Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-19

Nearly everybody seems to favor full
publicity concerning political campaign
funds, but there are various and differ
ing opinions as to the suggestion of
Senator Capper of Kansas that each
party be required to keep its total fund
for presidential campaign within
$4,000 900 and that individual contribu-
tions be limited to 81, 900.
Serious doubt as to the need of
substantial war chest Is raised by the
Akron Beacon journal Republican, :,
which says of the "oratorical batteries"
of the campaign: mot one In a thou
sand will have any message that could
not be cleaned from an almanac There
will be no wit, no grace. no thought in
the vast stream of bilge and bunk that
they will all loose on an unhappy land.
yet out over the country these Doors
will be sent to preach platittidinous
piffle at the proper charge and cost of
those credulous souls who have not yet
learned that II not a dollar were spent
the result would be just about the same.
OF course, nothing will be
done about it. Each four years it viii
get worse until perhaps some day there
may come an awakening to the idea
that if politicians want to play this
game let them pay for the show"
As to moderate gifts" the Newark
Evening News independently suggests
that what is small for one man Is large
for another" and that conscience
and good sense are the best guides"
The Newark paper advises: 1T is be-
yond reason to expect that either party
will succeed entirely in an irreproach-
able MANAGEMENT of its finances. Still,
II Is. a goc mark to shoot at. and it
will be more easily nit If the public
understands the problem" The Water
Jury Republican independent Republic
cam feels certain that adoption OF Mr..
Capper's suggestions by Mr.. Work and
his associates would be move both for
greater efficiency and for cleaner poll
ties"
Our experiment In government, as the
matter appears TO the Heloit Daily News
Republican,. lis liable TO serious warp
ing under the weight of too great
money power in politics" while the
indianapolis News independently de-
clares' Senator Capper has set up an
ideal plan. The fact that IL has been
tried time and again, generally without
success, should not argue against It's
trial again." and the Kalamazoo Ga
zette independently agrees that lit is
In every way commendable and deserv-
ing of fair trial"
-
1.-THE plan carries no remedy" asserts
the Nashville Banner independently
However. the remedy lies In the moral
Sense of the committees In charge of
the campaign" The Schenectady Ca
sette independent Democraticl believes
that our elections are conducted more
and more honestly every year, that
we have made big strides in the right
direction within the past 40 years or SO.
Probably the most sensible sugges-
ton" in the Judgment of the Pitts
burgh Post-Gasette tRepublicanl. lis
that complete accounting Of receipts
and disbursements be rendered at vari-
GUS stages of the campaign and made
public prior to the election" Full pub
lioity is Endorsed also by such papers as
the New York Evening Post (independ.
entl the Des Moines Tribune CAPITAL
tindependent Republican, and Column
bus Ohio State Journal (Republicanl,
III the treasurer refuses every con.
trihution. small or large, for which
corrupt consideration Is demanded, he
has done his fun duty to the party and
the Nation" In the opinion Of the San
Francisco Chronicle independently
while the Charleston Evening Post tin-
de" sndent Democraticl describes both
the individual and the party limits as
arbitrary with the suggestion that a
thousand dollars to the average indi-
vidnal" would appear TO be "a sood
deal Of money 10 chip into the political
pot, but II Wouldn't mean anything 10
Henry Ford or Andrew Mellon" The
Post concludes, There Is lot of time
and energy wasted on thss subject Of
eAnDairn monies II will ennaA Y,rAttv
close to regulating itself In any event,
and efforts To control II by law don't
seem to accomplish much"
u
Because Of State expenditures the
syracuse Herald independently thinks
the aggregate volume can only be