The Washington herald., 1914-05-06
JOB CONGRESS ISDODGING
Amazing Filibuster to Prevent Revis-
ing Campaign Publicity Law.

h6 >ehifoi6h dbhSihy Law
The House. almost unknown to tn,
country at large. including Washington
ID. C., Is conducting a flibuster. 1t Is
wasting all the time !. possibly car
on every calendar Wednesday on a long
important but uninterssting bill which the
Senate will probably rot pass this year
fOi the sole purpOss Of avoiding tho
necessity of passing a revision Of the
campaign publicity laws. The reason II
does not want to pass the revision OF
the campaign publicity laws Is that the
South is in control in Congress and II
is the traditional Southern prejudice
! cropping up that almost automatically
aiigns the controlling Southerners against
Federal law which in any degree or
way seems to govern State elections 1T
is an odd thing" said a Western Demo-
crat in private conversation yesterday.
that no ons has noticed this filibuster.
II is one Of the most senseless wastes
of time that we have endured this sea-
son. 1t Till probably continue six or
eight weeks. unless the President gets
on to 1t, in which case you may find
everything cleared up inside Of fiye min
Utes und n revision OF the campaign pub
hCity laws jammed through in a hurry.
NbhllNdNlOH VI hiiC lhNS ICldN-
ing 10 the judiciary is the subject of the
bill which is the subject Of the hTibuster.
The object of the bill is to revise and
cOGlfy the laws and bring them up to
date so rs to make reference to them
simple and easy. II seems like a joke
but IL is fact that the committee which
reported this bill began its work with
its creation in 1858. This committee sawed
wood until 1881 with varying degrees OF
aU..N.
matter over to a COMMISSIONS typicany
&C hgr, sionai trick. Three commissioners
we're appointed. and they revised the
laws for abouL nine years. AT the end of
which time they handed their task back
10 Congress. Whereupon Congress ap-
pointed a joint committee Of the House
and Senate which revised the judiciary
code for few years more until in 1910
the Democrats came into power and
desiring to be economical, abolished the
john committee and handed the work
back 10 the committee which began IL
shortly after the civil war The clerk
Of this committee. not the members
thereof. completed the revision. and 1t is
now before the House for long and pain
ful consideration. II is only fair to the
committee. the commission. the Joint
committee and the committee, mention
ing each in its historical order, to saw
that some Of their work actually became
law in the cours@ of he half century
This is brief statement Of the
measure which is now being used bv
the Southern machine in the House to
prevent consideration on calendar
Wednesday OF a bill reported last Sep
t"mber which cOdifes and revises the
three Federal statutes requiring public
ity OF campaign, expenditures and con-
trioutions. II is interesting TO notice
that this filibuster is taking place lust
before Congressional election and
also just before the first election of
United States Senators by popular
vote II the flibuster should be sue
cessful and the passage of the bill Is
put of until the next session OF Con-
gress. much advantage will be gained
to those candidates for both branches
who do not want the complete kind of
publicity which this measure would re-
qUire. Mr.. Watkins Of Louisiana, one
Of the few members who knows any
thing about the judiciary codifcatiOn
bill told the House yesterday that
there was no politics in II. This is lit
orally true, but IL does not interfere
with the truth OF the equally timely
statement that there is a rSDod deal Of
politics in the presentation of the judi
ciary cOdificatiOn bill al this particular
time.
one brand-new idea has been embod-
led in the campaign contributions bill
This is the idea that n political COM
mittee should not use or eXpend for
campaign purposes in any given state
any more money than is contributed
by actual residents Of that State.
This does not mean that a Limitation
is placed upon the amount of money
which state political committee may
use for such legitimate campaign eX
Dcnses as hiring speakers. printing
and distributing literature, and placing
newspaper advertisements. No at
tempt is here made. nor in any part
If this bill. to limit the expenditure
n money used in an effort to reach
the Judgment Of electors" writes Mr..
RuCker. Of Missouri in his report to
he House. Appeal to the minds and
Judgment of men by political parties
and candidates for political Office is
BILE" he goes on to say. and
Is encouraged by every section and
provision Of this bill. But the object |
onahle and vicious practice. sometimes
ndulged in. Of collecting large cam |
1aiCn funds in the great money centers |
md Carting them into other States TO !
corrupt. and debauch the |
electorate. and thereby destroy the
'afe'y and security of the ballot box, |
: a crime against public morals
which cannot be too harshly denounced
" too soon prohibited"
II the hill passes with this provision in |
act. il will he difficult for a national |
Congressional committee to furnish in |
discriminate aid from Washington, or |
'hiCago. or wherever its headquarters |
nay be. without running a serious risk |
n critical campaign there may well
70 half a dozen districts of prime i'm /
in which the defeat Of a can
lldate of a certain party might mean the
lefeat of the entire party. Under the
lew law. care must be taken lest a cent
beyond the amount actually raised by
,Ona fidc residents of the State in which
he fight is being waged he spent. In
,ther words this bill is States rights
'ill and puts il sQuarely up to each
state To supply the funds for the cleo
ion OF its national representatives.
One other section of this hill deserves
line. This is the section made neCes-
AIRY by the adoption Of the seventeenth
imendment providing for popular cleo
ion for Senators. 1t is merely an
amendment OF the present law including
Senatorial candidates in the list of those
Who must file statements as to the
mount Of money contributed for their
ampaisns. The limitation of expenses
or Senators is s1OO0O.-Washington cor
OF Boston Transcript.
An Ale Testers Brecches.