Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31
ALL ABOUT LOBBYISTS
Some Familiar Types That May Be
Seen at the Capitol.
INFLUENCING LEGISLATION.
Parliamentary Lawyers In England and How
They Work-The Female Lobbyist-What
She 10 Supposed To He and What She Is
The Three Glasses.


for that matter, Washington always has great
many of these. When Congress Is In session
one Of the first things they look for when they
go to the Capitol is the lobbyist. They have
heard and read great deal about this mysteri-
Gus person and they are particularly anxious to
see him or her. They have q preconceived
notion that he carries around large money
bag with him and that he shells out.gold eagles
with lavish hand, and that she pervades the
halls of Congress as beautiful ard enticing as a
veritable Cleopatra All this is romance, but,
like most romance, it has just enough founds-
ton in fact to make it difficult to tell where the
romance begins and where the fact ends.
Now, this is not much of lobbying session,
for the reason that the measures before Con-
gress are not business measures. The tariff
brings forth quantities of lobbyists, and so
does any railroad legislation, but nobody is
going to lobby for or against the force bill, nor
is there any lobbying about the cloture rule.
The free coinage of silver bill has given
US some lobbyists, and, indeed, we would not
feel thoroughly at home il We were entirely
without them, for, as q matter Of fact, we have
had them ever since the government began,
and there is no legislative assembly in the
world where they are not present under one
name or another
LOBBYISTS IN ENGLAND.
In England they are called parliamentary
lawyers, and they are upheld by some people
who really do not know much about them as
class infinitely superior to our lobbyists. Maybe
they are a class better than some of our lob
byists, but there are some Of them great deal
worse than our lobbyists are as a class. They
are supposed simply to argue before parliament
taTy committees but what is to prevent them
from arguing with the individual members of the
committees? In the house of commons of Great
Britain are some of the most disreputable scamps
in England. They frequent the gambling
houses and the low saloons, and they are just
as purchasable by an INSCRIPTIONS ''parlia-
mentary lawyer as any member of Congress
- IN this country by q lobbyist. If there were
statistics in existence they would show. with
out shadow of doubt. greater percentage of
cOrruptble members of the house of commons
than Of the House o. Representatives. The
British lobbyist is at any rate luxury fully as
expensive as one of ours. A number of years
ago it is said, that the enormous sum of ES2, 900
paid the parliamentary solicitors
for one railway bill that never got
into the house of commons at all.
lawyer" "who being retained to appear be-
fore number of different committees at the
same hour OF the same day, having received
number of guineas for each attendance, was
found by friend reposing under a tree in the
park in order. as he said, that he might do equal
Justice to all his clients-" Perhaps the cunning
CT our lobbyists was inheritance from the
old country. If the truth were known it would
eredulity of their clients and that they pretend
To do great deal of bribing, where in reality
they do but little.
casE'N POINT.
Some of the readers Of The STAR NAV re-
member a case which illustrates this Over ten
Years ago q certain financial question of great
importance was pending in the Senate. ANY
speculator who could foreten how the question
was going to be decided had a chance Of max
n of faris
practically speaking, rested upon the position
81 a certain Senator of great influence.
What his position would be nobody
the SPECTATORS and offered 70 secure
the vote and voice of this Senator for the sum
of $4,000. he held himself high, the lobbyist
said. The money was paid and the Senator
made strong speech in favor of the pending
bill Later it leaked out that the lobbyist through
a spy, had ascertained that the Senator was pre-
pairing a speech, had read his notes and had
then sold the Senator's vote.
1t cannot be doubted that a great deal Of the
money paid to LOBBYISTS is paid in this way.
Good men are not apt to follow this calling and
when two scamps come together they try to
cheat each other There is a simplicity of cum
ming. a. Charles Dickens has remarked and the
man who ia bad enough to wish to bride is sim
pie enough to believe that other people are
willing to accept bribes-
THE FEMALE LOBBYIST.
The curiosity of the stranger in Washington
TO see the female lobbyist has already been al
luded TO. The rural newspapers are full of
descriptions Of her, and these descriptions not
only appeal to the imagination, but are drawn
from the imagination Once upon time there
may have been In Washington a woman of mag
nificent personal attractions and of irresistible
mental traits, who was supported by the par
ties IN interest in great splendor. and who had
almost unlimited money furnished her
on condition that she should influence
the actions Of Legislators when she might
be called upon to do SO. This
Cleopatra may have had whole string of
Anthonys following her, and she may have been
able to make the Senate and House obey her
orders All this and more may have been, but
there isn't q line of evidence on record to show
IT. There may be such creature living in the
city now Perhaps the police know Of her, but
nobody else does. 1t may be strongly sus-
pected that the lady is a myth. But the female
lobbyist that may be seen almost any day at the
Capitol is no myth.
TIE REAL one
She is a poorly clad, nervous, wistful and
frightened woman. She has some claim before
Congress, perhaps, or is interested in some
other measure. She goes 70 see the members
or Senators because she thinks it viii help her
Interests and not because she wishes to. 1t is
as disagreeable TO her to visit them it is to
them TO receive her visit. She shrinks at a
rough word and she is grateful for kind usage.
This Is one kind OF female lobbyist, and if she
succeeds in getting anything it is because men
take pity on her. There is another kind that is
bold and over dressed and fashy. Maybe she
influences some legislators. but most Of them
being weil-behaved married men are not sub-
Ject 10 influences Of this character
THE THREE CLASSES
man who made study Of LOBBYISTS some
years ago divided them into three classes and
his division is doubtless a correct one. The
first class are the professional lobbyists. They
make a steady income out of their business If
they not employed by one side. they will
work on the other side in order to be bought
OF. Frequently they are paid not to work. for
il they are not paid they will work against a
measure They are clever fellows with smooth
tongues and they are particularly familiar
with legislative ways, and especially with the
dark ways. They make a good deal of
money, but they usually spend il pretty freely
These fellows flourish more particularly at
state legislatures. where they are at times a
power Of great importance. Even the little
legislature OF our neighbor Maryland was in
saded by them year or SO ago. 1t Was said
fabulous sums were placed in their hands and
sone VI them got rich Here in Washington
There are too many of them. but il would hardly
De correct for them to say that many Of them
are rich.
The second class Of lobbyists are the wors. of
all They are the agents OF large corporations
and monopolles- They have unlimited means
and they usually employ lesser lobbyists under