Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

The full text of Senator Gerald p.
Nve's address last night on Abuses In
Campaign Expenditures" in the Ma
tional Radio Forum, arranged by The
Star and broadcast over Nationwide
hook-up of the Columbia Broadcasting
System, follows:
Money is found to be freely spent in
efforts to elect to public Office the kind
Of men who will support the wishes of
its givers Political party Golfers are
replenished because the givers have
come to know that it is advantageous
to be able to appear as contributor to
the election of officials who are to guide
the affairs of Government. Indeed, such
an ability to show contributions made to
the cause of elected oficials has been
proven so advantageous in many in
stances that men with great financial
interests are known to have contributed
to opposing candidates and opposing
parties in the same campaign so that
no matter who won the records of cam
paign treasurers would show them to
have helped win the victory, To such
people 1t has not mattered which party
won.
There are various influences at work
= these days which threaten our repre-
sentative form of government, but upon
me there has grown a most determined
conviction that the most dangerous Of,
these influences is that of money in the
conduct of political campaigns. To my
mind such use as is being made OF
money and the hugeness of contribu
tions and Spendings to win election to
high public Office AFFORDS the greatest
and most pressing issue threatening our
Government and challenging our people
today.
Money Properly Used.
There are proper uses for money in
political campaigns. Indeed, reasona-
bic sums are quite essential when
issues are to be carried to the people.
It is the money which does not enter
into proper and necessary use against
which / argue. The question as to
what constitutes proper and neces-
eary use of money may invite wide
range of decisions. The custom in
some States of distributing funds to
workers and watchers at the polls, even
though the total may reach half
million or more dollars, has to some
minds dictated necessary continual
ton of that practice People in these
States have come to feel that money
paid in hand is the reward for in
terest in politics at campaign time.
The result is that there are many
tics and vote only after they have been
paid for doing so. Whereas, If such
practices were forbidden by law, If
there were to be no paid workers or
watchers, all candidates would be on
o same footing and the only losers
would be those who have fooled candi-
dates and pa. ty leaders into believing
that they were performing a real
service that could not and would not
ha r1nrforr1pd urif1nIIf money
It is my belief that, in States like
PENNSYLVANIA, where large campaign
expenditures have been so long con-
sidered a great necessity, not more
than a very small per cent OF the
total expenditure ever enters into edu-
cational or essential campaign work.
Easy money for some individuals Is
thus afforded This easy money builds
political machines which insure re-
turns for those interests which con-
tribute to the machine Golfers. It is
not used to acquaint voters with
issues and make them intelligent in
the use of the ballot. Instead, it is
more often used to deceive and in
tin1idate the voter.
Worst Effect of Spending.
The worst influence of huge ex-
penditures in political campaigns is
that which the spending has upon the
canoldaJe VINO is WITHOUT the packing
of great wealth, Such a candidate
can be quite easily smothered in a
campaign. He cannot make the same
showing through advertising that his
opponents may be making and people
are quick to count him out of the
race because he cannot compete with
his opponents more fortunate in the
matter of financial backing. 1 have
in mind a glaring example of this
thought, an example growing out of
the primary campaign for United.
States Senator in one State this past
year.
In this particular campaign there
were three candidates of standing in
the primary. During the early progress
of the campaign all were considered
real contenders, but as the campaign
progressed one Of the candidates found