The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-23
LOBBYING IN CONGRESS
AN ALLEGED EVIL THAT PROBABLY
WILL NEVER BE ERADICATED.
Senator Aliens Drastic Measure-At-
tOrneys and Others Who Are After
Interests of Special Clients.
spseIal to the IndlanapoIis journal.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 22-The lobby cues
ton is again being agitated in Congress-
There is vague but widespread notion
among those who have not seen the legis-
lative machine in operation that the lobby
cOrrupts Congress. The lobby might fairly
retort that the danger lies the other wav.
At all events, it is certain that no senator
or representative will ever have a corrupt
proposition made TO him unless he invites
it. and even then the invitation may be ex-
tended in vain. This was the disappointing
experience of at least one representative in
the last Congress. He was one of the acci-
cents who caught the tidal wave of 1894 on
the crest and was fioated into the House
He spent most of his time going about
among the representatives of special inter-
ests piteously beseeching them Ito do some
thing for me-" The only thing anybody did
for him was done by his quondam con-
sttuents. They left him at home at the
next election
Responding to the popular view of the
lobby, Senator Allen, the giant Populist
from Nebraska, introduced in the Senate
on March 16 last bill ''to prevent profess
sional lobbying" 1t defined a professional
lobbyist ito be any person who habitually
attempts to influence the legislative action
of Congress by soliciting a member thereof
10 support or defeat measure pending
therein, or in either house thereof, or be-
fore committee of either house of Con-
gress, or which may lie introduced for the
consideration of either house of Congress
or referred to committee thereof" The
bill then proceeded to make lobbying in the
Capitol Of the United States, or the Dis
trict of Columbia, or entering the District
of Columbia mr. no Of fI,a
States with the intention of lobbying there
in, an offense against the United States of
America. Any violation of this law was to
be punished by fine of not less than LOCO
nor more than $1,000 and Imprisonment in
the common Jail of the District of Column
bia at hard labor for not less than one nor
more than five years
This drastic measure for scourging the
lobby from the Capitol and from the Dis,
trict of Columbia and preventing its ever
re-entering therein was referred to the COM
mittee education and labor. It is per-
fectly safe to predict that nothing will ever
come of it. The reason is plain. There are
lobbyists and lobbyists. There are those to
whom lobbying is a calling, a vocation.
These form the professional class of lobby
lists, and are the ones commonly rallied at,
and against whom Senator Allen professed-
~ launched his legislative shaft. Then
there is a class to whom lobbying is only
an incident to another calling or profession.
These are usually lawyers called in to argue
before committees Then there are persons
who appear in their own individual behalf,
and they range all the way from heads of
great corporations to the humble owners
of little war or other claims against the
government, or petitioners for private pen
sions. Yet another class is composed of the
representatives of the Indian tribes, from
the blanketed Indians to educated members
of the five civilized tribes, the Cherokees
who have written language of their own
the Choctaws, the Creeks, the Chicasawas,
and the Seminoes. Senator Aliens bill
would keep every one of these standing
without the bronze doors of the Capitol
and some of them would not be permitted
even to cross the boundary lines of The
District of Columbia. But 1T would not cor
rect any real evil, II such exists. Yet 1t IS
a very American measure. 1t displays the
characteristic national impatience which
leads our legislatures when dealing with
anything of which they disapprove. but
which somebody wants to do, to seek, not to
regulate it., but to prohibit it.. This ten
dency has loaded our statute books with
legislative enactments which are, always
have been. and always will be, dead letters
WHERE LOBBYISTS WORK.
The plain truth is that little of the cor
ruption of congressional legislation, if cor
ruption there be, is by the classes named,
not even by the professional lobbyists, men
whose forms and faces are as familiar to
the Capitol haunters as those of the leaders
of Congress themselves, and good deal
more familiar than those of the rank and
file of either house. If it be done at all it is
elsewhere than at the Capitol. 1t is in the
exclusive clubs, at the fashionable hotels
of the West End, at favorite restaurants
and cafes, and, above all, in society, at din
ners, balls and other swell functions. 1t is
in those places and by men whose faces are
seldom seen at the Capitol that congress
sional schemes and matters legislative are
arranged if they are arranged by lobbyists
These are familiar fsets to those who
sojourn within the gates al Washington
and observe the current of events as 1t
flows into the sea of the past
1t is a fact that there have been grave
scandals touching congressional acton, ana
it is not necessary to go back to the days
OF the Pacific Mail or of the Credit Mobilier
to find them But these scandals We're not
created by the lobby any more than by the
''stand in" on them. They were created by
the legislators, usually senators, themselves.
The passage OF the sherman ma SILVER pua-
ton. 1t will be recalled that silver went up
prodigiously in price. This, though a per-
fectly natural thing for silver to do under
the circumstances, raised q general howl
Hence the investigation. There were
ominous whisperings that senator would
be caught" The usual scoop-net method
was followed and everybody called and eX-
amined. At last Don Cameron was asked
If he had bought silver. He promptly SAID
he had bought 5000 ounces, had made
money by the transaction and was sorry he
hadn't bought more. What of it?" he
asked. Nobody seemed to know what OF
it and that investigation ended.
In the same way the sugar schedule IN
the Wilson German tariff law brought on
which a
atOriaI performance. Several senators shut
fed and stumbled nightly. The son OF
and the maid servant OF another being
OF mildly speculative turns had daDb!ed
just dabbled no more-in Sugar stocks
There were other ludicrous answers TIL
Senator Quay admitted he had bought the
stock and had a right to do so. Everybody
seemed to agree to his proposition and the
farce ended right there, except that two OF
the sugar magma ties ana a New York broker
We're indicted for recalcitrancy as witnesses
before the committee. With tiHe impartial
ity the broker was convicted in the Dis
trict Court and the magnates acquitted
with apologies
The simple fact is that there are mighty
few measures of any kind public or pri-
Vate that somebody is not lobbying for or
against. for ii is lobbying whenever any
body endeavors TO sway the mind or even
one senator or representative for or against
a given piece of proposed legislation.
whether this is done within the walls of
the CaDifpI mr. hpyOpd its precincts.