International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffers, Warehousemen & Page 472 Kennedy, Hon. Robert F., a U.S. Senator from the State of New York.. Lambert, Jeremiah D., attorney, Washington, D.C... 292 Prepared statement__ 297 Maneloveg, Herbert, vice president and director, Batten, Barton, Durstine McGovern, Ray, vice president and legal counsel 476 Moore, Carlos, legislative director, International Brotherhood of Team- National Association of Broadcasters, Vincent T. Wasilewski, president__ National Committee for an Effective Congress, Russell D. Hemenway, Pearson, Hon. James B., a U.S. Senator from the State of Kansas- Republican National Committee, Fred C. Scribner, Jr., general counsel.. Scribner, Fred C., Jr., general counsel, Republican National Committee__ Staats, Hon. Elmer B., Comptroller General of the United States, accom- 472 226 237 149 Keller, Robert F., General Counsel, General Accounting Office; and Thurmond, Hon. Strom S., a U.S. Senator from the State of South Carolina. Tydings, Hon. Joseph D., a U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland. 387, 411 264 271 Wasilewski, Vincent T., president, National Association of Broadcasters__ Wright, Hon. James C., Jr., a U.S. Representative in Congress from the AFL-CIO, letter of Andrew J. Biemiller, director, department of legis- 499 American Farm Bureau Federation, letter of John C. Lynn, legislative 506 Bailey, John M., chairman, Democratic National Committee, prepared statement__ 497 Baker, Hon. Howard H., Jr., a U.S. Senator from the State of Tennessee, 496 Davenport, Kenneth, Walter Davenport Sons, Inc., letter to the chairman_ man_ 500 497 Vivian, Hon. Weston E., former Representative in Congress from the State. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION "Agreed, But ***," Waterbury (Conn.) Sunday Republican. "A Shorter Campaign? People Would Love It," New Haven (Conn.) "Campaign for Short Campaigns," by John S. Monagan, a U.S. "For a Shorter Campaign," Meriden (Conn.) Morning Record_ "For Shorter Campaigns," Washington Post. "Is This Convention Necessary?" New York Times_. "Law To Limit Campaign Time," by Carey Cronan_ "Long Election Campaigns Costly, Wear Down Candidates, Sup- porters," by James MacGregor Burns.. "More Talk of Campaign Money," St. Louis Post-Dispatch.. "Politics-A Move To Shorten Campaigns," by Edward T. Folliard Page 312 278 310 318 311 315 317 319 Meriden (Conn.) Record.. 315 Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act of 1966, text of 63 President's Message, "The Political Process in America".. 438 "Shorten Presidential Campaigns," excerpts from the Congressional "Shorter Campaigns Wanted," New York Times. Later Conventions Suggested," POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FINANCING PROPOSALS T THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1967 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:10 a.m., in room 2221, New Senate Office Building, Senator Russell B. Long, chairman, presiding. Present: Senators Long, Anderson, Gore, McCarthy, Williams, Curtis, and Dirksen. The CHAIRMAN. The hearing will come to order. During the time that this hearing is being televised or subject to motion picture camera, we will observe the following rule, which is a rule of the Permanent Investigation Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Rules and Administration A witness may request, on grounds of distraction, harrassment or physical discomfort, that during his testimony by television, motion picture or other camera lights shall not be directed at him. Such a request will be ruled on by Committee Members present and voting at the hearing. This hearing has been called for the purpose of receiving testimony on the matter of political campaign financing. The record developed here will aid the committee in complying with the direction of the Senate that we report "provisions with respect to the presidential campaign fund law of 1966." This instruction was contained in a motion by the majority leader agreed to by the Senate on April 25. It is a rather overused but true statement that we Americans take many things for granted. Too often, we Americans have either overlooked or forgotten the principles that have always distinguished this country from every other. One idea that most of us assume as a part of our heritage is that any one of us can be chosen to lead the rest; that is, any American citizen can aspire to any elected public office. While this idea is generally taken for granted, if we reflect upon it, we will see it is not necessarily true. To be elected to public office, particularly to the higher echelons of public office, it is not sufficient to have a desire for the office or to be qualified by experience or intelligence for the office. In addition, one must have money to make the race for the office. Therefore, many poor people in the United States are automatically disqualified from obtaining elected public office. Of course, it is not the wealthy alone who are elected, but those who are not wealthy and who are elected must rely on the generosity of others. This generosity may too often be a quid pro quo for favors promised or previously rendered by the officeseeker. Or the would-be elected official who is not rich and does not care to sacrifice his inde 1 pendence for money with which to run for office must borrow and mortgage himself to the hilt to obtain office and he usually remains in dire financial shape throughout his term of office. This problem of having the financial resources to be elected to public office is one that, although perhaps not widely recognized by the American public, has nevertheless bothered politicians, party officials, and political scientists for many years. Yet, they were unable to agree on an answer to the problem which could be enacted into law. It was against this background that the Senate Finance Committee put itself last summer when it conducted hearings on political campaign financing. That hearing concentrated on several proposals before the committee suggested by their sponsors as ways to meet the problem I have just described. From those hearings came a proposition which the 89th Congress enacted. That was the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act of 1966. P This year that law has been the subject of considerable debate in the Senate. This debate has stimulated the introduction of a number of bills dealing with campaign financing. Some of these bills provide for direct Federal financing of political campaigns. Others offer a tax credit or a tax deduction to encourage private contributions. Still others adopt a voucher approach under which individuals indicate the candidate they want to receive a specified amount of Federal aid. These bills are all before the Senate Finance Committee. Without objection, the following pertinent information will be printed in the record at this point: President's message, "The Political Process in America," transmitting recommendations to the Congress (p. 2); Committee press release announcing these hearings (p. 10); Bills before this committee proposing methods for financing political campaigns*; Summary of the above bills prepared by the staff of the committee (p. 60); and Text of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act of 1966 (p. 63). (The material, referred to follows. The Chairman's statement continues on p. 65.) Public participation in the processes of government is the essence of democracy. Public confidence in those processes strengthens democracy. No Government can long survive which does not fuse the public will to the institutions which serve it. The American system has endured for almost two centuries because the people have involved themselves in the work of their Government, with full faith in the meaning of that involvement. But Government itself has the continuing obligation-second to no other-to keep the machinery of public participation functioning smoothly and to improve it where necessary so that democracy remains a vital and vibrant institution. It is in the spirit of that obligation that I send this message to the Congress today. I propose a five-point program to: -Reform our campaign financing laws to assure full disclosure of contributions and expenses, to place realistic limits on contributions, and to remove the meaningless and ineffective ceilings on campaign expenditures. -Provide a system of public financing for Presidential election campaigns. -Broaden the base of public support for election campaigns, by exploring ways to encourage and stimulate small contributions. *The bills appear as follows: S. 786, p. 10; S. 1390, p. 11; S. 1407, p. 15; S. 1547, p. 18; S. 1698, p. 19; S. 1794, p. 24; S. 1827, p. 33; S. 1882, p. 50; S. 1883, p. 52; and S. 1890, p. 57. |