The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-06-01

factor TO be reckoned with in all
future elections.
The Direct Primary. or the Conven-
tion-Which?
Whether for good, or Ill, the tend.
ency Of both Of the two great politi.
cal parties is to go back TO the old
system Of the party convention as
means Of nominating candidates
for political office. In the State Of
New York, for the first time since
1912, candidates for State Offices,
this year, will be nominated in con-
vention, instead Of by direct pri.
mary. Candidates Tor United States
Senator in the Empire State will
hereafter receive their nominations
In the same way.
Both parties In the State Of Maine
have declared in their platforms that
they favor the convention rather than
the direct primary method Of max.
ing nominations.
Both in Kentucky and Minnesota.
in so far as State officers are con-
cerned, conventions are held; can
didates for the various places are
chosen and their nominations rec
commended TO the voters in the direct
primaries. Such a procedure, IN ef.
feet. invalidates the primary election
laws in each Of said states in so far
as state officers are concerned.
The above instances are cited
among many-just to show the
drift-the tendency Of the times.
Move to Limit Money Spending In
Elections
In 1910 Congress passed an Act
limiting to 5000. the amount Of
money any Congressional candidate
could legally spend in securing both
his nomination and election. This
applied to all candidates, both for the
United States Senate and the U. s.
House Of Representatives. Il was
known as the Federal Corrupt Prac
tees Act.
The Supreme Court Of the United
States recently decided in the now
famous Newberry case that Congress
had no constitutional power to enact
legislation limiting the expenditure
Of candidates, and. in effect, invali-
dating the Corrupt Practices Act of
1910. This threw the flood gates
wide open. There is nothing to limit
the amount Of money any Congress.
sional candidate can spend except his
conscience and the size Of his purse.
To remedy this situation, Members OF
the House Committee. on election of
President. Vice.President and Mem
bers Of Congress, both Democrats
and Republicans, unanimously decid.
ed, but day OF two ago. to proceed
to the construction and enactment
Of a bill prohibiting candidates for
the United States Senate from
spending, in both primaries and gen.
eral elections, more than $40. 1000.
Candidates for the United States
House Of Representatives, under the
terms Of the proposed measure, can
not legally spend more than $4,000
in both the primary and general cleo.
tions. This, however, does not in
clude money spent for stamps, sta.
tionery and money used for travelling
expenses, etc. There Is some doubt
expressed as to whether such a bill
will be passed in time to be applica-
BILE to this years primaries and gen
eral elections. In the event the
House Committee above referred To
should come to the conclusion that
such bill cannot be passed so as to
be constitutional, an effort will then
be made to amend the Constitution
Of the United States in order TO en-.
able Congress to pass the desired leg
islation. Without regard to party,
such Legislation is felt to be a neces.
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