Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : Long-Distance Call for Political Funds

The Democratic National Committee has come up with a fund-raising plan under which it finds customers for US Sprint and gets a percentage of the business it generates for the long-distance company. The plan is similar to a method long in use by school, church and community groups that get members to patronize designated businesses and are paid for the new customers they bring in. Democrats ask party faithful who use another long-distance company to switch to Sprint. Sprint will give the party 5% of the cost of long-distance calls made by these customers. Sprint spokesman Steve Dykes said the company’s involvement was not political: “It’s strictly a business relationship.”