Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-05
The Political Mill

OI1CS upOu bAhllc ~ was bAt0 Tie JOp
should seek the man. That theory has
long since been exploded. Nowadays
men and women 60 out and get these
public Offices If they can. The Senate
campaign expenditures investigating
committee, at its first hearing last
week, developed the fact that one of the
candidates for the Republican sena-
torial nomination expended quarter Of
a million dollars in the primary cam
paign. It Is quite true that this by no
means sets record for campaign ex-
penditures although it is likely that no
other candidate for Office has ever adj
mitted that he or she dug down in his
or her own jeans for $3.50, 900 to carry
on campaign. Usually part of these
large campaign funds have been con-
| trtbuted by friends or favor seekers. In
the Pennsylvania senatorial primary in
1926 former Gov. Clifford Pinchot and
his immediate relations put up a sum
that equaled the expenditures admitted
by Mrs. Ruth Hanna Mccormick, the
winner Of the recent Republican sena-
torial primary in Illinois.
X X 4
What the Senate is going to do about
this Illinois case is still a conundrum.
Ever since it was shown that former
|
family and friends had expended $780,
600 in his primary campaign to win the
Republican senatorial nomination in
Michigan against Henry Ford in 1918,
| the Senate has been pretty touchy about
big campaign expenditures. It declined
to seat Frank L. Smith and William s.
! ware, who were nominated and elected
! Senators In Illinois and Pennsylvania
| in 1925, after another slush fund COM
mittee had turned up the facts of huge
expenditures In those cases.
| Mrs. Mccormick was very frank In
her statement to the Senate committee
the other day, when she admitted
| spending out of her own pocketbook
| $3.50. 600 In her campaign for the Senate
| nomination against Senator Deneen.
The latter said he had spent $25, 900,
one-tenth the amount put up by his
successful rival. Mrs. Mccormick argued
that she had to spend a large sum
OF money to build up an Organization"
throughout the State, in order to offset
the organization headed by Senator
Deneen and fostered by Federal patron
age. Mr.. Newberry, when he was
charged with excessive expenditures in
Michigan, countered with the argument
that Henry Ford, through his automo-
and thousands of employees, was in a
dominant position which made it nee
! essary for his opponent to spend money
IN the creation of an organization.
X * X
The Senate, in spite of the close scru-
tiny which it has maintained of cam
pa1gn expenditures in senatorial cleo
tions In the last decade, has done abso-
lutely nothing about setting up stand
ard to be followed by candidates for
senatorial seats. There has been no
law enacted. Candidates have merely
been placed on warning that If they
spend lot of money in their primary
or election campaigns they may not
pass into the sacred precincts Of the
Senate. This, too, has been pointed out
to Mrs. Mccormick, and properly so.
Could Mrs. Mccormick have been
nominated in a contest with Senator
Deneen without expanding $250,000 or
sum approximating that amount?
It's q question that probably never will
be answered. If she could have been
nominated with a small expenditure,
then she was foolish to spend so much.
If she could not have been nominated
without spending a quarter OF million
dollars, it looks as though money after
all Is prime factor in our political
battles. And again the question arises,
are candidates entitled to make these
| large expenditures, whether the money
goes for printing, advertising. Organic
| ing" or for actual votes? It's tough
problem. And it's problem that the
Senate eventually will have to tackle In
| this Illinois case, unless j. Ham" Lewis,
the Democratic nominee for the Senate
| in Illinois, should take the measure Of
Mrs. Mccormick In November. Incl
dentally, the fact that Mrs. Mccormick
! put up such q large sum Of money In
| her campaign will come handy to the
Democratic candidate in his race against
her. It makes quite an argument for
Mr.. Lewis, who expended only $35 to
get the Democratic nomination.
~ y
The Stock Exchange has again been
visited by disastrous bear" raid. This
Is q matter to which the Senate might
turn Its attention with some advantage
Ever since last Fall there have been
threats of investigations and suggestions
of legislation to curb stock gambling,
but nothing has come of either threats
or suggestions. Senator Carter Glass Of
Virginia, former Secretary Of the Treas
ury and the man who Is credited with
having done more work than any one
else on the Federal Reserve act, which
was originated In the House when Mr..
Glass was chairman Of the banking and
/ currency committee OF that body, has
prepared q bill for introduction In the
Senate aimed at stock gambling. It is
one Of the matters to which the legis-
lators might well give some attention,
particularly with reference to short SELL
ing. Why 1t should be lawful for
gambler in stock to sell something
which he does not possess is one of the
mysteries of high-or low-f1nance. 1t
Is a process which has enabled the
| Shrewd gamblers TO reap millions IN
profits, and probably billions. One of
the remedies proposed has been heavy
| taxation on sales or purchases of stock
/ which are made for only brief period.
such purposes or sales obviously being
made for no other purpose than gam
bling. The evils of stock gambling ex-
tend beyond the mere ups and downs of
the gamblers themselves. They affect
| the whole business structure Of the
country and millions Of investors.
Resigning from one office TO run for
| another-unless the candidate has
| walkover In the race for the new job
has seldom appeared good sense or good
politics. Dwight W. Morrow, American
Ambassador to Mexico, has decided to
hang onto his present office until after
he has been through the New Jersey
senatorial primary. Secretary James ].
Davis Of the Department of Labor has
stayed right along In the Hoover cabi-
net since he became candidate for the
Republican senatorial nomination In
Pennsylvania. Time enough to get out
of these offices when Mr.. Morrow and
Mr.. Davis have been nominated for the
Senate. If by any chance Mr.. Morrow
and Mr.. Davis should not win in the
senatorial primaries they would still re-
main valuable assets to the Government
In the Offices thew now hold Both have
done well in their respective positions.
II Mr. Davis defeats Senator Cr1lndv In