until they become alright The
American people would like TO see
the enforcement of publicity laws
make it as disreputable for a candi-
date for president TO be elected as a
result of the collection of such a fund
as the republican campaign of 1905
as it is to get into the senate in the
Lorimer way But, lest we forget, the
awakening of the public to the impor-
lance of enacting publicity legisla-
ton was the result of the activities
of democrats. No republican leader
of national Importance had hand in
the work. A republican president and
republican candidate for president
declined TO give anything more than
perfunctory support TO the movement
when their active support might have
resulted in the passage of the bill ear
lier than it was passed.
Courier-JOurnal.
Why the necessity of campaign
funds at all, either big or littleo
We believe that there will come a
time when it will be as disreputable
to be nominated by raising big cam
paign funds of several hundred thou
sand dollars as it would be now to be
elected president of the United
States by the methods employed in
1904.
What is the necessity for big cam
paign funds, and what are they for?
We ought at least be permitted to
speak of the management of our own
political household affairs with some
degree Of latitude and freedom, so We
ask in all conscience what does the
democratic committee want with the
enormous sum of one million dollars :?
1t does not concern us so much as
to how these million dollars are rails
ed as TO how they are to be distrib-
uted, and for what purpose
If it truly be a crime for an indi
vidual or corporation to give one
hundred thousand dollars or over to
a campaign fund, why is it not crime
to give for the same purpose ten thou
sand dollars or under?
If a president be purchasable he
will be purchasable for a larger or
smaller sum.
The thing is to get a man in the
White House unpurchasable at all,
either for one million or ten thousand
dollars.
When has it become the custom to
measure the bribe-taker by the
amount of the bride?
What matters it to the world
whether Judas betrayed his master
for one piece, thirty pieces or one
hundred pieces of silver? The betray-
al is not measured by the amount of
silver he received.
The crime of theft does not con-
sist in the thing stolen, whether great
or small-it consists in the obliquity
that inspires it.
Thou shalt not steal!" is the COM
mand. The amount is not to be con-
sidered.
If campaign contributions be
crime they are a crime per Sc, and it
does not require magnifying glasses
to perceive that there is greater Grim
inality in their distribution than in
their collection.
Surely giving in itself is not
crime-it only becomes such when it
is given for a good or bad purpose.
If We want to free our campaigns
of all faint, let US do away with cam
paign funds altogether.
Why not look to the press for in
formation? And proper. legitimate
information ought to be the thing de-
sired
So, with a dollar, the voter who
sincerely wants to be properly in
formed, can for three months of the
campaign put himself in possession of
newspapers advocating all the diff