New-York tribune., 1920-01-22
Cummings Says
Find Will Not
Be S2O,00O,OO0
Chairman of Democratic Ma.
tional Committee Denies
There Is a Plan to Raise
ANY Such Sum for Party
Answers Tribune Article
Advocates Raising as Much
Money as Is Needed bv
Popular Subscription

WASHINGTON. Jan. 21.-Homer s
Curmins. chairman Of the Demo
crsiic National Committee. who re-
turned TO Washington to-day, emphati
cally repudiated the statement recentlv
gwen currency that the Democratic
national organization was seeking to
raise sn abnormally large campaign
fund for the forthcoming Presidential
contest.
Mr.. Cummins made public the fol-
lowing letter sent by hm to the editor
Of The New York Tribune"
STANFORD, Conn. Jan. 10. 1920.
The Editor OF The New York Tribune:
Gentlemen: Nv attention has been
cslled to an editorial entitled The
High Cost Of Politics appearing in
The New York Tribune in it's issue of
January 14. IN the course Of the edi-
:orsl you state that the high cost
o. living Will receive another boost
if the Democratic National Committee
carries out Us plan to raise a fund of
S2oo00.00o for this years Presidential
campaign.
Again You say, any party which
should raise S2oo00,000 fund for the
election OF a President and Vice
N'eStuV"' """iu "e running dlrccCly
counter to American ideas of pro
priety. 1t would also challenge public
opinion, which is far more sensitive
now TO the use of money in politics
'hsn it was generation ago Again
you say at present public opinion IS
naturally skeDtlcal as to Mr.. Cum
mings'S ability to touch the Demo
cratic faithful for S20,OOo,oo0
"Ordinarily | take no notice of mis-
representations III the public press rel
alive TO the Democratic National Com
mittee and its purposes. but I am so
confident that The Tribune would not
desire TO do an intentional injustice
mat am moved to call Your attention
10 the misleading character of the
quotations above cited. At no time
and under no circumstances has the
chairman Of the Democratic National
Committee or any one else authorized
10 speak for the financial department
Of the committee made any statement
indicating that it was the purpose of
The Democratic National Committee to
raise a fund of S20OO0,0OO for this
Years Presidential campaign.
Curious Progress"
The committee does not entertain
any such ambitious purpose. Such
fund could not be raised and could
.ot be properly used if raised. 1t
would be gross impropriety to at
tempt to raise any such fund. I have
noted the curious progress Of this
story in the public press. In the be-
it was asserted by unfriendly
papers that we were intending to raise
2 slush fund of s5,o00,OOo.' A few
weeks elapsed and the story reap
peared, stating that we were intending
90 = n
and now | regret to find The Tribune
asserting that it is our purpose to
raise a campaign fund Of $4,000, ,OOO.'
Il shall not be surprised if, in a few
weeks, it is asserted that we are en-
deavoring to raise q campaign fund
OF s3O,00O,OOO, and so on up into the
ultimate realm Of absurdity. l hope.
however, that The Tribune will not
again be a party to this deliberate
attempt to mispresent the purposes
and the activities of the Democratic
National Comm ttee.
1T ought TO be we'll understood that
al! campaign contributions received or
disburscd by the national committee Of
either political party are made the sub
ject OF sworn returns, which have to be
n!ed II accordance with the provisions
Of the Federal law
The Democratic National Committee
has never in its history received or dis
blrsed as much as has the Republican
Committee, and when the
sworn returns Of both committees are
published in connection with the COM
;ng election it will be found that the
Republican National Committee has
again spent much more than has the
democratic National Committee.
Purposes Plain"
our purposes have been plain and
ohHI taxable. We seek only enough
sampalg gn Contributions to enable ia
% conduct legitimate campaign and