New-York tribune., 1920-07-29
Funds Puzzle
Managers of
Both Parties
Senate Inquiry a Bugaboo
to Treasurers as Collec-
ton of Campaign Finan-
ces Is Being Considered
Gun Shy Just at Present
Many Who Could Make
Large Contributions Hesi-
tate, Fearing Investigation
By Carter Field

WASHINGTON, July 2s.-With fresh
memories as to what happened to Wood
and Lowden, campaign managers of
both parties are between the devil and
the deep blue sea on the question of
financing their campaigns.
While leaders in each party protest
loudly that their own party has no
money but the opposition has plenty,
the real truth seems to be that neither
party has anything like the amount of
money; either on hand or in sight,
which It will require for an ordinary
campaign, such as that in 1915, for
instance, while both parties want to
make much more intensive and there
fore expensive campaigns than they
made four years ago.
The curious phase Of the situation
is that either party without very much
difficulty could get all the money it
needed. It is true that many men and
women who would be willing to make
large contributions have been scared
off by the publicity attendant upon
contributions tn the convention
campaigns, but there are plenty who
would not hesitate to give largely to
the Republican party, and far more
than are necessary on the Democratic
side, if the party managers made up
their minds to accept the contributions
and spend them.
Both Sides Are Gun Shy
But just as present both sides are
gun shy. Will H. Hays, for the Re-
publicans, has been making some
progress with his campaign for con-
tributions of not more than $1,000.
The ways and means committee, under
Colonel William Boyce Thompson, has
been working steadily gathering money.
AS was pointed out in The Tribune
last spring the Democrats had much
more elaborate scheme for raising
large campaign fund without its being
top-heavy with the sort of subscrip-
tions that Bernard M. Baruch, Charles
R. Crane and others made four and
eight years ago.
W. ~. oaNieSol, dSSlStoHt tledSulcI
of the committee, had three floors of
the Bond Building here crowded with
clerks and electric typewriters, rush
ing out letters asking not only for
contributions but for names of Demo
Gratis who ought to contribute, and
amounts they should be asked to give.
Remembering Mr.. Jamieson's perform
ance at money raising in 1916, espe
DrrI1 III ING
after election, when he pursued the
same chain-letter methods, his friends
predicted that he would raise any
where from 100000 to s2O,000,oO0
Frightened by Tribune Expose
This last figure, published in The
Tribune, threw thorough scare into
son was ordered to discontinue, the
swarm of clerks was dismissed and the
electric typewriters ceased. Several
weeks after the campaign had been
suspended Chairman Cummings of the
Democratic National Committee wrote
q letter to The Tribune expressing sur
prise and amazement that it should
have talked about any such absurd
sums being raised.
The bugaboo of the treasurers of
both parties is the Kenyon Committee
on campaign expenditures. This com
mittee made a sensation Of the Wood
and Lowden expenditures. No one
charged that any of the Wood money
was spent in any questionable man
ner The only objection made was to
the amount. Yet beyond the shadow of
doubt this exposure was one of the
elements which prevented the nomina-
ton Of Wood, really the choice Of the
Republican voters Of the country, in
the opinion Of many observers.
The revelations Of the committee
also prevented the nomination Of Gov
ernor Lowden, the real choice Of the
politicians Of the Republican party