Evening star., 1947-05-04
Lifting the Lid on
Political Spending
But Ellender Bill Imposes New
Restraints on Pressure Groups
Bg Gerdrd D. ReiIlv

By Gerard D. Reilly
An intelligent effort to revise and
codify the laws relating to Federal
elections has eliminated In bill Just
introduced in the Senate by Senator
Allen J. E1lender Of Louisiana. The
present statutes in this field dating
from the Federal Corrupt Practices Act
of 1925, including the Hatch Act, the
Powers Act, and section of the Smith
Connally Act forbidding political con-
tributions by labor organizations, con-
tain a number of provisions which are
outmoded and which experience has
shown can be readily evaded. The new
bill which would replace them is the
product Of a report OF the Special Com
mittee to Investigate Campaign Ex-
penditures OF which Senator Ellender
was chairman
major reform which the bill en-
visages Is the extension of current re-
strictions on campaign funds to primary
as well as general elections. Since the
belated recognition of the Supreme
Court in the Classic case of the fact
that party primaries were an incident
OF Federal citizenship rather than pri-
vate polls of political clubs, it has been
possible under the Constitution for Con-
gress to regulate primaries as well as
general elections.
- ~
The most controversial feature of the
Dill relates to the amendments to the
maximum limits on expenditures. Under
the Hatch Act the national committees
are held to a 100000 limit for their
respective presidential candidates. The
imposition OF this figure was regarded
as drastic reform at the time the
Hatch Act passed In 1889, for a former
treasurer OF the Democratic National
Committee had stated at that period
that the committee had spent about
$l1,o00,000 in President Roosevelt's re-
election campaign in 1864 figure
which was matched on the Republican
side, according to many political OBJ
servers. The subsequent Roosevelt
Willkie campaign demonstrated that the
act did not fulfill the hopes OF its spon-
sors. BY the device of having campaign
funds received and disbursed by State
committees or organizations like the
Independent Progressives or the Willkie
clubs, the amount Of money spent was
probably as great as 1t ever had been.
The Ellender bill would eliminate this
maximum limit entirely and encourage
the official national party committees
to resume principal responsibility in
campaign financing It seeks to dis
courage excessive spending by requir-
Ing the national committee to publish
a statement Of its contributions and
disbursements in two or more leading
newspapers in each State. It also makes
it duty Of the congressional commit
tees to publish the name and address
OF every contributor Of 5000 or more,
and the amount contributed.
Ceiling limitations placed upon can
didates for the Senate and the House
would also be changed. Under present
law candidate for the Senate is linn
tied to $4,000 and candidate for the
House to $4,000, or in the alternative,
an amount obtained by multiplying the
total number Of voters in his State or
district by 3 cents. Even then, however,
the senatorial candidates expenditures
must not exceed $25.0O0,, or S., 900 if he
Is running for seat in the House. For
many years 1t has been obvious that
In populous States these limits have
been honored more in the breach than
IN the observance.
In the opinion of most Congressman,
candidate for whom less than $4,000
is available in closely contested dis
trict Is at a great disadvantage. Many
congressional districts contain as many
as 100000 voters. Simply to send by
frst-class mail personal letter to each
voter lnclosing some printed Geographic
cal and campaign material about the
candidate costs in the neighborhood
OF $4,000. To this must be added the
cost OF any billboard advertising or
radio time-items regarded by all
schools of thought as Legitimate" in
contra distinction to money spent to
bring out" the vote on election day.
So far as the top limits on senatorial
campaigns are concerned, they are
perhaps fair enough in States which
have less than four congressional dis
tricts. But to limit the amount which
a senatorial candidate in States like
New York, Pennsylvania or Illinois may
spend to figure only twice as great
as that applying to candidates for the
corresponding Office in Nevada, Wyom-
ing, Vermont or Delaware Estates in
which there is only one congressional
district seems unfair.
The proposed legislation corrects this
discrepancy in only minor way. 1t
gives the senatorial candidate an option
OF conforming either to a $25, 900 limit
or the formula based upon the number
OF voters, but in no event are the
expenditures in his behalf to exceed
$50 900. There would be less tendency to
circumvent the law If the last figure
quoted should be eliminated and a pro-
vision inserted which would permit the
maximum amount to vary In all
instances in accordance with the num-
ber of voters.
One major loophole in the present
laws which the bill proposes to plug is
the provision relating to contributions
by banks, corporations and labor organ
izations. The CIo delegations which
have been buttonholing Congressmep in
connection with the pending legislation
on the Wagner and Norris-La Guardia
Acts have been indicating that any
defiance of their advice unllld nnaon