Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-05-08
FROM OUR EXCHANGES
Editorial Comment From Other News
papers, Which May or May Not
Conform With the Opinions
of the AskOv American.)
WANTED: SOME COMMON SENSE
ON CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES

(hihIiSaPoiiS
In Wisconsin Governor Kohler is on
trial, charged with violating a cor
rupt practices act limiting campaign
expenditures to $4,000 a year; in H.
linois Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCormick
according to her own statement, spent
S252,572 to win the Republican sena-
torial nomination at the primaries.
If there is anything to the Wiscon-
sin theory, each of Mrs. Mccormick
dollars in the first $4,000 lot was re-
spectacle and proper, but each of the
dollars included in the second $248,-
572 lot was corrupt and shameful
Somehow we doubt if the moral dol
lars and the immoral dollars are con-
fidently to be herded into separate
pens on the basis of any such kinder
garten classification.
We have here an illustration of how
confused is our approach to the prob
lem of curbing the money power i'll
politics. By elimination we may
eventually find the right method; GER
tainly the Wisconsin method seems tC
be in flat defiance of common sense
The direct primary made it newt
able that large sums of money would
be spent for the purpose of winning
nominations. A candidate sets his
heart upon winning high office. He
must acquaint millions of voters with
his qualifications. There is nothing
reprehensible in that. But how?
Through adequate publicity-which
may mean the expenditure of tens oil
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Tribune is unable to see any
thing unethical in the spending OF
even large sums for the purpose OF
making a candidates qualifications
known Candidates cannot buy time
on radios, hire halls for public ap-
pearances, and mail out views on is
sues without running up heavy bills
According to the Wisconsin theory il
is admirable to hire a few halls, but
corrupt to hire many halls, admirable
to mail out views to few people
but corrupt to mail out views to many
people All of which is just too ri,
diculous for words.
1t is corrupt, certainly, to spend S.
to buy vote. So long as we keep
our ideas of corruption confined tC
actual debauchery of the electorate
we are on solid ground. And what
shall we do about the candidate who
technically spends next to no money
himself, but whose rich friends, ex.
pecting favCrs in return, spend huge
sums Technically unknown to HIM
promoting his candidacy? This, sure.
ly, comes close to corruption, We,
represents exactly the sort of thing
made possible under a corrupt prac.
tees act like Wisconsin's.
The American people are agreed
in principle that they want the mon.
ey power in politics curbed. But
when it comes to putting the principle
into practice they appear to be crop.
ing about dizzily i'm fog. The alb.
surdity of the situation becomes APP.
parent when we find a senatorial can
didate in Illinois calmly announcing
the expenditure of sum so times
greater than the sum require to make
a gubernatorial candidate corrupt in
Wisconsin-and yet there is probably
not thinking person in the United
States who, on noting Mrs. McCor.
mick's expense account, would con,
slider ii prima facie evidence of cor
ruptiOn.