Evening star., 1921-05-08
CONGRESS MEMBERS
FOR AN AMENDMENT
Regulation of Expenditures in Primaries
and Elections Sought by Senator'S
Kenyon, Johnson and Borah.

Supreme Court is that of June -.
1910, and amended the following year.
Views Of Senators.
Senator Hiram Johnson of Cali
fornia. republican, is one of the lead
ers in the movement to bring about
a constitutional amendment which
would give Congress the power to
enact law dealing with campaign
expenditure. not only in the case of
senators and representatives, but in
the case of presidential electors. He
is preparing such an amendment to
the Constitution and will offer it at
an early date. Other republican sem
ators who have this matter at heart
include Senators Borah Of Idaho and
Senator Kenyon of Iowa. Senator
Kenyon, as chairman of the Senate
Investigating committee. may propose
a constitutional amendment: Senator
Borah is inclined to give the right of
way to Senator johnson in the mat
ter Of Offering the proposed constitu-
tional amendment.
1t is the opinion of Senator Borah
and the others that it will be possible
to have the proposed constitutional
amendment adopted by Congress and
ratified by the states fairly. promptly.
They believe that the country's at
tention has been directed to the need
of legislation curbing political cam
paign expenditures in no uncertain
terms. and that public opinion will
back up the demand for the amend
ment.
In the opinion of Senator Borah. it
will bt possible to make the desired
amendment to the Constitution by
merely inserting phrase which
would make it clear that Congress
should have the power to make or
alter regulations relating TO primary
elections. as well as elections of sena-
tors and representatives. and should
have the power to regulate SO far as
may be necessary the election of
presidential and vice presidential
electors.
Making Amendment Effective.
But once the proposed constitutional
amendment has been ratified, Con-
Eress will have a man size job on its
hands. 1t will have to frame the legis-
Iation to carry the amendment into
effect 1t will take a wise man to say
what shall be the limit upon campaign
expenditure in presidential elections,
which must cover the entire country
But the proponents of such legislation
are not daunted by the difficulties
that confront them. and believe that
an equitable bill can be drafted. Cn-
doubtedly, full publicity of all cam
paign expenditures, in primaries as
well as in the elections proper. will be
one effective way of dealing with the
matter-the publicity to come during
the campaigns, and not alone after
the elections have been held.
1t is true that the Supreme Court
5-to-4 decision in the Newberry case
was concurred in by Associate Justice
McKenna, with the reservation that
had the corrupt practices act OF
1901 been enacted after the adop-
tion of the seventeenth amendment to
the Constitution providing for the di-
rect election of senators instead of
by the state legislatures, the consti-
tutionality of the act might have been
upheld. He did not say. however.
that he would have upheld it. So the
senator's feel that the best way of
dealing with the situation is to amend
the Constitution. rather than to at
tempt further legislation now. with
the hope that Justice Mckenna might
cast the balance of power on the side
! of the constitutionality of the corrupt
nractices act