Speaking of Funds

Democrats were enjoying a triumphant laugh over the Nixon case until it reminded Kent Chandler of another story about a fund. When he told it, the Democrats had their own troubles.

Chandler, former mayor of Lake Forest, Ill., and vice chairman of A.B. Dick Co., mimeograph machines, fired off a telegram to Stevenson. He wanted to know how Stevenson squared the Democratic attack on Nixon with what Stevenson himself had said in favor of private subsidies to public employees. Chandler further charged: "As governor of Illinois, you personally promoted a similar cash fund contributed by private individuals which was paid to various of your official appointees to state jobs in order to supplement the salaries paid them by the state."

In New York, Stevenson issued a statement which admitted Chandler's charge. Stevenson said: "I have tried to reduce the financial sacrifice of a number of men whom I induced to leave private employment to work for the state of Illinois . . . The funds used for this purpose were left over from the 1948 campaign for governor, together with subsequent general contributions."

Stevenson did not make public with his statement any list of the privately subsidized state officials nor did he list the contributors to the fund.

He did try to make a distinction from the Nixon case by saying that no elected officials were subsidized by the Illinois fund. Why appointed officials should be freer of improper influence than elected officials, Stevenson did not say.

There was one other difference between the Nixon fund and the Illinois fund. Nixon denied that he had used any of his fund for his own personal expenses. The Illinois officials, whoever they were, or are, apparently got their subsidies as personal income to use as they pleased.

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