title and for any of the purposes permitted by this sub-title and for no other purposes, and no person other than such a candidate shall, to aid or promote the success or defeat of any political party or principle or of any proposition submitted to vote at any public election, or of any candidate for public office, or of any candidate for nomination as such, within six months prior to any such election, make a payment or contribution of money or property or incur any liability or promise any valuable thing to any person other than to the treasurer or political agent. Nothing contained in this sub-title shall limit or affect the right of any person to expend money for proper legal expenses in maintaining or contesting the results of any such elections. Chapter 228, Acts of 1912. The 167. No person other than a treasurer or political agent shall pay any of the expenses of any election or primary election, except that a candidate may pay his own expenses for postage, telegrams, telephoning, stationery, printing, adver tising, publishing, expressage and traveling and board. payments, expenditures, promises and liabilities which any candidate for nomination or for election may make or incur, directly or indirectly, whether in money or other thing of value, under this or the preceding section, shall not exceed in the whole ten dollars for each one thousand (or the major portion thereof) up to fifty thousand, and five dollars for each one thousand (or the major portion thereof) in excess of fifty thousand of the registered voters qualified to vote for the office in question at the next preceding election therefor, all to be paid, handled and disbursed by a treasurer or political agent, and not otherwise; and any payment, contribution, expenditure of, or promise or liability to pay, contribute or expend any money or valuable thing in excess of said sum, shall be unlawful; provided, however, that a candidate for nomination or for election may pay personally in addition to said sum or valuable thing or things amounting thereto, his own expenses for postage, telegrams, telephoning, stationery, printing, advertising, publishing, expressage, traveling and board (provided, further, that any payment, expenditure, contribution, promise or liability which may be made or incurred, directly or indirectly, by the wife of any candidate for an office or nomination shall be charged against the candidate as if made by the candidate himself); and provided, further, that nothing in this sub-title shall be taken or construed to prohibit the chairman of the State Central Committee of the State or of any county or of the city of Baltimore of any political party from soliciting contributions for campaign purposes, which contri butions, however, shall be expended in accordance with and subject to the provisions and restrictions of this sub-title. Chapter 228, Acts of 1912. 168. It shall be lawful for any treasurer or political agent in connection with any election, or primary election, and in making provisions therefor, to pay the following expenses: (a) of hiring of halls and music for the conventions, public meetings and public primaries and for advertising the same; (b) of printing and circulating political articles, circulars, pamphlets and books; (c) of printing and distributing sample or specimen ballots and instructions to voters, subject, however, to such prohibitions or restrictions as may be imposed by this Article upon the publication and distribution of such sample or specimen ballots or instructions; (d) of renting rooms and headquarters to be used by political committees; (e) of compensating clerks, stenographers and typewriters employed in the committee rooms, and also of challengers and watchers employed in the registration rooms, in the voting rooms and at the polls; (f) the traveling and other legitimate expenses of political agents, committees and public speakers; (g) of necessary postage, telegrams, telephoning, printing expenses and conveyance charges for carrying persons to and from the polls, or to and from the office of registration; (h) the cost and expenses of messengers sent by direction of the chairman of the State Central Committee of any political party in connection with party matters or interests, and also the cost and expenses of any person or persons summoned by or at the instance of the chairman of the State Central Committee of any political party to the committee's headquarters or offices in connection with party matters or interests and also for the accommodation and entertainment of such per sons; (i) all expenses incurred by or under the authority of the chairman of the State Central Committee of any political party in providing accommodation and entertainment for the members of the State Central Committee or for the transportation of such members, when assembling for any meeting of said committee or visiting the headquarters of said committee in connection with party matters or interests. No treasurer or political agent shall incur any expense or liability or make any payment for any purpose not authorized by this section, and every liability incurred and payment made shall be at a rate which is proper and reasonable and fairly commensurate with the service rendered. It shall not be lawful for any treasurer or any political agent to expend any money for printing or publication of any political matter whatsoever which shall not purport on its face to be printed or published by the authority of said treasurer or political agent, and which, if published in any newspaper or other periodical, shall not be marked as an advertisement. The treasurer appointed and acting for or in connection with the State Central Committee of the State of any political party shall not expend or disburse any money or valuable thing, or incur any liability whatsoever, except by the authority and subject to the direction of the chairman of the State Central Committee of the State for or in connection with which said treasurer may be appointed or acting. Every person expending money in violation of this section or of Sections 166 or 167 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not less than three hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both fined and imprisoned in the discretion of the court. Chapter 228, Acts of 1912. 169. Within twenty days after every election, or primary election, every treasurer and every political agent shall file a full, true and detailed account and statement, subscribed and sworn to by him before an officer authorized to administer oaths, in the office of the clerk of the Circuit Court of the county in which such treasurer or political agent resides, or in the office of the clerk of the Circuit Court of Baltimore city, if such treasurer or political agent resides in said city, which statement shall include the amount of money or property in each case received or promised, the name of the person from whom it was received, or by whom it was promised, the amount of every expenditure made or promised, or valuable thing given or promised, or liability of any sort incurred, the name of the person to whom such expenditure, gift or promise thereof was made or to whom such liability was incurred, and shall clearly state the purpose for which such money or property was so expended, given or promised, or for which such liability was incurred, separating expenditures, gifts and liabilities for elections and primary elections. Such statement shall also set forth in detail all unpaid debts and obligations, if any, of such treasurer or political agent, with the nature and amount of each, for what purpose incurred and to whom owing, and if there are no unpaid debts or obligations of such treasurer or political agent, such statement shall state such fact. Every treasurer and every politi cal agent and every person who shall at any time act as treasurer or political agent, shall keep detailed, full and accurate accounts in a proper book or books, to be called "Account Books," to be provided and preserved by him, of all money or valuable things received by or promised to, and of all expen ditures, disbursements and promises of payment or disbursements of money or valuable things made by any political committee, or any of its officers or members, or by any person acting under its authority, or on its behalf, or by such treasurer or political agent, and setting forth in such statement and accounts the sum or valuable things so received, or disbursed, or promised, as the case may be, and the date when, the person from whom received or promised, or to whom paid or promised, as the case may be, and the object and purposes for which such sum, or other valuable thing, was received, or disbursed, or promised, as the case may be. Every treasurer and every political agent, as defined by this sub-title, who shall fail or refuse to make out, verify and file with the clerk of the Circuit Court the statement required by this section of this Article, or who shall fail to provide, keep and preserve the book or books of account and the entries and statements therein as aforesaid, or any of them, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not less than three hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned in jail for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, in the discretion of the Court. The provisions of this section, including the provisions with respect to the time of filing said reports, shall be mandatory and not directory and must be strictly performed as above described. Any money or other thing of value received from any unknown person or source by any treasurer or any political agent, or other persons or committee authorized to incur obligations or to pay or defray obligations or expenses under the provisions of this sub-title, shall not be used for any political purpose whatsoever, but shall be paid by the treasurer, political agent, or other person or committee so receiving the same, to the treasurer of the State of Maryland, and by him credited to the fund for the construction or maintenance of State roads. Chapter 228, Acts of 1912. 170. Every candidate for public office, including candidates for the office of Senator of the United States, shall within thirty days after the holding of the primary election held to nominate for such office, make out and file in the office of the clerk of the Circuit Court of the county in which such candidate resides, or with the clerk of the Circuit Court of Baltimore city, if such candidate resides in said city, the statement hereinafter provided. Every candidate for public office, including candidates for the office of Senator of the United States, shall within thirty days after the holding of the election to fill such office, make out and file in the office of the clerk of the Circuit Court of the county in which such candidate resides, or with the clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore city, if such candidate resides in said city, the statement hereinafter provided. It is hereby made the duty of the Supervisors of Elections, within three days after certification to them of any nomination for any office or place, to certify to the clerk of the Circuit Court of their county or the clerk of the Circuit Court of Baltimore city, as the case may be, the names and addresses of all candidates, including delegates to conventions, nominated for offices or places within their respective counties, or the city of Baltimore, as the case may be, together with the name of the office or place for which each is nominated. The said clerk of the Circuit Court shall, thereupon, furnish to each person nominated a blank form upon which to make the statement required by this section. The said above required statement shall be a full, true and itemized statement in writing, which statement and duplicate shall be subscribed and sworn to by such candidate before an officer authorized to administer oaths, setting forth in detail all moneys or other valuable thing or things contributed, expended or promised by him to aid and promote, or in any way in connection with his nomination or election, or both, as the case may be, or for other political purposes in connection with the election of any other person at said election, and all existing unfulfilled promises or liabilities in that connection remaining uncancelled and in force at the time such statement is made, whether such expenditures, promises or liabilities were made or incurred before, during or after such election, and showing the dates when the person to whom, and the purposes for which each and all of said sums or valuable things were paid, expended or promised, or said liabilities incurred. Such statement shall also set forth that the same is as full and explicit as the affiant is able to make it. No person shall be deemed elected to any elective office under the laws of this State, or enter upon the duties thereof, or receive any salary or emoluments therefrom, until he shall have filed the statement provided for in this section of this Article; and no officer authorized by the laws of this State to issue commissions or certificates of election shall issue a commission or certificate of election to any person claiming to be elected to any office, until such statement as aforesaid shall have been made, verified and filed by such person with such officer. Any person violating or failing to comply with any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than three hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both fined and imprisoned, in the discretion of the Court. |