Evening star., 1932-03-14
Democratic Funds.

pal6n Is moving On. JOInl w. OdFlSr
chairman of the Campaign Committee.
has announced that q total Of $555,o0
Of the million and half dollars
sought Is now in sight. OF this
amount $500, 900 Is composed cf $780,
600 pledged the Democratic National
Committee by Chicago when the COM
mittee agreed that the party's national
convention should be held in the Windy
City June 20 and another 100000
pledged by John J. Raskob as his con-
tribution If the victory fund should be
raised. There have, however, been q
large number Of individual contributors
of smaller sums to the fund, Mr.. Davis
reported. a total, indeed. Of s45,s17,
coming from men and women in all
parts Of the country.
This amount Of money, already paid
or pledged, is almost suficient to en-
able the Democratic National Commit
tee to discharge its debt to Chairman
John J. Raskob, running into the hun
dreds Of thousands Of dollars, and to
keep the national headquarters func-
tioning up to within striking hour Of
the national convention Chairman
Davis has declared himself well salts
fed with the results up to the present
time and has pointed out that already
the number of contributors to the fund
is half as large as the entire number
of contributors to the Democratic ma
tional campaign finances In 1928.
And Mr.. Raskob should be well
pleased. He has contributed literally
from his own funds to the Democratic
national organization. So largely. in
deed, that some of his critics have sug-
gested that he holds mortgage on the
Democratic party itself. He has financed
In great part the operations of the ma
tional committee headquarters during
the last three years. And now 1t has
been proposed that at one fell swoop
the Democrats wipe of their treasury
deficit, which Is in considerable part
the debt it owes Mr.. Raskob, and raise
sufficient money to keep the head
quarters operating at full speed ahead
until the convention takes place, and to
give the party $5oo,oo0 nest egg with
which to start the campaign after the
convention. This Is a laudable goal.
Many members Of the Democratic party
have been irked because Of the huge
debt owed Chairman Raskob. And yet
1t has seemed impossible In these days
of depression to pay of this debt.
Campaign contributions this year
come hard" when practically every
one in the country has felt the pinch
OF lessened business activity. But cam
paigns for the election Of candidates
for public ONCE require money, II the
politicians are to be believed. They
have required great deal of money In
the past, as has been shown by con-
gressional committees which have
delved into the matter. After all, the
expenditure Of money in these cam
paigns helps TO keep many persons en-
ployed, and perhaps the national cam
paign will do its bit to relieve unem-
ployment. The great evil of large
campaign expenditures has lain in the
fact that few contributors make large
gifts, and because of those gifts have
held a grip ON party organization, in
deed on party policies.
The plan Of the Democrats to raise
fund to square themselves with the
world and Mr.. Raskob and to put the
party campaign on a pay-as-you-go
basis Is wise and should be helpful. The
Republicans during the Coolidge cam
paign in 1924 adopted that kind of
financing for their operations and have
pretty well stuck to it. Instead of
deficits that had to be paid of by
generous gifts from large contributors
after the fights were over, the two
latest national campaigns have left the
Republican treasury with a surplus on
hand. 1t is bad business for any
political party to have a deficit at the
close Of a campaign. 1t can only give
the voters the impression of bad man
agement and an aversion to placing
| the affairs Of their government in such
hands.