Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-16
Senators Plan
More Teeth
In Election Bill

Senate Democratic Leader
johnson and Republican Leader
Knowland are planning to put
more teeth in their election re-
form bill which has been co..
sponsored by IS Senators.
Senator johnson announced
that he and the Republican
leader conferred at length last
night on a new provision that
would make a sharper crack
down" on large contributors.
He said they are working on a
provision to place an overall
limit on the amount any indi-
vidual could give in one year to
all campaign committees. They
have not decided what the cell
ing figure will be.
Closer to Hennings
Such a change will bring their
bill into closer comparison with
the Hennings election bill, ap-I
proved by the Rules Committed
last year. That bill would pro-
hibit any individual from giving
more than $4,000 to all political
committees in any one year.
Existing law contains a $4,000
limit on any one contribution by
an individual, but does not pre-
vent a person from giving $1,000
to an unlimited number of COM
mittees in different States.
Senator johnson was not ready
to say today whether the cleo
ton bills will be taken up before
or after the Easter recess, sched-I
uled to run from March 90 to-
April 8.
The Johnson Knowland bill
already requires any individual
who gives more than $4,000 to-
several committees to file with
Congress a consolidated report.
but the absence of any overall
ceiling was one of the criticisms
leveled at the bill two days ago
by the United Automobile Work.
ers Union.
Meanwhile, President George
Meany of the AFL-CIO urged
Congress to provide either for
Government financing of cam
paigns for Federal Office, or limit
individual contributions to 81.
He made the suggestion in an
editorial indorsing the Senate'sI
proposed broad investigation of
lobbying and campaign spending i
The editorial appeared in the
unions monthly magazine, The
Federationist.
Mr.. Meany not only gave his
support to the investigation, but
welcomed any study he said the
committee may make of political
contributions gathered by labor
groups. He said the AFL-CIO
files with Congress, in accord
ance with law, complete rec
ord of all the 81 voluntary con-
tribuUions it receives from mem
bers and uses to support candi-
dates in both parties who have
organized labor's Endorsement.
LabOr's Part Seen "SmalI'
Perhaps an attempt will be
made" wrote Mr.. Meany, to
indicate that labor's campaign
contributions to candidates, in
the aggregate, matched those of |
business contributors. Such eff
forts will be doomed to failure,
because the fact is that labor
has never succeeded in raising
by voluntary contributions more
than a small fraction of the
total amounts expended in any
campaign"
Under the Craftsmanship of
Senator Mcclellan, Democrat of
Arkansas, the bipartisan eight
man investigating committee
will meet soon TO organize. But
Senator Mcclellan has cautioned
the Senate that the task as
signed to it is one that will re-
quire considerable time. He also
has made it clear that he in
tends to keep it on a construc-
tive basis, dealing with the sub
stantial rather than the trivial
Meanwhile, the temporary
Senate committee which inves-
tigated the activities of lawyers
for the Superior Oil Co. of Cali
fornia in connection with the
natural gas bill, is expected to
file its report with the Senate
within a week.