The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-02
DRASTIC MEASURE
 ID PREVENT BIC
 CAMPAIGN FUNDS
Owen Bill Is Now Complete and Will Go Before the Senate at
 Once

F
 Washington, January 1.-Campaign con- tributions to a national political commit tee would be limited to IF cents per capita of the total population of the United States in the revised corrupt practices bill completed tonight by a subcommittee to be referred to the full committee tomorrow and placed before the Senate Wednesday,.
 Senators Reed, walsh and Kenyon drafted the bill collaboration with Sem ator Owen, author of the original meas ure, debated in the Senate at length before the holidays. Senator Owen said tonight leaders of both parties had agreed to expedite passage of a bill along the lines proposed.
 MILLION AND HALF LIMIT
 The per capita basis would limit total contributions to any national committee in a presidential campaign to approxi- mately s1500.000; no individual would be permitted to contribute more than $5O0O and contributions by corporations to any campaign fund would be. prohibited.
 Another important provision would pro hibit contributions to national com mittee within 10 days of a general elec- tion and require a complete report of contributions and disbursements to be filed with the clerk of the House of Rep Election betting and advertising of bet ting odds twould be made felony and drastic provisions are proposed with rela- tion to political advertising in news papers and other publications. The bill provides that any person or corporation or threatening to withdraw patronage advertising, or otherwise, from any publication for the purpose of in fluencing it's attitude shall be guilty of a felony. Newspapers or periodicals charging for political advertising in ex- cess of normal commercial advertising rates or refusing nonlbelous political offered at such rates when it opens it's columns to other po- litical advertising, would be denied the use of the mails for 30 days.
 NO FREE MATTER
 Further, the measure provides that no publication shall publish gratuitously any political matter during campaign ex- cept that written by it's own employees, unless the matter is signed by the real name of the author, and that no po- litical advertising matter intended to in- flatnce an election shall be published un- less marked as 'hand advertising mat ter,'' with the name of the candidate or committee presenting it attached
 Financial contributions to state and county political committees also would be limited on per capita population ba- sis State committees would be restricted to cents per capita up to the first 5O0,- 900 inhabitants, cents uE to the sec ond 100000. and cents per capita over the first million. County committees would be limited to cents per capita for the first 25,oOo cents per capita in excess of 25,O0O to 100000 and 1 cent above 100, ,ooO
 OTHER LIMITATIONS
 Candidates for United States senator and representative at large would be lirn- ited to campaign expenditures of $5000 each in states of less than 1000 600 popu- lation and not to exceed mills additional for each inhabitant in excess of 100000 District candidates for the House of Rep would be llmfted to an ex- penditure of s25Oo in all cases. Congress sional candidates, however. would not be required to account for personal expenses, which would include travelipe. hotel, pos tage, stationery, telegraph and telephone charges.
 The bill would limit all per1onal con tributions to a congressional or senatorial campaign to $1oo, and all ether individual political contributions to anything but a recommended political committee to ,5o It would be slnlawful for 2 eandidafe tc make promiseS of appoi ntnaept t6 I DO.