New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-13
Excessive Use of Money in
Campaign Should Be
Stopped, He Says.
OPPORTUNITY FOR
REPUBLICAN PARTY"
District Attorney Raps Bosses and
Denies Any One Owns
the Organization.

The Way to reform the Republican
party was indicated last night to the
Young Republican club by District At;or-
ney Whitman at its annual meeting IN
the Prince George Hotel.
1T is my belief" said Mr. Whitman,
that the excessive use OF money in cam
paigns is one OF the most serious evils in
politics to-day. and one OF which We are
all more or less guilty-not in legal
sense. perhaps. but in our general prac-
tice We are allowing this evil to spread
through the state
THE State Of New York pays all the
necessary expenses Of the machinery OF
registration and election. 7 welcome the
time-and this organization can do no
better than to hasten it-when II snail
be against the law for any political or
ganization to use any money Election
Day in any manner which would affect
the election. The money cannot be used
legitimately.
"Of course, | realize that certain eX-
penses must be met out Of the pockets OF
the campaign officials and their contribu-
tors. but any one who has had experience
in a campaign knows that the money
spent for advertising, bands, meeting
halls and so forth does not represent by
any means all the money spent. | want
TO suggest whether We cannot ourselves
put an end to the general careless con-
dition in regard TO political contributions
and in regard to using funds. not 10 buy
votes exactly, but 10 influence votes.
The District Attorney then referred to
the recent graft disclosures before the
grand jury.
81 was very much surprised 10 learn,
he said. that officers Of many corpora
tons did not know that it was a crime
for a corporation to contribute money
to a campaign fund How serious that
crime may be- some men may differ on
but We all know that the use of money
by corporations to influence politics has
been a scandal i'm the state for years.
1T is the business OF every man IN
terested in honest politics 20 see that the
use Of money on Election Day shall cease
and that its use in prediction days shall
be checked. ! am convinced that the Re
publican party can do this, although We
know that ITS leaders have not always
been responsive 10 the best sentiment or
the party. The party has made mistakes
but the Republican party as whole has
the best representation of the best senu-
ment in the city, state and nation, and IL
does contain the largest number or men
representing that sentiment.
The Republican party belongs 10 YOU.
You DO not belong to il, or to any one
man, or boss or leader; and no man or
boss has the right to say that the party
stands for this, or rejects that or that a
man who does not agree with the boss
cannot stay in the party"
There were more than fifty present.
These officers were elected President,
Philip J. McCook: presidents. Lloyd
c. Griscom. Stephen c. Clark, Ogden NJ.
Reid. Ezra p. Prentice, George b. Agnew;
secretary, Benjamin NJ. Day; treasurer.
Edgar c. Leaycraft Members Of the eX-
ecutive committee are Isidor Greenwald,
Richard X. McGonieal. Walter T. Arndt.
Alfred G. Coke, jr., Henry W. Goddard
Robert McC. Marsh. Joseph Davis Sears,
James A. Taylor and Thomas ID. Thacher.