 Nixon , as he related in his address , came from a family of moderate means , and had spent much of his time after law school either in the military , campaigning for office , or serving in Congress . After his successful 1950 Senate campaign , Nixon 's backers continued to raise money to finance his political activities . These contributions went to reimburse him for travel costs , postage for political mailings which he did not have franked , and similar expenses . Such a fund was not illegal at the time , but as Nixon had made a point of attacking government corruption , it exposed him to charges he might be giving special favors to the contributors . 
