Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-09-02
LAWS GOVERNING
CAMPAIGN FUNDS
ARE INADEQUATE.
Ry DAVID LAWRENCE

the investigation OIL campaign finance
by sne United States senate has re-
vealed thus far and probably all that
it ever will reveals that the laws
of the United States and the indi-
vidual states do not adequately pro-
tect the American people against
corruption.
Both the Republican and Demo
cratic leaders who have testified
make it clear that there is no way
inside the states for national pur-
poses either by organizations ostensi-
ply independent of the regularly
formed political committees of the
Hughes alliances of 1916, or the
Anri-Saloon league or the liquor deal
ers' associations or any other insti-
tutions interested in electing or de-
fcating the candidates of the differ
ent parties.
firing national chairman of the DEM
ocrauc committee, nor Will Hays, the
Republican chairman, was willing to
impute motives of corruption to his
respective political foes and while
Chere was an occasional colloquy
that seemed for the moment sharp,
the best of feeling and good nature
characterized the investigation. One
almost got the impression that the
Republicans and Democrats who Or
SdnILSu the WOuIu breathe
sigh of relief if laws were enacted
to prevent independent organizations
from doing things which the national
committees today are powerleSs TO
prevent being done either in the
name of Republicanism or Democ-
racy. Indeed, Senator Spencer, Re-
publican, asked Homer Cummings to
make some suggestions of possible
legislation that would purify cleo
tions and he indicated that It
wouldn't take him and VIII Hays
long to draft such proposals based
on their respective experiences.
Cummings Gives Views
Mr.. Cummings was very useful
to the Republican senators who drew
from him frank answers concerning
. in federal and state organizations. In
the first place, Mr.. Cummings say
nothing wrong with Will Hays
budget of 100000, but said he be-
q lieved anything much beyond that
would be "manifestly excessive" He
suggestion, seconded by Will Hays.
that everything had practically dou-
bled in cost since the 1916 campaign
and that if both Democrats and Re-
publfcans spent two and half MIL
lion dollars in that year it would
more than that this time. Mr.. Cum
mings said that he believed an add1-
: ton of 100000 this year to the
/. Democratic fund of $2,30O,OOO in 1916
would be an adequate estimate. Sor
; 1920 for either party.
Pressed for his line of reasoning.
the Democratic leader brought out
significantly that, much money is
+ wasted in advertising and in other
directions in the last weeks of
earlier or by competent persons
would mean economy of a quarter of
a million of dollars. He implied thai
!. efficiency and the benefits of express
. slons would more than make up IN
economies what the rise in costs of
supplies today would entail.
Senator Reed jumped back into the
Democratic party again and cross
examined witnesses from the view
point of Governor Cox. For instance.
he compelled Will Hays to admit
that while the Republican national
committee had nothing to do directly
or indirectly with the publication by
William Barnes, of New York. of a
republican campaign book, neverthe
less that volume for which some of
the largest corporations in the United
States had subscribed liberal sums
OF money was a Concurrent" effort
that helped the Republican campafgn
just as any other political propa-
ganda. But Republican senators were
quick to suggest that this might
H.
out the power of the Democratic
leaders to stop such an ENTERPRISE.
Hays Explains
Ihe examination of all witnesses
revealed how little value attaches fo
the certificates filed bv the nationaI
committees of both parties showing
campaign expenditures. While In
many instances the national organi-
cation acts as a collection agency for
STATE committees and actually turns
pack large sums of money for state
uses, both Mr.. Hays and Mr.. Cun-
mings developed the fact that nobody
Knows how much the state commit
tees collect for use inside the states
without making a statement of any
sort to the national organizations.
M. Hays denied absolutely that the
quotas which Governor Cox has said
were set for fifty-one cities totaling
more than $8,00O,000 were the Repub-
llcan figures. He refused to give the
exact quotas, leaving that to Fred
w. Upham to supply. In reply to
questions about several states or
cities Mr.. Hays professed not to re-
member single quota All he would
say was that Governor CoX's alleged
quotas were false Mr.. Hays would
only admit this much:
Eat different periods different quo
tas have been suggested by the treas
urer's office as tentative goals in diff
ferent states, and the state commit
tees themselves have fixed different
quotas. These are changing constant
ly and always, of course, were made
very much higher than the amount
either necessary or anticipated: The
fact is, quotas mean very little"
Some of the Democratic leaders
afterwards said Will Hays argument
on quotas would prove troublesome
to the Republicans after this investi-
cation was concluded for it was not
,1o Il %1,,O
line of reasoning adopted by Senator
Harding and Chairman Good, of the
house committee on appropriations,
who base much of their praise for the
last Republican congress on the state
ment that congress cut down by at
least two billion dollars the quotas
Or estimates made by the ten govern
ment departments of the sums they
wanted to get from congress. The
departments always do what Mr.
Hays said his committee did-they
ask for more than they expect to get.
He saws the mere asking for large
quotas isn't of importance. It's the
amount actually raised or authorized
: to be spent. Mr.. Hays declares his
: budget does not authorize an eXpendl-
-ture of more than $3,076;O00. That's
the sum his bureaus are permitted to
appropriate though only about a mil
lion dollars in cash actually has
been turned in. In other words, the
democrats row twit their opponents
by saying that even if Governor Cox
doesn't prove that eight or fifteen
million dollars in quotas have been or
shall have been spent, he ought to
get credit for saving the rank ana
file of the Republican party the diff
ference between a budget of $1,000
I. OOG and what might otherwise have
szbeen insisted upon IN the way OF
quotas in excess of that sum.
: In a nutshell, if Governor Cox
wanted to throw a monkey wrench
~1into the Republican financial cam
Spaign simply because the Democratic
effort to raise money has been fail
Eure thus far, he may succeed, but so
t1far as proving either corruption,
actual or intended. or the expenditure
:of excessive. sums, his own support