The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-22

are very much like an iceberg, Cn'
part you see is only about LIT of ths
e amount actually laid out by politica
. managers.
$ Politics is an expensive business
even when there is no national cleo
!, ton. Congressional Quarterly, re.
: liable compiler of this data, found
! that in 1859 the Republicans raised
about $2,933 900, the Democrats took
i in SLAP, 667,. organized labor col
, lected $681,475 and miscellaneous
, political organizations accounted for
, $500, 900. All spent just about as
much as they had in their treasures,
lie. about 100000.
| The best estimate is that this year
both major parties and allied groups
will report spending about $4,000
900 to $50,000,O0O. What they do
not report, may equal these figures.
Many ruses are used by candidates
to raise funds they need not report
One of the most common is for the
firm of political layer to be "re-
tained' by someone who requires no
legal services but just wants to give
helping hand to some office-seeker.
| Or some businessman may buy in
surance from the firm of politician,
with the premiums going to the candi-
date. This is not campaign contribu-
ton. under the law, it's just an ordi-
nary business deal.
THE CLEAN ELECTIONS BILL
Unlike the so-called "Civil Rights"
bill, the Senate passed a "Clean
Elections bill last January that had
some teeth in it. 1t provided for the
fullest possible public examination of
where candidates, or a party's,
money came from and with enough
detail so the voter could draw intelli-
gent conclusions. 1t applied to pri-
mary campaigns as well as general
elections. This was particularly i'm
portant in the South, where the pri-
mary is what really counts.
Like so much other useful legisla-I
ton, the Senate's action seems to have
marked the end of the road for this |
bill. Two House counterparts are now
sitting in the Elections subcommittee
headed by Congressman Robert T.
q
poets of any action this election year
are dim.
THE INCOME OF THE AGED
Despite the possibly negative eff
fects on the candidacy of Vice Presi-
dent Nixon the Administration seems
to be in no hurry to come up with a
health insurance plan for the elderly
It's not that they would not like a
'gimmick",, or some good public re-
lations scheme that might look like
the real thing. But they have not been
able to think of one up to now.
About the best Senate Republican
Leader Dirksen has been able to do is
scream and call names every time
some critic comes. before the Senate
Committee holding hearings on this
He made the headlines when
ne said it was Sinking of James
;. Carey, secretary of the AFL-CIOJ
Union Rept. to imply the
Administration was Indifferent to the {
reeds of the aged.
1t seems TO me one of the recent G
hearings made bigger news than Dirk
ZEN, but somehow this escaped the q
headlines: Health, Education and /
Welfare Secretary Flemming said c
hat so per cent of those over 60
,ears old have an income of $1,000 n
year or less. And out of 5 live j
N less than $4,000 year. That's '
Why the problem is acute lib
esired by producers to bring their L
eturns up to a flair price" of 80 perl
ent of parity. 6
a. The Family Farm Act recognizes \
he interests of consumers and pro- a
ides machinery for the disposal of +,
dditional foods to needy people and !,
fair accounting of the costs of these q
rograms. :,
5. Existing surplus commodities >
rould be used to encourage retire !.
lent of unneeded acres.
6. The bill provides wheat pro- a
ram which is compromise between ?
he position held by Congress last \
ear and that of the President. 1t 81
rovides an effective means of :,