Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-05
BIG-FUND CHARGES
NOTNEW IN POLITICS
Corruption Stories Plenty in History of
Presidential Campaigns Of Yore.
Had Little Effect.

against the republican party. This i.
what Judge Parker hoped in. 1904
what Bryan hoped in 1896 and 1900.
The last big row over campaign ex.
| penditures was in the case of Sen.
ator Truman Newbeery Of Michigan
in his campaign against Henry Ford
for the Senate two years ago. There
money which candidates for the Sen
ate and House may give or cause te
be given and expended-in the case OF
a senator 1t is $4,000. and in the
| case Of a representative it is $1,000
And Senator Newberry's case is in the
hands of the courts. an inferior court
already having convicted him.
1919 Outburst sim Fresh.
Before that, and not so long ago
but what it may still be fresh in the
minds of many. was the outburst in
1912, when the late Col. Roosevelt.
then candidate for the presidency on
the bull moose ticket, allowed that
the republicans wnre going to buy the
election, and the republicans replied
in kind. charging that George w. Per-
kins of the harvester trust had pour
ed out millions to bring about the
nomination of Col. Roosevelt on the
republican ticket. and failing that had
turned the spigot on to put the third
party into power. It was grand
row. And in those days, as today,
subcommittee Of the Senate commit
tee on privileges and elections was
called upon to investigate the whole
matter. What the committee did. and
what it developed, are matters OF con-
siderable interest in view OF the sit
uation today, which il not unlike that
Of eight years ago.
In the first place. the resolution au-
thorizing the Senate committee to
make an Investigation was put
through before the national conven-
tons. just as was the case this year,
but it was put through at the instance
of Senator Culberson of Texas. DEM
ocrat. Now Senator Culberson was
confident that the republicans had
bought and paid for number OF
presidential elections: He had been
striving for an investigation of cam
|paign funds and contributions in the
elections of 1904 and 1908 ever since
June. 1911. He knew that a national
election was due in 1912, and he did
not want the republicans to repeat
any purchasing acts. il they had been
successful in earlier years. 1t was
not until April. 1912. that his resolu-
ton was finally adopted and the sub
committee appointed. 1t was about this
time that things began to warm up In
the pre-convention campaign. with
Roosevelt and Taft looking for the
republican nomination.
In a speech in-the Senate urging
the adoption Of his resolution Senator
Culberson quoted from an article in
the New York Times, upon which
he set great store. to the effect that
in the campaigns of 1896 the demo-
cratic fund had been 100000 and the
republican $4,000. 900; in 1900 the dem
ocratic fund had been 100000 and
the republican 100000. and that In
1904 the democratic fund had been
$500 600, while that of the republican
marty had reached the stupendods
4total of $11,000.000. He said that In
the 1908 campaign the democratic fund
had been $620,s44. as compared to w.
6G5,518 for the republicans
Prominent Men Summoned.
About every one OF prominence in
the republican, democratic and bull
moose parties was summoned De1ope
the investigating Committee. inciud-
ing Col. Roosevelt. Judge Parker.
George b. Cortelyou. Charles b
Hilles, Frank n. Hitchcock and other
leaders in the three campaigns. for
the investigation was, Of course, ex-
tended so as to cover the campaign
of 1912, which was then on.
It was testified under oath that the
funds collected by the republicans in
1904 were approximately $1.S0o.ooo.
, which is considerably shy Of the $11,-
600, 900 mark alleged. The democrats
! admitted to 100000. In 1908 the
democratic national committee col
lected a total Of $620.644, and the re-
publican national committee. $1,134,-
1872. When the 1912 collections were
testified to early in 1918, before the
Senate committee, it was shown that
the republican national committee
had collected $1,076.3s1. the demo-
cratic nationaa> committee $1.159.446
and the bull moose national commit
tee, $676,672. So the democrats had
for once forged into the lead in the
amount of contributions to the ma
tional committees, but this was due
perhaps to the fact that the repub-
licans had split into two parties.
Charges were made, particularly by
| Charles D. Hilles, the republican
campaign manager, that the Roose-
welt followers had expended two or
three million dollars in The precon-
vention campaign to win the colonel
the republican nomination. In the
testimony 1t was developed that
something like 100000 had been con-
tributed to bring about Roosevelte
1 nomination.
| 1t remains to be seen whether an
effort will be made after the elections
and Congress reassembles to put a
limit to the funds that may be col
lected and expended in a national
election-an election for President
and Vice President. There Is un-
doubtedly not little sentiment In
favor of such a limit. But an effec-
tive law is difficult to frame in the
EXTREME law which would be Just
to all parties.
L
| Cash Easier to Hear.