The Washington times., 1913-05-20
SENATOR CLAPPs PROPOSAL.

to its urgent plea that somebody introduce bill to
prohibit members of Congress serving on political
committees. Senator Clapp of Minnesota has intro
duced that measure, and If happens that he is the
particular person whose advocacy will give It most
standing He was chairman of the Senate commit
tee that investigated the whole question OF campaign
contributions last year. He knows more about that
subject than anybody else. He speaks with author
ty on it, and this is what he said day or two before
he introduced the BILL
For members of Congress, who have legislation
before them, to 60 about soliciting campaign contr-
buttons for Congressional committee, comes as
close to putting a revolver to mans head and de-
manding that he deliver, as anything can imagine
The Senator knows how it is; he has been there
and SEEN His committee spent weeks nnding out
how that sort of thing is done, and at the end ne
was filled with horror of the whole blackmailing pro-
cedure.
The Clapp measure provides that no Senator
or Representative SHALL while occupying such posi-
tion serve on any political committee solicit cam
paien contributions There can be protest on the
ground that such q measure is extreme. II is ex-
tremey moderate There can be no possible defense
of the old system of organizing and managing these
campaign committees. They were just plain bucca-
neerng expeditions the object being to get as much
as possible and get it wherever II could be had
Altogether the Congressional campaign COM
mittees have been demoralizing and discredtable
They have had to traffic, or pretend to traffic, in leg
islaton, in order to get campaign funds. We had
hoped that perchance some indignant Republican
might rise up and insist specifications as to this
charge 1t is an ungracious thing to print SPECIFIC
charges and detailed proof of them, concerning men
now dead; but if somebody would be disagreeable
enough to make it necessary, of course, this news
paper would be forced to take that course.
lust one illustration will serve for the present
For many wears Congress voted annually certain
cash subsidy to fast mail train which carried mails
between New York and the South. There was al
WAYS bitter fight against that subsidy, and at length
as year after year this opposition had grown stronger
and its protest insistent, the time came wnen
il was seen that the measure would have to be
dropped.
On the day when this measure passed the House
for the last time, members OF both the kepubl1can
and the Democratic Congressional campaign COM
mittees were busy on the floor asking members to
vote for the BILL and explaining that they were in
terested because "the committee would get piece
of it if it passed.
II will not do to say that we are living in time
of better morals and decenter views of practical
POLITICS. and that that sort of thing would not be pos
time when an aroused public sentiment revots
against such things; but whether our politicians are
too good for tfat kind of methods is not so certain.
At any rate, if we are not going to have any mors
scandal about the Congressional campaign commit
tees why not write into the statutes the assurance
that there will be no scandals? The way to put ar
end to scandal is to pass the Clapp measure.
WHY should committee of Congress 60 to New
York. Boston, Philadelphia Chicago, every other au-
| rumn, to solicit campaign funds? Why couldn't
somebody else do that just as well? The answer is
all too plain The men who have the business in
hand of making legislation, are the ones who most
| authoritativey can make deals and promises and
pledges as to the sort of legislation that will be
passed
Senator Capp wants to end all this scandal. As
chairman of the investigating committee, he heard
William B. Mckinley testify about conference OF
eminent Republican politicians and New England
| manufacturers in Boston. 1t had been lntmated
very broadly that the politicians had gone to Boston
TO fry some campaign fat out OF the manufacturers
there When Mr. Mckinley was put on the stand
and asked about it, he had the most marvellous at.
tack of failing memory ever known before Con-
eress committee We venture that if he had moi
been member of Congress, and prominent one
the Senate committee would have proceeded against
him for the contempt that was perfectly plain in his
attitude. He simply couldn't he wouldn't, and he
didn't, tell what that trip to New England was about
He didn't need to-, The committee knew it was a
Job of scraping campaign funds Nice business
that, for the leaders of the House!
! The Capp bill will not pass now There will be
frightfu wall of opposition. But within five years
it will pass and Congress will be cleaner, decenter
and more self-respecting as result.