Evening star., 1951-08-04
Butler Campaign Report
Purpose Wins Applause
Series of Recommendations
Hits at Dirty Practices
The Political Mill
BY Gould Lincoln

BY Gould Lincoln
The report of the Senate subcommit-
tee which investigated the Butler-Tyd-
ings campaign in Maryland contains a
series of recommendations to strike down
dirty campaign practices. The purpose
must be applauded. Not only in the
Maryland election, but In the 1850 sena-
torial campaigns in Ohio and Utah. and
in the senatorial primaries in South
Carolina. Florida and North Carolina,
some practices and defamatory state
ments were disgusting and against all
rules of fair play 1t is no excuse to say
that throughout the political history of
the country many instances of such
campaigning are to be found-as IN the
campaigns against Alfred E. Smith, the
Democratic presidential nominee in 1928,
and against Herbert Hoover in 1882.
The great difficulty is to establish by
law standards which should govern
political campaigns. 1t has been difficult
even to make hard and fast rules about
the money which may be used, rules
which have been evaded, one way or
another.
Rule Could Be Abused.
The Senate under the Constitution,
is the sole judge of the qualifications
of its members. 1t has exercised its
power on numerous occasions in the
past to prevent the seating of Senator'S
elect and to expel Senators who have
already been seated. So the subcom-
mittee now proposes that the Rules
Committee of the Senate adopt a rule
Of the Senate which will prescribe in
unequivocal terms that the use of de-
famatory literature in senatorial cam
paign will constitute good grounds for
consideration by the Senate OF an action
to declare such seat vacant" If there is
to be such a rule, however, it must be
adopted by the Senate and not merely
by the Rules Committee.
Such a rule could be an effective
check on dirty campaigning. Candi-
dates would be more careful if they
realized they might jeopardize their
seats, even if they won the elections.
At the same time. it is true that the
Senate might lay itself open to a myriad
of contests in the future. brought by
candidates who considered they had
been "defamed' in the campaigns which
they lost. Also an arrogant and pref
udiced majority party in the Senate
might use such a rule to deny seats TO
the opposition.
Several other recommendations by
the subcommittee which might prove
effective include the following: A law
to definitely fix the responsibility of the
candidate for the campaign acts and
conduct of his campaign manager and
other authorized campaign aides; the
Ina l@r,1 low 1T fI,a Af
posite photograph" the Tydings-
Browder photograph used in an anti
Tydings tabloid in Maryland; the re-
port by the contributors themselves Of
campaign contributions Of 500 or more:
the unseating of any Senator. other
than the candidate himself, who goes
into a senatorial campaign and uses
defamatory methods: an investigation
Of powerful groups which go into SEN
atorial campaigns under cover;
complete revision Of the national cor
rupt practices law to bring campaign
expenditure limitations up to date in
view of increased costs and new meth
ods of campaigning and, finally, bi-
partisan committee to work Jointly for
higher standards of electioneering.
Aimed at Senator Mccarthy.
The subcommittee, as expected, found
that the facts developed in the Mary
land inquiry were not sufficient to rec
ommend the unseating of Senator
Butler, Republican, even though it de-
nounced in harsh terms the campaign
made in his interest. 1t stated clearly.
however, that the Senate should set up
standards which would, in the future.
make certain a contest against any
candidate who used similar methods.
One of the recommendations of the
subcommittee was aimed directly at
Senator Mccarthy of Wisconsin, who
took part in the anti-Tydings, pro-
Butler campaign. It's purpose was to
clip the Wisconsin Senator's wings
provided the Senate was willing to
adopt its recommendation that Sem
ator. not candidate. might be expelled
for campaign activities.
Senator Mccarthy was clearly out to
get" Senator Tydings because of the
latter's handling of the investigation Of
the Mccarthy charges that the State
Department was riddled with Commu-
nists and fellow travellers. The Wis
consin Senator held then, and holds
now, that Senator Tydings engaged in
"whitewash" of these charges. Sen
ator Mccarthy insists that the inquiry
now being conducted by the McCarran
Senate committee will 'vindicate him
and prove conclusively that Senator
Tydings did a whitewash job. That
time will show.