The Washington times., 1912-11-19
GORE WORKING ON
PLAN TO CONTROL
CAMPAIGN FUNDS
Prospective Leader of SEN
ate Has Number of Sug-
n. gestions Made.

senator Gore OF Oklahoma, in charg,
organization through the campaign
lor the Democratic national committee
oiose friend of Wilson and prospective
senate leader, has turned his attention
W the question OF campaign contribu'
uons and will introduce bill which
WIN provide that the Government shal
pear the cost OF Presidential and Con.
sressional campaigns.
senator Gore, like many others, has
oeen shocked at some of the revelations
oerore the Senate committee OF which
senator Clapp Is chairman. hTe enor-
nous size Of some OF the campaign funds
anu the sources OF some of the contri-
buttons are things he cannot approve
and he believes Il imperative Congress
should undertake legislation.
lnasmuch as the idea of the Govern
tnent bearing the cost of campaigns
mas been advocated by many, the bill
winch Senator Gore is working on and
which he will introduce early the com.
ing session promises to be widely and
carefully scrutinized.
Regulate BY Vote.
The tentative plan OF Senator Gore
Is to base the amount OF the campaign
funds for each party on the number OF
voters at the last preceding general
election. In Presidential campaign.
he would have the allowance made by
the Federal Government Is cents per
voter. In Congressional campaign,
he would have the allowance 10 cents
per voter. Just how much this would
mean IN Government appropriations for
the next Presidential campaign can only
be roughly calculated. Senator Gore
figures II would mean something like
Sl.00O0oO for the Democrats 100000 Tor
hn .gt, 1,,I In
the Republicans. He calculates that
the entire cost of a Presidential cam
paign for all parties, Democrat, Re-
publican. Progressive, Socialist Pro-
hibitionist. and all others that may
hapen along, would not exceed $500, 600.
In add to this, Senator Gore pro-
poses that the chairman of each ma
tional committee be given frank which
he can use within certain prescribed
limits In sending out campaign litera-
ture through the mails, free of charge.
This would solve the problem OF how
to get campaign literature to the voters.
Wants Government to Pay.
william Jennings Bryan Is a believer
in the plan of having the Government
pay the campaign expenses. 1t is known
there Is strong support for the idea in
President Taft's Cabinet. Colonel Roose-
welt Is friendly to some effective plan OF
having the Government meet the cam
paign expenses.
Under the Senator Gore. plan, individ-
ual contributions would be prohibited.
The country would hear no more of cor
poration contributions
Senator Gore thinks the plan OF having
vast number of small contributors is
much preferable to the plan of having
a small number of big contributors.
Still, he considers that the plan OF hav-
ing the Government bear the expense
would be better. While some of the
Democrats in Congress will support the
Gore plan, or one like 1t, others are
averse to It. They put their opposition
on the ground that for the Government
to bear the cost would lessen the inter-
est felt by the voters in politics.
Numerous details in the bill will have
to be worked out and thrcshed out In
committee with care. Just how to ap'
portion the funds in a Congressional
election among the various districts is
not easy. The chief trouble here comes
in those districts where the situation t.
one-sided, and there Is no real need for
funds. Many such districts are found
in the South, where the Rcpubl can vote
Is so weak in some instances as to ht
negligible. and where Democratic
nomination for Congress Is the "quivu,
lent Of an election. Some way will have
TO be found to prevent useless cXpend!'
lures In such districts If the proposed
legislation. or legislation akin to it. Il
enacted.