The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-01-26
About the Lobby
-.-----a
FREEMAN MILLER'S IDEA
OF IT
--
Insists That Good Lobbyist
Has Proper Place in
Legislatures

In ,lain language freeman Miller
Of St.uwater. has the following to say
regarding the lobby and lohbyir
Just now It seems to be n fashion
for some newspapers. public men and
legislators to throw bricKs at the Sc
called lobby and to embrace in whole
sac denunciations every ono who for
personal. business or public reasons
appears before legislative body or
one Of It's committees. or interviews
its members. I'm hchaf OF a measure
in which he IS interested.
NO distinction is made between the
orc Nho uses honest persuasion and
.casonaSle argument and the one Who
resorts to INSCRIPTIONS dishonest OF
corrupt tricks 20 accomplish results.
rhe former class Is honorable and
praisewoithy. No legislator is so wis9
as to know It all and We have known
few who were chosen on account of
their perfect wisdom. Every citizen
ought to be SO interested IN public
measures as to he encouraged in Civ
iag his advice and counsel. In the
complex system Of modern life. the
interests are so varied aud Intricate
that great care and great caution is
necessary in framing legislation; aud
however wise or able a Legislator may
he he should never resent advice or
counsel from others. There are prob
ably many able to inform him IN the
proper course tc pursue.
"As to Inc class or iobby lists who
resort to improper Influences. such
as organized holdups. briAcry. OF cor
lupt trading TO accomplish their pur-
poses. no comment is necessary. They
are criminals. Gsd the peniteniary is
the proper place FOR them whether they
sit III ne chair Of The governor Or arc
the attorneys for railroads or other cor
porations. stockholders in sanitaglum
companies, agents for book trusts or
private lobbyists fog slot machine
owners or booze vendors. They al be
long IA. tho same class. ii aot Grim
inals under the written ias, they are
under the moral law.
1T is n matter Of regret that SO
little legislation receives coustdera.
tlon on it's merits. Il is largely q mat
ter q tracing ard log rolling on the
you tickle me and III ticlde you
plan When a good measure appears
the sandhagger brings In an objection
abe amendment 90 head it Off GOV.
errors in Oklahoma have been inown
to threaten members with the veto Of
:heir pc, bills unless they supported
his policies. and at least one carried
out his threat Appropriations gor QUE
institution are withheld unless accom-
panied by unnecessary expenditures
Tor three or four others Members
vote for one bill because Other menl-
hers vote against another and yote for
measures becau5e others vote for bills
in which they are interested. Although
money corruption is rare and Iegal
corruption rarer still, We, moral CO...
ruption sits enthroned over nine.terths
of che legislation enacted in the United
States and nuch that fails Of enact.
ment A
we irsist that the good lobbyist
mas proper placc in any legislative
assembly and aocomphshes good re-
suits WheA a chief justice leaves
his bench and loobies for the passage
II an an,i-slot machine bill he "a ,o
he commended. But the bad lobby
ist ought To he prosecuted When a
congressman-elect uses his power 10
coerce and browheat memners 90 de-
feat a good quarantine oil he IS 70
be coLaemue1.
"And herein, througs all the intri.
cate winnings OF modern legislation,
lies the difference betweea gool
lobbyist and tile criminal ono