The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-11-25
CAMPAIGN SHOULD De
PUellcLY FINANCED
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had its day and should give way to
more modern, equitable and effaca-
cious plan for providing funds to
meet the necessary, legitimate ex-
penses of conducting political cam
paigns.
OF course, the debauching of cleo
tions by the use of money would be
subversive of good government and
would lead, sooner or later, to the
overthrow Of our system Of admins
rration. The party that would at
tempt to buy the elections as though
it were a purchasable commodity
would be reprobated by the people of
the country as unworthy to be trust
ed with power. Such a thing, we
are pleased to say, has never been
tried in the history of the nation, nor
it is believed that political morals
will ever descend to so low level .is
to permit such an endeavor to be
made. In the heat of party passion
it has sometimes been charged that
Tue oppoSltiOn hdS uoCu AhOhCy q
"slush fund" to buy votes and get
into power by debasing and dishonest
means, but such, in reality, has never
been the case.
The Republican party was recently
accused of having accumulated a
"slush fund.- of many millions of dol
lars to debauch the electorate Of the
country and get control Of the gov
ernment in opposition to the will of
the majority of the people, but the
charge was proven to be baseless
when an exhaustive investigation of
the matter was made by a federal
commission.
In a personally letter to The
Daily Record received a few days ago
from Will H. Hays, chairman of the
Republican national committee, he
says the presidential campaign this
year cost approximately s3,400,000
and that it did not have money
enough by s1,500.000 to meet its ex-
penditmes. Appeal will be made to
the Republicans of the country for
contributions to meet this deficit. The
presidential election OF 1916 cost the
900. 900. The Republican budget this
year, says Mr.. Hays, was originally
fixed at s3,079.O0O, but unexpected
developments during the closing
weeks of the campaign necessitated
a somewhat larger expenditure.
Most important in political value
to the party and to the country is that
this year there were more than $4,000
separate contributions to the Repub-
lican presidential campaign fund, to-
falling about s2,o00,o0o, continues
Mr. Hays. In 1916 the bulk of the
entire amount. he says, was sub
scribed by $50 people. Mr.. Has
concludes his letter by saying;
"The response to the appeal of the
national committee this year for smal
gifts was a source of qualification ani
satisfaction, not only to those entrust
ed with the management. OF the, cam
paign. but to Senator Harding and 10
Gov. Coolidge 1t means very murh
indeed If national campaigns can be
financed on this basis. We would have
been greatly pleased, naturally, had
it been possible to raise all the none
for our work before the e,ect,o Jby
the small gift method. This. how
ever. could hardly be expected. as|
this years undertakina was The first
real effo~t in that direction. know
the method Is light and am convinced
that every Republican wants Us 70
distribute the EXPENSE O. campaign
ing in this manners II ii can be done
at all. The success of the apreai ifI
universal small giving will be OF M
estimable benefit to the future Of the
party financing, and VIII go far 10
aiding our efforts T. place the bust
ness Of politics on the highest posi-
b 2 plane