Evening star., 1940-12-03

our Nation, its territory and its in
stitutions against the PHILOSOPHERS
Of Fascism, Nazi-ism, Communism
and all similar totalitarian view
points.
All and each of these schools Of
political thought scoff at and deride
as obsolete the institutions of de-
mocracy, which we have erected on
the foundation of right to live, la
Dor and have our happiness ard
security under laws and rules en-
acted by those whom we have freely
chosen to represent us. We will be
the last to claim that our methods
and institutions are faultless in
conception or application. but we
will insistently assert and acclaim
that we alone are responsible for our
shortcomings and our failures, and
we alone have the power and control
the means of time, place and manner
of correction. But everything that
we have been. everything that we
are today, and everything that we
believe in, rests wholly on the basic
right to choose our legislative, ex-
ecutive and administrative agents
of our Government freely and with
out improper influence. And all the
pompous dictators who have ever
inflicted themselves on a suffering
world, and all the Hitlers, Stains
and Mussolinis who now arouse our
resentment, cannot carry as deep
and terrible a threat to this America
of ours and her future security as
the methods which are consistently
and persistently used to subvert,
debauch or destroy the right Of free
expression at the polls, or the su-
pineness and indifference with
which many of us continue to ignore
or even to laugh at these methods
and their sponsors, or the selfish un-
concern with which some of us at
tempt to excuse these methods when
they have aided or will aid our own
party or personal friends.
Vast Sums Spent.
While there have probably been
Irregularities. frauds, violations and
abuses in all elections of the past,
I believe that 1 do not exaggerate
when I say that never before in
American history have we seen a
more patent, potent and potential
attempt to influence the American
electorate ballot box through the
expenditure of huge sums of money
than in the campaign which has
just closed. 1t is inevitable that
large sums of money will be properly
expended in a Nationwide presi-
dental election. There can be no
just criticism Of such proper ex-
penditures, but when attempts are
made to collect and spend tremen-
dous sums of money in violation of
the spirit if not the letter of exist
ing laws, it is situation which no
American citizen can afford to allow
to pass unnoticed.
While the statement is purely
guess, I think I am speaking con-
servatively when I say that the
recent presidential election cost the
American people over 100000
over and above the routine election
costs of election boards, ballots and
similar expenses.
A committe similar to ours, known
as the Shepard Committee, per-
formed great public service in the
1888 campaign by its investigation
and subsequent reporting of facts to
the United States Senate indicating
the improper use of political power
and public funds, particularly those
provided for the relief of the needy,
in coercing or influencing voters In
their election decisions. An able
United States Senator, Senator
Hatch Of New Mexico, made use Of
this report, together with the results
of his own studies and of his fine
mental equipment, as basis for the
introduction of a bill embodying
certain corrective provisions designed
to prevent these election abuses.
His proposals, with some amend
were on two different occa-
sions enacted into law by the Con-
gress and are referred to as the
Hatch Acts. Our committee was the
first one appointed to observe an
election which was held after the
placing OF the Hatch Acts on the
Federal statute books, and the public
interest, as we'll as ours, was keenly
and specifically directed toward the
effect and the value Of the new
statutes as applied to the 1910 elec-
tion, and particularly toward noting
what amendments or changes might
be indicated by the attempt to ad-
minister these election provisions.
Amendments Needed.
Again reminding myself that my
position in this talk is a delicate one
and reminding my hearers that what
I now say is an expression of my own
individual opinions and ideas and
must not be chargeable in any de-
gree whatever to the other comittee
members, and possibly may not even
be an indication Of the comittee's
future action, I wish to state that
while these Hatch Acts represent a
long step forward in the attempt to
secure clean election supervision
and control by the Federal Govern
ment, yet the recent experience in
the administration OF these acts,
and also the provisions OF the Cor
rupt Practices Act, clearly indicate
insistent need for amendment. On
my own responsibility, I am going
to list some few specific things,
abuses or evasions, which, in my
opinion, need legislative attention
and correction. In many of these
there will be extreme difficulty in
keeping thoroughly well defined the
line between Federal and State au-
thority over the voter and his ballot.
Some legislation must clearly come
from the States; some can be prop
erly enacted by the Federal Con-
gress; some may be secured by sup
Elemental action of both agencies,
and some may be better secured by
court decision, under present stat
utes, through cases presented to the
court for judicial Interpretation.
Here are a few of the phases Of
the problem that have given me per-
sonal occasion for thought: