Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, July 10, 1912, Page 13

—— eommenge NII TAME rman cere eRce: ae ARETE Or OR and mailing of letters and campaign litera- ture. p 5 (8) For necessary expenses, incident to the furnishing and printing of badges, banners and other insignia, to the printing and post- ing of handbills, posters, lithographs and other campaign literature, and the distridu- tion thereof through the mails or otherwise.. (4) For campaign advertising in news- papers, periodicals or magazines, as provided in this act. (5) For wages, and actual necessary per- sonal expenses of public speakers, organizers and musicians. (6) For traveling expenses of members of the committee. (7) For preparing poll lists. and for chal- lengers at the polls. ’ Sec. 1 Every person who shall have any bill, charge or claim upon or against any per- sonal campaign or purty committee or any candidate, for any disbursement made, serv- ices rendered, or thing of value furnished, for political purposes, or incurred in any manner in relation to any primary or election, shall render in writing to such committee or candidate such bill, charge or claim within ten days after the day of the primary or election in connection with which such bill, charge or claim was incurred. No candi- date and no personal campaign or party com- mittee shall pay any bill, charge or claim so incurred prior to any primary or election which is not so presented within ten days after such primary or election. Sec. 19. (1) Every candidate, and the sec- retary of every personal campaign and party committee shall, on the second Saturday oc- curring after such candidate or committee has first made a disbursement or first in- curred any obligation, expressed or implied, to make a disbursement for political pur- poses, and thereafter, on the second Satur- day of each calendar month, until all dis- bursements shall have been accoun,ed for and also on the Saturday preceding any elec- tion or primary, file a financial statement verified upon the oath of such candidate or upon the oath of the secretary of such com- mittee, as the case may be, which statement shall cover all transactions not accounted for and reported upon in statements theretofore filed. Each statement after the first shall contain a summary of all preceding state- ments, and summarize all items theretofore reported, under the provisions of this act. (2) The statement of any candidate and the statement of his personal campaign com- mittee shall be filed with the filing officer of such candidate. The statement of every state committee, and of every congressional committee shall be filed with the secretary of state. The statement of every party com- mittee for a state senatorial district, or for state representative district, shall be filed with the filing officer of the candidate for state senator or state representative in such district. The statement of every other party committee shall be filed in the office of the county auditor of the county within which, or for a subdivision within which such dis- bursements were made. (3) Each statement shall give in full detail: (a) Every sum of money and all property, and every ‘other thing of value, received by such candidate or committee during such period from any source whatsoever which he or it uses or has used, or is at liberty to use for political purposes, together with the name of every person or source from which each was received, and the date when each was received, together with the total amount received from all sources in any amount or manner whatsoever. (b) Every promise or pledge of money, property or other thing of value, received by such candidate or committee during such period, the proceeds of which he uses or has used, or is at liberty to use for political purposes, together with the names of the persons by whom. each was promised or pledged, the special purposes for which each was promised or pledged and the date when each was so promised or pledged, together with the total amount promised or pledged from all sources in any amounts or manner hatsoever. wie Every disbursement by such candidate or committee for political purposes during such period together with the name of every person to whom the disbursement is made, the specific purpose for which each was made, and the date when each was made, together with the total amount of disbursements made in any amounts or manner whatsoever. (d) ‘Every obligation, expressed or implied, to make any disbursement incurred by such candidate or committee for political purposes during such period, together with the names of the person or persons to or with whom each such obligation has been incurred, the specific purposes for which each was made, and the date when each was incurred, to- gether with the total amount of such obliga- tions made in any amounts or manner what- soever. (e) Statements shall also be made by any other political committee showing the total amount of receipts and disbursements, and for what purpose such disbursements were made. Such statement shall be filed with the auditor of the county in which such com- mittee has its headquarters within thirty days. after any primary or election. Sec. 20. Blan for all statements re- Quired by this act shall be prepared by the secretary of state and copies thereof, together with a copy of this act, shall be furnished through the county auditor or otherwise, as the secretary of state may deem expedient, to the secretary of every committee, and to every candidate upon the filing of nomina- tion papers, and to all other persons required by law to file such statements who may apply therefor. Sec. 21. The name of a candidate chosen at a primary election or otherwise shall not be printed on the official ballot for the ensu- ing election, unless there has been filed by or on behalf of said candidate and by his personal campaign committee, if any, the statements of accounts and expenses relating to nominations required by this act. Sec. 22. No person shall, in order to aid or promote his nomination or election, directly or indirectly, himself, or through any other person, appoint or promise to appoint any person, or secure or promise to secure or aid in securing the appointment, nomination or election of any person to any public or private position or employment, or to any position of honor, trust or emolument. Nothing herein contained, however, shall pre- vent a candidate from stating publicly his preference for or support of any other can- didate for any office to be voted for at the same primary or election; nor prevent a can- didate, for any office in which, the person elected will be charged with the duty of par- ticipating in the election or the nomination of any person as a candidate for any office, from publicly stating or pledging his prefer- ence for or support of any person for such office or nomination. See. 23. No person being an employer or acting for or in behalf of any employer shall give, distribute or cause to be given or distributed to any of his employes, any printed or written matter containing any threat, notice or information, or make any threat, verbal or otherwise, that in case any particular ticket or a political party or or- ganization or candidate shall be elected or any measure referred to a vote of the people shall be adopted, work in his place or estab- lishment will cease, in whole or in part, or his place of establishment will be closed up, or the salaries or wages of the workmen or employes be reduced or other threats, ex- pressed or implied, intended or calculated to influence the political opinion or actions of his workmen or employes. Sec. 24. Any candidate may delegate to his personal campaign committee or to any party committee of his’ party in writing duly sub- scribed by him, the expenditure of any por- tion of the total disbursements which are authorized to be incurred by him or on his behalf, by the provisions of this act but the total of all disbursements J himself and by his personal campaign committee in his behalf shall not exceed in the aggregate the amounts in this act specified, except as provided herein. Sec. 25. (1) No disbursement shall be made and no obligation, expressed or implied, to make such disbursements, shall be incurred by or on behalf of any personal campaign committee, exceeding in the aggregate the total amounts theretofore delegated to such committee in writing, duly subscribed as provided herein. (2) The state central committee of any political party entitled by law to have the names of its candidates placed upon the official ballot in a general election may, how- ever, in addition to’ the disbursements and obligations to make disbursements provided for in sub-section one hereof, make further disbursements in connection with any gen- eral election, not exceeding in the aggregate the sum of ten thousand dollars. (3) Nothing contained in this act shall be construed to authorize the state central com- mittee of any political party, to make dis- bursements in connection with any election, in excess in the aggregate of ten thousand dollars and every disbursement by any such er naa in excess of such amount is for- en. Sec. 26. No corporation doing business in this state shall-pay or contribute, or offer, consent, or agree to pay or contribute, di- rectly or indirectly, any money, property, free service of its officers or employes or thing of value to any political party, organization, committee or individual for any political pur- pose whatsoever, or to promote or defeat the candidacy of any person for nomination, elec- tion or appointment to any political office. If any corporation shall be convicted of vio- lating any of the provisions of this act, it shall be subject to a penalty in the amount of not exceeding ten thousand (10,000) dollars to be collected as other claims or demands for money are collected; and if a domestic corporation, in addition to’ said penalty, it may be dissolved; and if a foreign or non- resident corporation, in addition to said pen- alty, its right to do business in this state may be declared forfeited. Sec. 27. Any officer, employe, agent or attorney or other representative of any cor- poration, acting for or in behalf of such corporation who shall violate this act, shall be punished upon conviction by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the state prison for a period of not less than one nor more than five years, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion Page 5 SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SS SSS of the court or judge before whom such con- viction is had. Sec. 28. The violation of this act by any officer, of such aps ate shall be prima facie evidence of said violation by such cor- poration. All fines or forfeitures recovered under the provisions of this act shall when collected» be paid into the treasury of the county for the use of the road and bridge fund, and it is hereby made the duty of the county attorney of each county to conduct Prosecutions under this act on proper com- plaint. Sec. 29. Any person or persons who shall aid, abet, or advise a violation of this act, shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished as provided in this act. Sec. 30. Violations of this act may be prosecuted in the county where such pay- ment or contribution is made or services rendered or in any county wherein such money a" been paid or distributed. Sec. . The officer with whom the expense account of any candidate for public office or committee is required to be filed by this act, shall notify such candidate or committee of the failure to comply with such law, imme- diately upon the expiration of the time fixed by any law of this state for the filing of the same, and shall notify the county attorney of the county where such candidate resides or in which the headquarters of the com- mittee is located, of the fact of the failure to file such expense account and said county attorney shall thereupon notify such candi- date or the secretary of said committee of such delinquency and if the provisions of this act shall not be complied with within ten days after the mailing of such notice, the county attorney shall thereupon prosecute such candidate or the officer of the committee required by law to file such statement. Sec. 32. If the county attorney of the county shall be notified by any officer or other person of any violation of any of the provi- sions of this act, it shall be his duty forth- with to diligently inquire into the facts of such violation, and if there is reasonable ground for instituting a prosecution, it shall be the duty of such county attorney to pre- sent the said charge, with all the evidence which he can procure, to the grand jury of such county. If any county attorney shail fail or refuse to faithfully perform any duty imposed upon him by this act, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall forfeit his office. It shall be the duty of the county attorney, under the penalty of forfeiture of his office, to prosecute any and ali persons guilty of any violation of the proyisions of this act, the penalty of which is fire or imprisonment, or both, or removal from office. Any citizen may employ an attorney to assist the county attorney to perform his duties under this act, and such attorney shall be recognized by the county attorney and the court as asso- ciate counsel in the proceeding; and no prose- eution, action or proceeding shall be dis- missed without notice to, or against the objection of, such associate counsel until the reasons of the county attorney for such dis- missal, together with the objections thereto of said associate counsel, shall have been filed in writing, argued by counsel, and fully considered by the court, with such limitation as to the time of filing such reasons and objections as the court may impose. Sec. 33. Any twenty-five voters of the state, or of any political division thereof, may contest the right of any person to nomi- nation, position or office for which said voters had the right to vote, on the ground of de- liberate, serious and material violation of the provisions of this act or of any other: provi- sions of law relating to nominations and elections. Any defeated candidate for said nomination, position or office may make said eontest. Said procedure shall be commenced by petition filed in the district court of the county in which the candidate whose elec- tion is contested resides, and the contest shall be carried on according to law. In case of contests over nominations, the court shall pronounce whether the incumbent or contestant was duly nominated, and the person so declared nominated shall have his name printed on the official ballots. Sec. 34. When upon the trial of any action or proceedings under this act it shall appear from the evidence that the offense complained of was not committed by the candidate, or with his knowledge or consent, or was com- mitted without his sanction or connivance, and that all reasonable means were taken by such candidate at such election, or were taken by or on behalf of the candidate, or that the offenses complained of were trivial, unimportant or limited in character, and that in all respects his candidacy and election were free from all offensive or illegal acts, or that any act or omission of any candidate complained of arose from accidental miscal- culation or from some other reasonable cause of like nature, and in any case did not arise from any want of good faith, and under the circumstances it seems to the court to be unjust that the candidate shall forfeit his nomination, position or office. then the nomi- nation or election of such candidate shall not by reason of such offense complained of to be void, nor shall the candidate be removed from nor deprived of his nomination, position or_ Office. Sec. 35. Any proceeding under this act contesting any nomination or election must : a 3