Evening star., 1930-12-03
A Proper Course.


The Senate yesterday recognized the
potency of the credentials issued by
sovereign State" to its elected repre-
sentative. BY vote of So to q it voted,
in effect. to permit James ]. Davis to
be sworn in as Senator Of the United
States, after his credentials of election
had been presented in due form. This
action by the Senate viii be applauded
generally. The applause will not, how
ever, indicate that the country approves
large expenditures In senatorial cam
paigns, either to win nomination or
election. It does not. But there is
sane manner In which to deal with prob
lens Of large expenditure on the part
Of senatorial candidates, without en-
croaching upon the rights Of State
to send to the Senate the Senators it
may choose at the polls.
The Nye Committee, appointed by the
Senate to investigate senatorial cam
paign expenditures, has served a useful
purpose. It has brought to the atten-
ton of the country huge expenditures
by some of the candidates who sought
Office. Doubtless it has acted in other
instances as restraining force upon
other large expenditures which might
have been made to influence elections
this year. When the chairman Of the
committee, acting presumably with the
approval Of majority of the commit
tee, yesterday requested Senator Davis
to stand aside and not take the oath of
Office until the committee had more
time in which to investigate supple
mental reports of campaign expenditures
in the Pennsylvania primary held last
Spring, there was an overstepping of the
bounds Of authority and good judg-
ment.
To stand aside, as requested by SEN
ator Nye. would have been an admis-
sion on the part of Senator Davis that
the credentials which had been trans
mitted to the Senate by the Governor
Of Pennsylvania were In some way un-
worthy Of credit. 1t would have been a
yielding Of the rights Of the State itself.
To follow such course would scarcely
have been worthy of an elected repre-
sentative of that State.
The Senate, In the cases of William
s. Ware and Frank L. Smith, elected
Senators in Pennsylvania and Illinois,
respectively, in 1925, went to the very
limit of its authority when it denied
them the right to take the oath of Of
fee. At the time the Senate had be-
fore it reports from a former Slush
Fund Committee headed by for
mer Senator Reed of Missouri, stat
ing that excessive sums had been
expended in their primary cam
paigns. The reports had been submit
ted in advance of the appearance of the
Senators-elect. In effect, charges had
been made against these Senators by
duly constituted committee of the Sen
ate. Yesterday, when Mr.. Davis pre-
sented himself to take the oath of Of
fee, nothing had been submitted to the
Senate charging him with excessive ex-
penditures, although at the same mo-
ment Chairman Nye read to the Senate
a special report setting forth a state
ment Of expenditures in the Pennsyl-
vania primary.
Mr.. Davis has been seated. It Is
entirely proper that the committee of
the Senate continue its inquiries into
the primary election In Pennsylvania
and If it discovers that the Davis
nomination was the result Of fraud or
purchase by excessive expenditures of
money, to report the facts to the
Senate. That body is always able to
deal with cases Of illegal elections of
its members, whether the accused mem
bers have been seated or not.
Admittedly large sums Of money were
expended In the Pennsylvania primary
last Spring. It is generally understood
that the great bulk of this money was
thrown into the campaign to nominate
a Governor and other State officials,
rather than to nominate Mr.. Davis.
Doubtless the Senate committee and
the Senate itself will bear this fact in
mind in the determination of the case
in the future.