Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-03-17
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
JUDGES CAMPAIGN
EXPENSE LIMITED
Can Only Spend So Much in the
Primary and General Contests
For the Bench

Limitation of the amount of money
that may be expended in a campaign
for a judicial nomination and for cleo
| ton of judge, restriction of expendi-
| lures to the candidates only and pro-
viding for reimbursement of nominees
expenses in the general election is pro-
posed in bill embodying ideas of
| Governor Brumbaugh presented in the
| Senate. The bill was drawn by Attor-
ney General Francis Skunk Brown and
| was introduced by Senator Edwin II.
Ware. Philadelphia. Accompanying the
bill were the measures planned by the
election laws in order to prevent
| fusion. to halt Withdrawals of candi-
dates, repeating nonpartisan acts and
| changing registration days.
The belief is general that the
| judicial expense bill is designed to en-
able President Judge Charles E. Rice,
OF the Superior Court, to become a
candidate to succeed himself, as we'll
as to secure as judicial candidates
men who do not feel able to assume
the great financial burdens sometimes
| attending judicial campaigns. The bill
would end committees in behalf of a
candidates, but enable contributions
to be made directly to candidate.
Candidates must disburse the money.
the State returning the amount after
| the election is over
PROVISIONS OF Bill
The bill provides
That it shall be unlawful for any
person or persons, committees or or.
gantzation of any kind whatsoever, to
contribute or eXpend any money or
| other valuable thing for election eX-
| penses or to promote the nomination
at any primary election of any candi-
| date for nomination for any judicial
office in this commonwealth, or to de-
| feat or prevent the nomination at any
primary election of any candidate for
nomination for any judicial office in
this commonwealth; provided, how
ever, that it may be lawful to con-
tribute money or other thing of value
TO any person who is a candidate at
| primary election for nomination to
any judicial office in this common
wealth."
The bill makes it unlawful for any
candidate for the nomination of judge
of the Supreme or the. Superior court
to expend for his primary election
more than $4,000 and makes it unlaw-
full for candidates for any other judi
cial nomination to spend more than
$4,000.
Committees Out of 1t
The bill further provides: THAT it
shall be unlawful for any person or
persons, committee or organization of
any kind, to contribute or eXpend any
money or other valuable thing for
election expenses or to promote the
election of any candidate nominated
for any judicial office at any general
election or to defeat or prevent the
election of any candidate nominated
for any judicial office at any general
election"
The bill limits candidates for Su-
preme and Superior Courts to an ex-
penditure of $500 and other judicial
candidates to s1,500 at the regular
election. The bill further provides:
All such candidates nominated for
such offices shall. after the general
election and upon compliance with ex-
listing laws as to filing of expense ac-
| counts, be paid by the Commonwealth
! by warrants drawn by the Auditor
General such sum or sums as they
have expended at such general cleo
ton for election purposes"
Election Law Changes
The Republican organization bills
were presented by various senators.
One, presented by Senator Clark, Of
Erie, eliminates from the election laws
the provision permitting nomination of
candidates by nomination papers after
the primaries. This would compel
persons desiring to form new parties
TO do so before the primaries and
/ make their nominations in the pri-
! maries as all other parties are COM
PEELED to do.
A bill presented by Senator Patton,
of Philadelphia, provides that no va
cancy can be created on any ticket
after the primaries except through the
death of a candidate. These two bills,
therefore, would close the doors after
the primaries and make fusion i'm
| possible.
Nonpartisan Repeater
The bill repeating the nonpartisan
act or 1913 was presented by Senator
! Tompkins, Democrat, of Cambria
county. The act of 1918 provided for
the nomination and election of Judges
and officials in second class cities on n
nonpartisan ballot. The Tompkins bill
eliminates the entire act, therefore
compelling the nomination of Judges
! and officials in Pittsburgh and Scran-
| ton on party ballots.
Senator w. w. Smith, of PhiladeI-
phla, introduced Il bill providing that
Where there are two or more candi-
dates Tor the same office having the
same surname or similar surnames the
county commissioners on petition of
any one OF the cadidates filed not later
than five days after the last day for
| Ming nomination petitions to print the
Occupation OF the candidates under or
! opposite their names on the ballot.
Senator McNichol, of Philadelphia
| put in bill changing the registration
| days In first and second class cities i'm
odd-numbered years, when county and
) municipal elections are held. from the
tenth Thursday, Ninth Tuesday and
! eighth Saturday before election to the
ninth Thursday. eighth Tuesday and
eighth Saturday. This would merely
eliminate the registration day in Au-
gust and put all three days in Sep
| tember.
ONLY ONE "BROMO oIfTNTNE.