Evening star., 1940-12-03

one State alone. Neither do they,
nor will they, show the reports OF
the various State central commit
tees throughout the Union, nor the
myriad Of local committees who do
not have to make q report under the
State laws or the Federal laws, nor
the expenditures by the multitude
Of individuals and small groups who
have made large expenditures dur
ing the campaign, with no way
whatever of checking or auditing
them. But even the meager facts
I have just given must clearly indf-
cate that legislation is essential to
prevent further wholesale debauch-
cry of the ballot box and its pur-
pose. And may I say here that
many of these committees claimed
to us that they had been advised by
their legal counsellors that each of
them could collect and spend three
millions of dollars, if they so de-
sired. I believe our committee will
have some concrete suggestions to
meet this need embodied in its re-
port to the Senate.
g The Hatch Act specifically linn
its individual contributions to $1,000,
but expressly exempts such contribu-
tions made to State and local COM
mittees. 1t is at once apparent that
no surprise will be occasioned when
I state that our committee investi-
gators found that this limitation as
to individual contributions was evad-
ed by making contributions within
the named limitation to the Federal
fund and making any number of
contributions under the $1,000 limi-
tation to the different State or local
committees. This method of clear
evasion must certainly be stopped by
statutory provisions.
3. In every campaign, scurrilous,
obscene or subversive literature is
used and clandestinely circulated.
In this last campaign, the use Of
this type of filthy material was
carried to the nth degree of abuse,
and every prejudicial and unfair
appeal was made through its use
to racial or religious antagonisms
and to individual and personal
prejudices. The comittee has as
sembled an astounding amount Of
this material. Most Of 1t is unspon-
sored, unsigned and unlabeled. I
am confident the comittee will make
an exhaustive study into the posi-
bility of imposing restraints on the
circulation of this type Of material
by devising means whereby the
sponsorship and responsibility for
the printing and circulating can be
determined.
Coercion Discovered.
4 In many instances, the atten-
ton of the comittee and its agents
was directed toward the use of off,
cial position and power to coerce
voting action. or to secure contribu-
tions for campaign purposes within
the official circles of the States
themselves. While this is wholly
without the province Of the COM
mittee, I am hopeful that attention
will be directed to 1t in the report,
with the hope that the people of
the respective States will initiate
legislation along the lines of the
last Hatch Act pertaining to coercion
by State officials.
S While the present Hatch Acts
have been measurably effective in
preventing abuses in the w. P. A.
and similar agencies in connection
with coercion Of employees and
recipients Of relief. repeated in
stances were brought to the atten-
ton Of the committee Of the use of
coercive methods by private en-
ployers of labor with the implied or
direct threats Of loss of employment
unless the employee voted in accord
ance with the suggestions Of the
employer. This factor Is being
studied.
6. The committee spent much
time and money in assisting the
Department Of Justice and local
agencies In purging registration lists
Of voters. The frauds and corrup-
ton in connection. with these lists
In several jurisdictions should bring
the blush of shame to every Amer
lean citizen within the boundaries
Of those States where these condi-
tions are extant.
Z. There was much evidence pro-
duced by the committee agents Of
studied evasion or direct disregard
Of the requirements Of the Corrupt
Practices Act as to listing of large
contributions with the clerk of the
House. and as to prohibited con-
tributions by corporations and as to
improper activities Of banks under
national charter.
A. A. A. Charges Investigated.
8. The committee made careful
study Of the many charges that
were made that the A. A. A. was
improperly using its official power
to influence voting action and to
solicit funds for campaign purposes.
These charges pertain, in most
Instances. to actions by the members
Of the local A. A. A. committees.
The claim was made that these
local committee members though
paid by Federal funds are in fact
employees of the farmers themselves
and are not such ofIicials as come
within the provisions of the Hatch
Act relative to the use Of Official
influence by Federal officials or
those paid with Federal funds. In
my opinion, 1t will be exceedingly
helpful in the future If this matter
Is fully clarified and these abuses
corrected.
I have not the time to 60 further
into the long list of balloting abuses
which the committee has been
studying and on which 1t hopes to
report, but I believe have referred
to enough Of these to command the
interest of the public in these prob
lens and the crying need for cor
rection of election abuses. Every
free American should have a right
to cast his vote uninfluenced, un.
coerced and uncontrolled, but he
must have more than this. He must
have that ballot counted after it
Is cast at its full value, which will
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