Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-09-13
NEVsY GOSSIP FROM NATIONAL CAPITOL

Would you be surprised to learn
that a new law placing the entire
burden Of financing political cam
paigns on the shoulders OF Uncle
Sam will in all probability be recon.
mended by the senatorial committee
investigating the source of contribu'
tons made To the Roosevelt cam
paign of 1904? II Is known that men,
bers of that committee, and also Ger.
tain other senators, find that the In.
cidental expenses of candidacy pnt a
heavy tax on their salaries. and they
also firmly believe that, In order to
obviate such scandals as have al
ready been disclosed in connection
with the Roosevelt campaign of 1904
not to say anything about the enor.
nous expenses of this One-."it. is
time the government financed all
political organizations" The 'arEu-
ment is made by many Progressives
that the aiieged close association be.
tween big business and politics Is
brought about because political man.
ayers have come to depend upon
either corporations or individuals for
the sinews of war in both state and
federal elections.
1t, will be remembered that ROose.
welt in his letter to Senator ..app,
the chairman of the committee. de.
clared that las long as the expenses
of primaries and elections re borne
by individuals instead of by the gov.
eminent, no limit should be placed
on the amount which an individual
might contributed" Under the pro.
posed conditions, contributions from
such individuals" as Perkins who are
heavily interested in the harvester or
other trusts, would probably be pro
hibited. as. contributions from cor.
pora:ions now are prohibited. Clapp
favors prohibiting individuals from
contributing to any political organiza.
ton, and providing that funds for the
conduct Of national campaigns shall
be taken from funds in the national
treasury.
There are some states that limit
the expenditures of candidates,
whilst there are others that defray a
part OF the cost OF printing, but that's
only a f1eabite when compared with
the rest of the campaign expenses
for instance, those of Senator Steph-
enson of s., lsc0nsin. In Oregon dele
gates to natiOual conventions are paid
5000 apiece. ,,s. .-
Men Of affairs who have in the past
discussed the ACCESSIBILITY Of the en-
actment of a law, under which Uncle
Sam would bear the expense, in whole
or in part, have felt that it would be
difficult to frame a practicable act.
They have suggested in that connec-
ton that it would be troublesome to
make a proper apportionment to the
various parties, such as the Socialist
and the Prohibition parties, not to
mention the Rooseveltian party. 1t
has been suggested that campaign
funds made available through the
government might be appOrtioned to
the various parties in accordance
with the percentage vote polled by
the respective parties; but they have
failed to indicate how that would
work in the event of the birth Of an
other Rooseveltian or Bryanite party.
Another suggestion is that parties re-
ceiving government funds might be
incorporated in some manner to be
prescribed by congress.
However, the estate committee
will be in a much better condition to
tackle that and other kindred sub
jects after Cortelyou has recovered
through mental or other forceful sug-
gestions, from his freakish %forgetful.
ness about the givers of muniticent
donations in the memorable 1904
presidential campaign.
1t Is a most singular coincidence
that, say Washingtonians and other
sufferers, Tom, Dick and Harry are
today paying a pretty dear price for
the busting" of the Standard Oil
trust. If the farmers have to pay in
the same ratio for farming and other
implements manufactured by the har-
vested rust, there will De an added
kick coming. A cursory glance at
the facts will disclose the situation.
Since December g., 1911, the date up.
on which the now famous decision
OF the U. s. supreme court, ordering
the dissolution of the monopoly, be-
came effective there have been most
remarkable advances in the price of
oil all over the United States. Here,
for instance, the price of Kerosene
has jumped from G, to 8 cents a gal.
Ion, and gasoline has scared from 8
cents to Is IL cents.
j Within the last five or six weeks
dealers agree that gasoline has risen
more than 40 per cent, and that the
Nupward flight of prices began the
day after the decision of the supreme
court went into effect. The readers
of The Bismarck Tribune will surely
remember that between May 16, 1911,
the date upon which the opinion was
handed down, to December 6, prices
remained stationary - Immediately
thereafter prices began to jump sky
wards. The. explanation that "the
advances have been due to a short.
age of supply lis considered a hit
%grotesque in view Of the shortage
of oil occurring precisely at the time
OF the dissolution of the trust.
There are not 4 few folks who are
inclined to the somewhat strange be.
lief that the Standard Oil people,
after December g., considered them
selves licensed by the supreme court
i :. 4 kL. r.