Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-06
Fixing Responsibility.

The Nye Campaign Expenditures
Committee of the Senate has been
strongly urged, In drafting a new Fed
eral corrupt practices law, to centralize
responsibility for the collection OF con-
tributions and for all expenditures in
political campaigns upon he candidates
and upon their designated agents. Prob
ably no other step could be taken which
would do more to clean up election
conditions. Prof James X Pollock, who
holds the chair of political science at
the University OF Michigan. in his testi-
mony before the committee expressed
the opinion that the Capitalization Of
responsibility in the matter of expendi-
lures was the most important point Of
all in the improvement of election laws
and conditions In this country.
1t has been obvious from the many
investiga tons of elections conducted by
committees Of Congress that there have
been too many loopholes of escape.
Candidates have benefited by expendi-
lures, some Of them very large and
some Of them tainted with fraud, which
have been made, 1t has been testified,
without the knowledge OF the poor can
didate. If halt can be put to that
kind Of thing. as suggested by Prof. Pol
lock, real advance will have been
made toward cleaner elections. There
have been too many independent COM
mittees raising and spending money,
too many free lances, too much support
by organizations non political in them
selves but mixing up in politics quite
practically. Where laws have fixed the
amounts which q candidate may spend
in his campaign for nomination and
election, these limitations have been
avoided entirely through a system Of
campaigning which permits independ-
ent organizations TO put up the money.
The proposal advanced is to make 1t
q criminal of1ense to expend money, or
to collect it for the purpose OF expend-
ing it, In a campaign for the election
Of member of the Senate and House
without FIRST obtaining the direct au-
thority Of the candidate. If an in
diVidual or q committee goes ahead
and raises and expends money TO aid
In the nomination or election Of the
candidate without obtaining specific
authority for such acts, he becomes
liable to prosecution. Under such con-
ditions an individual or a committee
would be extremely careful to receive
authority before expanding money in a
campaign, and the candidate also
would be equally careful about grant
ing authority For once the authority
Is granted, the candidate himself
becomes responsible and may be prose-
cuted If the money 10 corTuptly or
wronsfully expended.
More than q decade ago q law pro-
yiding for the Capitalization Of re-
sponSibllity for expanding money in q
political campaign was enacted in Eng
land. According TO the testimony be-
fore the Senate Committee. this law
has worked greatly TO the benent Of
clean elections and TO curb excessive
and corrupt expenditures in England
Under the proposal, an organizat ton
such as the Anti-Saloon League or the
Association Against the Prohibition
Amendment would have TO obtain the
consent Of the candidate it favored in
congressional election to go ahead
and collect and spend money in that
candidates campaign. Further, the
association would not be able to expend
money outside OF and in excess OF the
amount stipulated by law as a maxi
mum expenditure In such campaign
However, II the league or association
contented itself merely with q cam
paisn OF education in the interest Of
prohibition or against 1t and did not
indorse q candidate, there would APP
pear to be no way OF reaching such
expenditures. although 1t would be pos
sible 10 compel such organizations to
make report OF their expenditures in
campaigns.