Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-28
SATURDAY, AUGUST IS 1920.
Circulation Every 10z01
Evening Yesterday i OSOx
The Scandal of Campaign Funds.

Governor Cox, in his speech at. Pitts
burg. Thursday night, largely made good
his promise to reveal the character and
extent of the campaign fund the Repubii-
can National Committee is arranging to
collect and expend, He read a list which
DC said came from Republican headquar-
ters. showing quotas imposed upon fifty
one cities in twentyseven States, aggre-
eating SS.14O,OO0. This goes "A consider
able distance towards supporting his
general accusation that the fund was to
reach a total of about Sl5,0O0,OOo, as
there are twenty-one States, Delaware
among them, not included in his presen-
tation.
of course, Chairman Hays of the Re-
publican National Committee, immediate
IL challenged the correctness OF Governor
Cox's information, but the denial IS no
more than on all-fours with the accusation,
probably less in actual standing That
the committees of both the leading po-
litical parties will raise every dollar 1t
NAV be possible to raise, and eNpend the
receipts TO the best advantage, goes with
out saying.
II is fortunate for the country and the
cause of uncorrupted elections, however,
that the Senate committee TO investigate
campaign contributions is still in session.
1t is factional agency, set in motion by
Senator Borah of Idaho, a close friend OF
Senator johnson Of California, who be-
heved the moneyed interests were lavishly
supporting Governor Lowden Of Illinois
and General Wood for the Presidential
nomination. to the dangerous dlsadvan-
tage of his friend Johnson. And the reve-
Iations showed that money in large
amounts had been contributed to the
primary campaigns of these two asplrants
But now that the primary contests are
over. this committee may dig into the
subscription books Of the two national
committees and ascertain, at least APP
proximately, how much money each COM
mittee has in hand. or is likely to have as
the campaign progresses.
; Notwithstanding the stringent legisla-
ton of recent years, it seems Impe ssible to
free our elections, general and primary, OF
the curse of money corruption. Both
parties indulge In the nefarious practice,
but If is fact. and not q partisan claim,
-hat in playing this game the Republican
party has ever been able to ''see' It's chief
political opponent and go it one better
many times over. The offense is OF long
standing. first becoming into public
notoriety in the. campaign OF 1880, when
bid Steve Dorsey advocated the efficiency
of "soap" in attracting votes and advised
his henchmen in Indiana to divide the
fioaters into blocks Of FIVE. each block IN
command of a capable leader" His tao
tics helped to buy the State of Indiana
and the Presidency for the Republican
party.
The Democratic party miserably failed
in its efforts to compete with the Repubi-
can party in campaigns of corruption. 1t
always was opposed by the wealthy and
powerful bene6ciaries of the protective
tariff. out of whom the Republican party
agencies regularly fried the fat,
according to one witty manager OF the
election boodlers. The Democratic party
raised all the money it could, but was
compelled to be conspicuously virtuous by
reason of poverty.
Here in Delaware, however, the Demo-
cratic party can lay claim TO a positive, ex-
istent, commendable virtue In this re-
spect. For years it INDUCED in vote-buy-
ing in Kent and Sussex counties, until
Addicks came along and showed Demo-
cratic corruptionists what "pikers" they
were at the miserable business And what
our elections have been since is familiar
history. The Democratic beodlers simply
could not compete with the huge Re
publican corruption funds, II
And so in 1906, the Democratic party
came out boldly and openly in opposition
TO the employment of money corruptly at
elections in this State. As an organization
it was adhered righteously TO this wise
and decent policy ever since. and while |
individual Democrats may have trans
gressed, there is no evidence that they |
ever did any considerable amount Of in
jury. This year the chairman Of the /
Democratic State Committee publicly re-
quested the chairman of the Republican |
State Committee to join with him in a
pledge to stand resolutely against bribery |
and corruption at the election, but |
the chairman Of the Republican State |
Committee refused to sign the proffered |
Joint agreement to this effect
When the Democratic party of Della |
ware becarse publicly virtuous, in 1906.
number of public-spirited citizens, de-
Birous Of lifting the odium of vile election
corruption from the State, formed an