Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-23

primaries. now under investigation by
a committee of Congress. have SET the
entire country to talking. Was SeCre-
tary Mellon right when he said the
expenditures were legitimate? Is there
greater corruption in primaries or in
conventions? Whist should he done
about campaign expenses? These are
the questions presented.
What is PENNSYLVANIA going 10
do about IT." asks the Philadelphia
Evening Bulletin independent Repuh-
licanD. There are runners that the
Senate will he so affrOnted by the I'M
Writ practices Of Pennsylvania
that il will refuse 10 seat MIR. Ware.
| The rumOr Is altogether unlikely. al
though il may not he impossible. But
the Senate NAV he expected to he stir
| red TO some action for the more rigid
| control Of political expenses. If only to
meet certain and insistent public
sentiment" The Pittsburgh Gazette
Times Republican, similarly says that
limiting expenditures of candidates
| by law would. in large degree, prevent
| the situation of which complaint is
now Justly made with respect 10 our
! recent primary" but this paper adds
"A cure OF the condition complained Of
can he effected only by the people
| themselves taking a proper interest in
+. the Select1On OF can0l0ateS ana the
| election of public officers
| In view OF what happened in Penn
| sylvania. the Altoona Mirror dnde-
| pendenU thinks the Newberry en-
| pendit ure was modest" and that the
| extent to which money was used in
| this State is beginning TO stir the
people" Legal justification is found
| by the Philadelphia Inquirer for eX-
penses running into enormous totals y
and the Inquirer concludes that the
practical working out of the primary
system discourages men of moderate
means from becoming candidates.
The Pittsburgh Sun independent Dem
ocratic) wants to know. IF such vast
expenditures are necessary TO main
tain political organizations. are such
political orga nizations worth Continu
ing or should they he endured"
Observing that the people had
great direct popular primary. but
money talked the Worcester Tele
gram Republican, declares the eX.
penditure may be perfectly lawful
but it is sea ndalous." Reaction against
the Republican party already Is seen
| by the Providence Journal Gndepend-
ent).
THAT money is an Investment, and
| il it did not pay dividends it would
not be put ont" states the Fort Worth
| Record Telegram independent Demo-
cratic. while the Hartford Times Tin
dependent Democratic). asking wheth-
er Big Business IL 80 stand beyond
F; the reach of the peoples control
| through the polls" asserts: That is
| the logical end of the free money cleo
| ton idea. There is serious difficulty
| in getting rid Of a condition which
all admit is bad. vet none have seen
clearly how satisfactorily to avoid"
| Quoting the statement of Secretary
| Mellon--"I believe that the Senate
committee will find all of the expendi.
lures legitimate and essential"-the
Milwaukee Journal Gndependent Of
| fers the comment There's nothing
left but money. That is what Mr.. Mel
! Ions words mean. If that is true, we
are rushing 10 tragedy. This is going
to make Brookharts and La Follettes
and men who will go farther than
| these radicals ever have gone" The
| Louisville Courier. Journal Demo
| era tic) contends that mfr. Mellon is
| too logical a thinker to have meant
! that q primary could not be conducted
at less expense. II is perfectly pos
| sible." continues this paper. Ito hold
a primary election without the eX-
! penditure Of single penny by any
! ca ndidate. His point was that il takes
more money 10 do the "a me thing by
| the primary method than by conven-
| ton
!
THE hard fact is" says the syria.
cuse Herald independently. that in
! the city Of Pittsburgh alone the
| total number Of paid watchers was
more than $4,000. From this It must
| he inferred that at least one Repub
| lican voter in every four or Ave had
/ to he trailed IN the interests of politi
cal honesty. or else that the watcher
system is a convenient method of
rounding out the patriot guardians
themselves for a. good cause and set
Ting with them in advance" The
Baltimore Evening Sun independently
quoting the statement from the
Pepper Fisher side that its money
was as legitimately used as money
given to a church." declares that
somehow the effort to hattie Mr..
Pepper in the perfume of sanctity
produces a stencil inclined to promote
active nausea"
THE State primary has been tried
and found disfnally wanting" insists
the Cincinnati Times-Star Republi-