Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-08-31
SENATE COMMITTEE FAILS TO GET DATA
 ON BIG C. O., P.FUND
Hays and Cummings Fail to Reveal Any Facts
 OnIt
HAYS SAYS G. 0. P. WILL
 SPEND $3,0O0,0OO
Republican Leader Declares That As Early as July of 1919 Democrats Had An Elaborate Fund-Gath-
 ering System

Chicago. Aug. 3O.-The Senate com mittee Investigating campaign fund expenditures hunted today for the trail of the $15,0O0,OO0 fund which Governor Cox charged the republi- can party was seeking in an "attempt to corrupt the American electorate and buy the presidency" Will H lHays republican national chairman land Homer s. Cummins, until July i20, the democratic national chair tman, were examined at length, but neither threw any light on the report ed $15,OO0,OOO fund.
 The committee also heard Repre- isentative M. D.. Flood of Virginia chairman of the democratic congress Islonal campaign committee, and for mer Representative Joseph l.. Rhi- mock of Kentucky, treasurer of the |committee.
 The outstanding points in the maze )of figures through which the con- mittee struggled were:
 Testimony by MT. Hays that the re- publican natioal committee budget for the presidential campaign call ed for expenditure of $,O79, ,O37 20 Declaration by MT. Cummings that for allowing the increased cost ot printing, clerical hire, rents, trans portation and all the necessities of 8 national campaign, a committee should be able to stage flair, decent and stiff campaign with reasonable pub licity" for $2,000,OOO.
 With that amount of money, he said, the national chairman need no, worry over finances.
 MT. Hays also testified the republi- can national committee was seeking to raise approximately $1,OOO,OOO tc be donated to the various state com. mittees for their local campaigns making total of slightly more than $4,000,000 in the republican campaign for all purposes.
 MT. Cummings declared he believ- ed this amount was excessive and pointed to the 1916 campaign, say ing that he learned his home state of Connecticut the republicans spent $25O,O0O in that year. He consider ed this was too much for common wealth of that size.
 eff you let the state committee run wild," he said, "you get an accumulat- ed expenditure which in itself is an outstanding evidence of corrupt pur- pose. l suggest that this is just what is going to happen with the republi- cans this year."
 No Monopoly on System.
 Has either party any monopoly in this practice?" asked Senator Edge
 "There is no monopoly upon the system," rejoined MT. Cummings, "but there is no doubt about the republi- can success in that direction"
 Both MT. Hays and MT. Cummings refused to discuss details of their committee financing, asserting that as chairmen they had only a general knowledge of such subjects and that the books and records of the commit tee treasurers would have to be re- lied upon in that respect.
 Neither chairman knew of any large individual contributions and MT. Hays was rather positive that the republican plan to limit individ- 'ual gifts to $1,0OO was being carried out successfully. He knew of thir- ty-eight exceptions to the rule, the largest being for 5000, two for $5,- 900, each, and the other thirty five for lesser amounts.
 MT. Cummings explained to the committee that the organization ot
 (Continued on Page Six)