Arizona republican., 1919-12-01
The Newberry Case

where there is much smoke there is some fire. That somebody guilty of violation of both the state and corrupt practices act in the Michigan senatorial primary and election there never any serious dispute. It well known that the campaign managers of both Senator Newberry and Henry Ford were spending money like drunken sailors; that their expenditures far beyond the s1OO00 allowed by the federal act to nothing of the paltry and con- trolling allowed by the state law everybody knew The advertnsing alone the cost of which is included in the limited expenditure, was far in of the amount allowed by law. The bureau maintained by Mr Ford could not have been kept up for anywhere near that amount And, no doubt if he had been elected his expenditures would have been investigated IS MT. Newberry's have been.
 There was we believe, suspicion that money was being spent corrupty in behalf of Mr. Ford Only an expensive propaganda carried on The state was overrun with agents of MT. Newberry, in whose behalf said that their activity required to avert disaster to Michigan and the United States senate The later developments of the Tribune libel suit rather justified the extraordinary activities 4 the Newberry agents far they then publicly understood
 t But nothing justify the corruption of voters " the use of money in any other way That is ~ deadly a blow at institutions bolshevism could level It is wonder that the nation so stood against corruption before for it's prevention ehacted.
 We are not assuming that there has been such e9fruption. There is frequently a wide difference between the charges set out in indictment andthe farts We have in mind too, the investigation started in the fsera courts of New York after .ha cleo ton The sarges of corruption were thefr Vague the attack being chiefly directed against alleged excessive expenditures At theecse of it onE qne thing seemed Id have been established aGd that was political move designed to wipe out tKs slender republican majority in the senate.
 t This is 8 matter though, in which politics should nat be considered. If the election of Mir. Newberry w3s procured by corruption and fraud 1t should be ssf aside If he had guilty knowledge of the fraud thd corruption he should be punished as the law prpvides. If he had such knowledge those who were guilty, if there fraud and corruption, be- punished and the election of Mir. Newberry should be declared void for the fruit of fraud cannot be per mitted to be enjoyed It is much more important that elections should be honest, than that either party should dominate.
 As to what may be the outcome of the charge of excessive expenditures, it is hard to say The amount allowed by the federal act to be legitimatey spsnt, in many cases, is wofully inadequate While M s1oo0O is unnecessarily large in a small one sided state, it Is too small sum in large populous and closely contested state. This was arrived tswithout much thought and with equally little S thought the limitations of campaign expenditures have been more often than not. disregarded.
 We have seen how little attention has been paid to the corrupt practice act of this state for instance in every election since the act became law
 If MT. Newberry should remain in the senate through the stigma of having had too much money spent legtmately" for his election, he will not feel that he is marked man among senators whose cleo ton expenses have been confined within legal pre- scriptions.