Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-13
Gillette Recommends
Curb on Campaign
Smear Literature
VoIuminous Amount
Forwarded to Special
Senute Committee

BY the Associated Press.
Voluminous exhibits of smear
literature" from the presidential
election campaign prompted Senator
Gillette, Democrat, of Iowa, to ad-
vance two recommendations today
for legislative curbs on such vote
seeking appeals.
The smear" collection, large and
increasing in size, accumulated rap
idly after Senator Gillette urged the
public and political organizations to
send in all campaign material of an
Objectionable or malign nature.
The Senator told reporters he
would ask the special Senate Cam
paign Investigating Committee to
consider these remedial proposals:
Heavy penalties for printing and
circularizing false statements in a
national camapign.
A requirement that printers place
their names and addresses on all
literature produced for a national
campaign.
Safeguards Proposed.
Senator Gillette coupled his rec
concentrations with the proviso that
any precautionary Legislation be
carefully drafted so as not to in
fringe upon our tradition for free
dom of the press, speech and as
sembly."
AS chairman of the special COM
mittee designated by the Senate to
police the 1910 elections, Senator
Gillette indicated his group prob
ably would propose corrective legiS-
lation' for the Hatch Act provisions
limiting expenditures in behalf of a
presidential candidate to 100000
in an election year.
There have been assertions that
the total OUTLAWS of each major
party surpassed that limit, even
though Democratic and Republican
national committees did not exceed
the legal mark. The spending of
auxiliary campaign organizations
was held responsible for sending
gross expenditures through the
Hatch Act ceiling"
Discussing smear literature, ii
Senator Gillette said that he was re-
ceiving a very large number of
samples of scurrilous and vicious
campaign materials used in the
national campaign in all parts of
the country.
Issued at Eleventh Hour.
About SO per cent of this smear
stuff contains no identification what
ever of its source or the printer. If
the law required that names of the
printing establishments be included
that would be at least step toward
stopping this
Exhibits, he said, varied from
small cards carrying obscenities to
handsomely Illustrated pamphlets
and brochures.
Much of the protested material
apparently was issued within a few
hours of the time to vote in an at
tempt to appeal to religious, racial
or other group prejudices and emo
lions" the Senator said.
The subject of campaign spending
was mentioned yesterday by Demo-
cratic National Chairman Flynn,
who told reporters here that sup
porters of both major party candi-
dates spent more than the $4,000, 900
Hatch Act limitation.
May Meet November rs.
Senators said this was possibly
within the law because Congress had
placed. the limitation on national
political committees and that sew
eral different auxiliary committees
supported both candidates.
I'VE want to make the letter con-
form with the spirit of the law on
this limitation" Senator Gillette
said.
Chairman Gillette said the ques-
ton would be examined when his
committee assemblies here, probably
November Is.
Republican headquarters here
challenged the charge that the gross
campaign expenditures had been
greater than what the Hatch Act
allowed. They said that the total
spending by the national committee
and all other pro-Willkie groups
would fall short of the Hatch Act