The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-21
The Root of the Lobby.
(From the Bridgeport Farmer.

(From the Bridgeport Farmer)
 A law compelling all lobbyists to reg ister themselves and their business be- fore the session begins might eliminate some of them, but would not strike at the root of the lobby evil. Nothing can do that but such a radical change in the present system of misrepresentation in the general assembly as shall make it really a representative body, the legis- lature of the people of Connecticut. If the cities and large towns were repre- scented in just proportion to their voting population they would not be under the necessity, as they sometimes are, of employing lobbyists for purposes en- tirely legitimate in themselves, or, as is often the case, of being blackmailed into employing them. We have an in- stance of this in the case of Bridge port A few years ago number of our citizens believed that the interests of the city were threatened by bill which, it was alleged, the Consolidated was anxious to have passed. In order to defeat that bill lobbyist was hired at the expense of the city There would have been no occasion for his services, if, indeed, there was any real necessity for them had Bridgeport been repre- sented in the legislature as it should be, instead of as now being virtually disfranchised It is in this anomalous condition of affairs that the profession al lobbyists find their opportunity. Their work Is not confined to the ses- sions of the legislature itself. It begins before the legislature is elected, and in many of the towns the nomination of representatives is dictated by the lob
 byists. Representatives come to Hart ford owned by members of the lobby, Before the session begins the lobbyists feel sure of their men, and often do not hesitate to say so. It is because of this ownership and with the knowledge of it that corporations or persons needing legislation in their interests, often en- tirely legitimate legislation, or fearing legislation, sometimes legitimate and sometimes the reverse, are compelled to deal with the lobbyist It were idle to expect that an unrepresentative leg islature elected as that of Connecticut is should pass stringent laws against lobbying The press may denounce the lobby, the very speaker himself may strongly hint at 1t, but representatives who come to Hartford under personal obligations to members of the lobby, who are there by the dictation of lob byists are not free agents. They have q mortgage on them and must pay the interest on it to the lobby. Vermont is suffering from the same evil, but not to | the same extent as Connecticut because the plunder for a lobby in Vermont is smaller than that afforded in Connect icut. In Vermont it is very plain to l those who are in earnest in deprecating the lobby evil that the only cure for it i is to give the people the representation 1 in the legislature to which they are en- | titled. When the people elect their leg islature they will own it. but until they do it will be owned by the lobby, as all l admit is the case with the unrepresent- | ative body that will assemble next month in Hartford where already | members of the lobby have met to di-
 vide the olunder in advance.