TITLE VIII.

CORRUPT PRACTICES.

money, etc.

236. No person shall, in order to aid or promote his Candidate, own nomination as a candidate for public office, by a cau- payment of cus, convention, or nomination paper, directly or indirectly, 1893, c. 417, by himself or through another person, or by a political § 226. committee, give, pay, expend, or contribute, or promise to give, pay, expend, or contribute, any money or other valuable thing, except for personal expenses as hereinafter provided.

appoint

237. No person shall, in order to aid or promote his Candidate, own nomination or election to a public office, directly or promise of indirectly, by himself or through another person, promise ment, etc. to appoint, or promise to secure, or assist to secure, the Ibid. §.227. appointment, nomination, or election of another person to a public position or to a position of honor, trust, or emolument, except that he may announce or define what is his choice or purpose in relation to an election in which he may be called to take part, if he shall be elected to the public office for which he is a candidate.

etc., of money, etc.,

238. No person shall, in order to aid or promote his Payment, own election to a public office, directly or indirectly, by himself or through another person, give, pay, expend, or regulated. contribute, or promise to give, pay, expend, or contribute, Ibid. § 228. any money or other valuable thing, except for personal expenses and to a political committee as hereinafter provided.

239. A candidate for nomination or for election to a Personal public office, and any other person, may incur and pay, in expenses. Ibid. § 229. connection with such nomination or election, his own personal expenses for travelling and for purposes properly incidental to travelling; for writing, printing and preparing for transmission any letter, circular, or other publication which is not issued at regular intervals, whereby he may make known his own position or views upon public or other questions; for stationery and postage, for telegraph, telephone and other public messenger service, and for other petty personal purposes, but all such expenses

Not to be

included in statement.

Voluntary

payment to committee. 1893, c. 417,

§ 230.

committee.

Ibid. § 231.

shall be limited to those which are directly incurred and paid by him; and no person shall be required to include such personal expenses in any statement which may be required of him under said chapter four hundred and

seventeen.

240. A person who is nominated as a candidate for public office, by a caucus, convention, or nomination paper, and a person who shall with his own assent be voted for for public office, may make a voluntary payment of money, or a voluntary and unconditional promise of payment of money, to a political committee, as hereinafter defined, for the promotion of the principles of the party which the committee represents, and for the general purposes of the committee.

Political £ 241. The term "political committee,” under the provisions of this title, shall apply to every committee or combination of three or more persons who shall aid or promote the success or defeat of a political party or principle in a public election, or shall aid or take part in the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate for public Treasurer, office. Every such committee shall have a treasurer, who accounts. is a legal voter of the Commonwealth, and shall cause to be kept by him detailed accounts of all money, and the equivalent of money, which shall be received by or promised to the committee, or by any person acting under its authority or in its behalf, and of all expenditures, disbursements and promises of payment or disbursement which Receipt or shall be made by the committee or by any person acting under its authority and in its behalf; and no person, acting under the authority or in behalf of such committee, hibited until shall receive any money, or equivalent of money, or treasurer is expend or disburse the same, until the committee has chosen. chosen a treasurer to keep its accounts as herein provided. Agent to 242. A person who, acting under the authority or in account to behalf of a political committee, shall receive any money or equivalent of money or promise of the same, or shall expend any money or its equivalent, or shall incur any liability to pay money or its equivalent, shall at any time thereafter on demand of the treasurer of such committee,

disburse

ment of

money pro

treasurer.

Ibid. § 232.

and in any event within fourteen days after such receipt, expenditure, promise, or liability, give to such treasurer a detailed account of the same, with all vouchers required

by said chapter four hundred and seventeen; and such Treasurer's account shall constitute a part of the accounts and records accounts of such treasurer.

and records.

to file state

ment, etc.

243. The treasurer of every political committee which Treasurer shall receive, or expend, or disburse any money, or equivalent of money, or incur any liability to pay money, in con- 1893, c. 417, nection with any election, if the aggregate of such receipts § 233. or of such expenditures, disbursements and liabilities shall exceed twenty dollars, shall, within thirty days after such election, file a statement setting forth all the receipts, expenditures, disbursements and liabilities of the committee, and of every officer and other person acting under its authority and in its behalf. Such statement shall include Contents of the amount in each case received, the name of the person or statement. committee from whom it was received, and, so far as practicable, the date of its receipt, and shall also include the amount of every expenditure or disbursement, the name of the person or committee to whom the expenditure or disbursement was made, and, so far as practicable, the date of every such expenditure and disbursement and, except where such expenditure or disbursement was made to another political committee, shall clearly state the purpose for which it was expended or disbursed. The state- To give ment shall also give the date and amount of every existing promise or liability, both to and from such committee, existing remaining unfulfilled and in force at the time the state- liabilities. ment is made, with the name of the person or committee to or from whom the unfulfilled promise or liability exists, and clearly state the purpose for which the promise or liability was made or incurred.

date and

amount of

244. Every person who, acting otherwise than under Other the authority and in behalf of a political committee having persons subject to a treasurer as hereinbefore provided, receives money or requirethe equivalent of money, or expends or disburses, or ments. promises to expend or disburse, money or its equivalent, Ibid. § 234to an amount exceeding twenty dollars, for the purpose of

aiding or promoting the success or defeat of a political party or principle in a public election, or of aiding or taking part in the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate for public office, shall file such statement as is herein required to be filed by a treasurer of a political committee, in the city in which he is a legal voter, and shall be subject to all the requirements of said chapter four hundred and seventeen, the same as a political committee and the Persons not treasurer thereof; but no person other than a legal voter voters, re- of the Commonwealth shall receive, expend, or disburse any money or equivalent of money, or promise to expend or disburse the same, for either of the purposes abovenamed, except for personal expenses as herein provided, or under the authority and in behalf of a political committee.

ceipts, expenditures,

etc.

Payments,

of

etc.

payer,

$235.

1

245. No person shall, directly or indirectly, by himself etc., name or through another person, make a payment or promise of payment to a political committee or to an officer or other 1893, c. 417, person acting under its authority or in its behalf, in any other than his own name; nor shall such committee, officer, or other person knowingly receive a payment or promise of payment or enter or cause the same to be entered in the accounts or records of such committee, in any other name than that of the person by whom such payment or promise of payment is made.

Candidate, 246. No political committee, and no person acting soliciting, under the authority or in behalf of a political committee, etc., money, shall demand, solicit, ask, or invite a payment of money or Ibid. § 236. promise of payment of money to be used in an election,

from.

from a person who has been nominated by a caucus, convention, or nomination paper, as a candidate for public Candidate, office in such election; and no person so nominated shall payment by, make any such payment in an election in which he is a can

when

solicited.

didate for public office, to a political committee or to any person acting under the authority or in the behalf of a political committee if such committee or any such person has demanded, solicited, asked, or invited from him any such payment or promise of payment.

247. No political committee and no person who is re- Naturalization fees, quired to file a statement in accordance with the foregoing payment provisions of this title shall make any payment or promise of, etc. of payment of money to or in behalf of any person, for 1893, c. 417, fees for the primary or final declaration or application § 237. for naturalization, or for services as counsel or otherwise in assisting any one to make such declaration or application.

248. The statement above required by this act to be Treasurer's filed by a treasurer of a political committee shall be filed statement, filing, etc. with the board of election commissioners, except that, in Ibid. § 238. case a political committee has its headquarters in some other city or town than that in which the treasurer is a legal voter, the treasurer shall file the statement required of him with the clerk of the city or town in which such headquarters are maintained at the time of the election to which the statement relates. A statement Duplicate. relating to any other than a city election, or than an election on the part of a city council or of either branch thereof, shall be filed in duplicate, and one copy shall be forthwith forwarded by said board to the secretary of the Commonwealth, by whom it shall be placed on file. Every person making a statement required by the pro- Statement visions of this title shall make oath that the same is in to be made all respects correct and true to the best of his knowledge and belief.

under oath.

the Com

249. The secretary of the Commonwealth shall inspect Secretary of all statements filed with him under the provisions of chap- monwealth ter four hundred and seventeen of the acts of eighteen to inspect hundred and ninety-three and acts in amendment thereof 1895, c. 242, within sixty days after the same are filed.

statements.

§ 1.

in case of non-compli

ance, etc.

250. Upon discovery that any such statement does Persons to not conform to the provisions of said act, in respect to be notified sufficiency of detail or otherwise, or upon the complaint in writing of any five registered voters that any such statement does not conform to law or to the truth, or that Ibid. § 2. any person has failed to file a statement required by said act, said secretary shall notify such person in writing of his non-compliance, specifying the particulars thereof.