The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-07-27
Both Parties Had Planks Which Con-
tanned Such Pledges Now Up
To the Senate.
SENATOR OWEN STRONG FOR IT
Oklahoma Man Claims It the Most
Important Plank in Democratic
Platform. -. =.
(By G.. H. TaVenner.)

Washington, July 27.-In the
hurly4burly over antitrust legisla-
ton, foreign treaties, the Mexican
situation, and so on, there is stat
ute of vast moment likely to be over
looked by the folks back home and
not enacted by the present congress.
refer to the law compelling real
publicity of campaign contributions
and expenditures. The present law
is a farce.
That this congress is morally
bound to provide method by which
the voters of the nation may know
before election exactly who puts up
the cash for this falls election is
certain. 1t is also certain that the
predatory interests are bending
every energy to elect their men to
the next CongreFs and to punish
members standing for reelection,
who have proved true to the people,
The democratic platform of 1908
contained a page plank pledging to
enact a publicity law and end the
partnership between corporations
and political parties. 1t repeated
this pledge in the Baltimore plat
form. The Republican party in 1912
gave a similar pledge
The house has passed publicity
bill and the matter is now before the
senate committee On Privileges and
Elections. Senator Robert L. Owen
of Oklahoma, who has long been one
of the hardest fighters for publicity
law that will really protect the inter-
ests of the people, has introduced
bill in the senate and it is also be-
fore the committee on Privileges and
Elections.
The National Popular Government
League of Washington, through it's
secretary, Judson King, is making
hard fight to- have the Owen bill
passed at this session.
form was of greater Importance than
the pledge to overthrow corruption,
fraud and machine rule in politics."
says Senator Owen. "Machine rule
and corruption in party government
has been the bane of both the Re-
publican and Democratic parties, and
one of the greatest difficulties in the
way of perfecting true and honest
democratic government
THE first law requiring important
amendment is the law preventing
private individuals from contribu-
ting unlimited amounts of money in
the campaigns relating to the pres
idency and to the members of con-
gress and senators. I have had this
statute carefully examined and pre-
pared by one of the ablest experts
in the United States on this ques-
ton.
"The present law permits any
amount of contribution to be made
and expended by private persons in
relation to these elections and per-
mits intrastate committees the lib
erty of doing as they please with
regard to the nomination and cleo
tion of senators and congressman,
without any conditions being i'm
posed by the federal law. The plan
which I have proposed is to lay
down a minimum of requirements in
the way of contributions and expend-
itures by corporations, committees or
individuals; and if passed, this bill
will have an important effect upon
diminishing fraud in the election of
congressman and senators, and
would have an important effect on
overthrowing machine rule and cor
ruption.", - -