CCP Chairman Brad Smith offers more commentary on the centennial of the Tillman Act, the first federal campaign finance law. This time he takes a closer look at Sen. Benjamin Ryan "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman to see what this early proponent of "reform" can teach us about the contemporary push for greater regulation of political speech.
Money quote:
The example of Tillman teaches us that campaign-finance reform is not an unadulterated good, nor does it exist free from other political agendas. Rather, it is a tool used to support other agendas — agendas which can be good or bad.
Read the whole thing in the Columbus Dispatch, here.
For earlier posts discussing Senator Tillman and the law bearing his name, see here and here.
