The Indianapolis journal., 1899-02-27
THE ANTI-REFoRM LOBBY.

The lobbyist is an American product, and
lobbying is believed to be peculiar to Ameri-
can politics. In the sense in which they
have become odious in public affairs both
words are peculiar to this country. 1t is
believed that in no other country whose
laws are made by legislatures elected by the
people are they subject to the persistent
opportunities and oftentimes corrupt over
lures of organized bands and self-consti-
tuted committees whose sole purpose 1t is to
secure the passage of measures beneficial
to themselves or the interests they repre-
sent, or to defeat measures designed to
benefit the people. It is somewhat remark
able that q country which boasts of gov
ernment of the people, by the people and
for the people should have developed this
vicious method of thwarting the free action
of popular government and securing the
enactment of class legislation or prevent
ing the enactment of laws in the interest
of all the people. English photographers
borrow their definitions on the subject from
American dictionaries. The American peo-
pie know to their cost and sorrow what
lobbyist is. The English people learn from
the American definition that he is a per-
son who resorts to the lobby or the ap-
proaches to a legislative chamber for the
purpose of influencing the official action or
votes of members. But this definition does
not correctly diagnose the evil. If lobby
lists confined their efforts to the lobby it
would not be quite so bad, but they invade
the halls of legislation, take possession of
the floor and interfere with the or0er Of
business by their physical presence as well
as by their demoralizing influence and the
pestilential atmosphere which they dissent
nate. A strange feature of the case is that
a public enemy of this kind, one who is
engaged in working for the interests of
corporations or against those of the people,
should be accorded so much consideration
by the persons whose official action he tries
to corrupt or control
Every State in the Union has suffered
more or less from lobbyists, and none more
than Indiana. Every measure of progress
and reform that has been enacted in the
State has been passed over the opposition
of lobby determined to maintain condi-
tions favorable to a few and unfavorable
10 Ine HldSSeS Inc very WOfQ reform is
a challenge to the interests that prosper
under bad systems and by corrupt prac-
tices. AS long as the people are quiet under
loose and dishonest methods or long-stand-
ing abuses by which they are unnecessarily
taxed or unscrupulously robbed. the per-
sons and the interests that profit by these
methods are quiet, but the moment the
people demand reform a lobby springs into
existence to oppose it.
The lobby now opposing the county gov
ernment reform bill embraces all those who
have been profiting under the old system
extravagant and dishonest county commits
sioners. greedy county officers to whom such
commissioners have been very kind" party
bosses who live on the crumbs of corrup-
ton that fall from political tables, court
house rings, bridge-building companies. sta
tionery and blank-book supply houses, coun-
ty officers who are reformers before cleo
tion and fee-grabbers after. plausible citi-
zens who are "in favor of real reform but
not of this BILL" small politicians who