Arizona republican., 1916-10-07
CRIMINAL LAW
 BEING EVADED BY COLLECTORS
Special to The Republican,

AOPCCidi lO ne thGDuDiCSnj NEW YORK. Oct. 6.-Carefully pre- pared plans for the national democratic executive committee to extort a cam paign fund of several millions from federal officeholders in violation of the spirit of the criminal code and of the civil service act were disclosed at re- publican national headquarters today. The plans purpose the raising of the huge fund for the reelection of Presi- dent Wilson.
 The framers of the plan are perfectly aware of the fact that they are skating on very thin ice and have tried to di
 rect the procedure of their subor- dinates so as to enable them to enact substantial violation of the law with
 out being caught. The men who are endeavoling to put the plans in opera ton boldly confess to the subordinates upon whom they rely for the actual strong arm work, that they are delib- eretely seeking to evade the stautorv
 proVlslons to which, in public and for purposes of campaign argument only.
 they make such prOfuse profession of devotion.
 The first drive of cash collectors for the democratic committee is aimed at postmasters, but it is specifically set forth that all other federal appointees as well are expected to contribute to the Wilson campaign fund The amount oI the levy upon them is ten per cent or one years salary
 The pOstoffice appropriation hill an- proved by President Wilson JuIv 2Sfb last. carries an item flor compensation to postmasters, $31,000 000. .0O0." If the democratic bagmen are only reasonbIy
 successful in holding up postmasters they can expect to accumulate q fuDd
 or many hundreds of thousands of dollars. If not millions, from the post masters alone. and this takes no ac-
 count of the many thousands of feder- al appointees whom these plans of inc democratic campaign committee make specifically subject to the visit of the 1 bagman.
 The democratic framers of these | plans for eXtOrting Wilson camDair7, funds from federal officeholders II1fjer- stand exactly the very delicate legal ! situation of their scheme. They are careful to set forth in the instructions 10 the strongarm squad the fact that or course this IS not compulsory obviously meaning that it is not legally
 compulsory-but they proceed to state [ that they are informed that there is to 1 De permanent organization of our | force throughout the country" This | permanent organization is to keen tab 1 on the federal officeholders. A record
 IS to be made ''of the loyalty" of those | appolntees who contribute. and of the
 dlsloyaIty' of those federal office holders who decline to contribute to | the Wilson campaign fund. Of course i there is no compulsion about a p-o- | ceeding like this. This merely noti- ] lies federal officeholders on the au- | thOrlty of the national democratic ax-
 ecutlve committee, that if they do not
 contribute ten per cent of a years
 salary to the Wilson campaign fund they will be marked down by the Will 1 son permanent organization as dis ! loyal
 The instructions to the strong arm ] squad go ahead to point out that it is l a violation of the civil service law to 1 write letter to postmaster demand | ing money for campaign purposes or l to call upon the postmaster in the 1 postoffiee and ask for a subscription 10 the campaign fund The strong 1 arm squad are directed, therefore. to
 avoid writing to federal appointees or
 calling upon them in their offices but
 are advised to seek private appoint
 ments with the federal officeholders:
 to find them at their homes or to catch
 them when they are temporarily off
 the job. With this explanation of the legal difficulties in their way the
 strong arm squad are admonished to
 proceed intelligently along these lines"
 and to cOntriVe in a legal way to solicit
 the federal officeholders.
 There are several sections of the
 federal statutes the spirit of which, If Continued on Page Two)