The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-03-22
By BERTRAM D. WOLFE.

The national committee of the re-
publican party admitted and swore
to an expenditure of over eight mil
lions dollars to elect Harding pres
ident of the United States. The dem
ocratic party admitted an expendi-
ture of $2,237,777. In 1924, the re-
publicans confessed to an expenditure
of $6,627,000.
If we put the expenditures of the
two capitalist parties in the sham
battle between them, and in the in
terests of the capitalist system and
of Wall Street, at so million, we will
be making an extremely conservative
estimate.
Where Do They Get the Money?
The newspapers of the last few
days have revealed some very inte-
resting answers to the question as
to where the capitalist political par
ties get their funds. There is an old
American proverb to the effect that
she who pays the fiddler calls the
tune" Who is it that pays the fid-
der?
Certainly no corporation gives a
penny to the election of a candidate
for president! The law takes care of
that. In order to fool the voters as
to the source of funds, a bill was
passed in 1907, making it unlawful
for any national corporation or ma
tional bank to contribute money for
purposes of election. This smart law
is not to prevent Wall Street from
contributing, but rather to cover up
the contributions by the thinnest of
fig-leaves. Thus Doheny and Sinclair
contributed money, of course as Sin
dividuals," while their corporations
gave not cent. Roosevelt was able
to denounce a supposed offer of a
hundred thousand dollars from the
Standard Oil Company while the
treasurer Of his party's campaign
fund could take one hundred thous-
and dollars from H. H. Rogers, of
course as an individual" who was
one of the officers of the Standard
Oil Company. Another convenient
element in this, is that corporation
can contribute to both parties through
two chief officers.
The ''Virtuous'' Democrats.
However, they are often careless.
Doheny and Sinclair contributed to
both parties, and while the democrat
ic party is working itself into a
frenzy of indignation about Sinclair's
republican contribution, they keep
very quiet about their own receipts
from the same source.
Some people imagine that the dem
ocratic party is much better than the
republican in this respect, because it
does not raise such big campaign
funds and does not receive as much
from the corporations. The correct
answer to this is that as far as the
democratic party is concerned, "the
spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak" If they get less from the Wall
Street bankers and corporation own
ers, it is not because they do not try
as hard, but rather because it is gen
orally safe for Wall Street to give a
smaller share to the democrats, be-
cause it is betting on the republicans
to win the presidential election. How
ever, it plays safe and buys both
candidates and both party machines,
lest it should be surprised by an up
set in the presidential returns.
We have this little confession by
prominent democrat, published by
Arthur w. Dunn in his book "From
Harrison to Harding This confess
sion was made after the nomination
of Judge Alton B. Parker, thoroughly
acceptable to Wall Street, by the
democratic party in 1904, and the
ditching of the less acceptable VIII
liam Jennings Bryan, who made him
self persona non grata with Wall
Street by his espousal Of the free
silver issue in his first presidential
campaign.
1--WE had been promised a campaign