Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-03
SO Election Spending
I opped $33 Million
COP. TotoI
Twice Thutof
Democrats
BY L. EDGAR PRINA

| 4lAC 4oOO BCIlcI al CLCCLlOIl COSL
a minimum of $33 million, but
the actual campaign bill far
surpasses" that figure, a Senate
group reported yesterday.
The Senate Subcommittee on
Elections said that the Republic
cans spent $40, 1897, or almost
twice the Democrats outlay of
$l0,977,790. Labor organizations
accounted for $941,2 7l in direct
expenditures and miscellaneous
groups $581, PIT of the overall
total of $33.185,725.
A Democratic supporter, Lans-
dell K. Christie of New York City,
topped individual contributors
with S73,164. Mrs. Charles S.
Payson. also of New York, led the
Republicans with $65,050.
2 Primaries Not Included
The $33 million figure, the sub
committee pointed out, is limited
to moneys spent on Federal races
in the three-month September l.
November 80 period. 1t does not
include the cost of primary cam
paigns (where the bulk of the
election expenditures are made
in Southern States) or conven-
tons.
No estimate of the total actual
cost of the 1856 campaign was
made by the subcommittee and.
Iinasmuch as no similar study
had been made before, there was
no figure for other years which
could be compared with the $33
million in direct expenditures Of
last years election.
The Democratic and Republic
can National Committees have
estimated that they spent a total
of SITS million in the 1852 presi-
dental contest. And a Senate
subcommittee consultant, DR..
Alexander Heard of the IIniver-
Isity Of North Carolina political
science department, put the cost
Iof all political campaigns in 1852
Iat approximately $40 million.
Labor Total Challenged
Senator Curtis. Republican of
Nebraska, challenged the "rela-
lively small" amount credited to
labor groups by Democratic Sem
ators Gore of Tennessee, the
chairman, and Mansfield of Mon
tana. who wrote the majority
report.
Branding the Gore Mansfield
figures inaccurate and incom-
plete," Senator Curtis said that
union reports do not include
paid manpower provided by the
unions. union publications or
radio and television expenditures
from general funds under the
labels of political education and
citizenship"
Sees Totals About EQUAL
He said that if a full tabula-
ton OF Democratic expenditures
had been made. the total for
both parties probably would
have been nearly equal"
Actually, the subcommittee in
dicates that labor's contributions
were considerably in excess of
the amount it spent directly.
Thus. II national labor groups
spent $2,l56.728. but transferred
Sl,6l5.993 of this sum to other
campaign groups, SO per cent
Democratic.
The subcommittee majority
made number of recommended
tons and observations:
l. The need for remedial legis-
latlon on Federal elections is
imperative and immediate.
Strict, but enforceable and
realistic limitations on political
expenditures are
called for.
2. An intensive study of the
activities of labor unions and
corporations in Federal elections
should be made.
8. There has been a demon
'tration OF the need for effective
limitations" on individual con-
ributions and of the "desirability
# providing incentives for mass
or perhaps govern
mental assumption of the cost
md responsibility for the con-
luct of Federal election cam
'aigns and the curtailment of
lection campaigns"
4. Out-of-State campaign con-
ributions in senatorial elections
Continued on paga A.e rnI