Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-11-21
EGoTIsM Is COSTLY.
Pompous Statesmen Pay Big Money
for Cheap Flattery.
Palpable Harbingers of the Conven-
ing of Congress - Lawmakers
and Lobbyists en- Route to
tine Capital.
Especial Washington letter.

TUST as the u touches with gold
tue tall tree tops and tints the
distant hills with the marvellous
paintings of sunrise, SO do coming
events east their shadows before;
ber hue, for all shadows are not other
than benignant.
History repeats itself so often in
the cycles of the legislative and pofti-
cal world that gentlemen and ladies
of experience in national affairs can
forecast the events of the immediate
future in our national capital city, and
frequently with well-nigh perfect ac-
curacy.
At this season of the year when
boarding house landladies ask $50 per
month for rooms which they have
been anxious to rent for from six to
ten dollars; when hotels raise their
prices from two dollars to eight or
ten dollars per day, and raise their
monthly rates in proportionate ratio,
we see in. these omens the coming of
the annual session of the congress.
This is particularly r when a new
congress is about to
The hostelries of all grades, from
cheap lodgings to carayansaries, real
ize that the new congressman are east
ly beguiled with high rates. The
average new member of congress-,
looking for rooms and board, ostenta-
tiously his political status.
He says: 81 am a member of con-
gress from blank district" Bless his
backwoods heart, that is just what
they want to hear him say. If he were
to leave that unsaid he might get fair
rates. But as D as he makes that
announcement the landlords and land
ladies know exactly what his income
is, and they also know that he does
not know anything about the real
economic cost of living here. Conse-
quently they give rates which are
staggering. He goes forth, announces
himself elsewhere and soon finds that
all rates are exceptionally high. It is
because of his own self-consciousness
and natural o~stentation.
The high prices constitute the first
harbinger of the converting of the
congress-; the hotel arrivals may be
classed as the second unmistakable
sign; and then we find in our midst
the lobbyists and claim agents, who
come with the congress just as GER
tainly as the elephant and the red
lemonade come with the circus. One
lobbyist will not be with us this year
who has been here annually for up
wards of 30 years, and that is 'dear
old Joe Rice" as he was sincerely
termed. He was regularly employed
by a certain corporation to look after
their congressional interests, and he
performed his duties with commend
able zeal and dignity. He was not an
ordinary lobbyist, but always an earn
est worker and a polished gentleman.
Only a few weeks ago he went forth
from earth, leaving many sincere
friends in this political swirl.
Lobbyists are recognized by the
parliament of Great Britain, and are
admitted to practice, in a limited de-
gree, as attorneys. They appear be-
fore legislative committees, and their
business is thoroughly legitimate. 1t
is not SO here, but ultimately will be.
Good and bad, big and little, with abili-
ty or m~ediocrity, they are all termed
lobbyists.
Lobbying, you must understand, is
the practice of talking to the SEN
ators and representatives in the in
terest of some proposed legislation.
The word is derived from the time and
place of the workers. Gentlemen and
ladies are not permitted to GO upon
the floor of the senate or of the house
of representatives when the states
men are in session. Consequently
they appear at the doors, give their
cards to the doorkeepers, who carry
them to the statesmen inside, request
ing their presence in the corridors,
which are called lobbys. They are the
wide halls which surround the large
chambers in which the legislative bod
les are sitting. Their work being