The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-10-24
THE PEOPLES LOBBY
An ORGANIZATION Which Pro-
poses to Watch Congress.
WILL SHOW UP ALL SECRETS

Committee and Legislative Work to
BE Watched Through a Permanent
Bureau ut Washington-Nark Twain,
Lincoln S~teffens, John Mitchell and
Others Interested In New Scheme.
If anybody is naughty in congress
hereafter he will have to reckon with
a new force, says the New York Times.
This is the peoples lobby" which is
announced to begin work at Washing
ton at the next session Of congress. Its
first duty, according to the announce
ment in the October number Of Sue
cess, which is sponsor for the idea,
will be to watch all committee and leg
slative work through IA permanent bu-
reau established in Washington and
combat the attorneys for special in
terests.' incidentally the bureau will
keep records of the public career Of
each senator and representative. There
10 to be nothing frantic in the work,
the magazine promises, and politics are
to be faithfully avovided. The an
nounccmcnt says:
There will not be the slightest feel
ing Of antagonisrn toward congress as
a body. The peoples lobby will mere
" see in a methodical manner that con-
gress hides no secrets, no secret al
liances."
The lobby will be to congress and to
national politics what Dun's and Brad
streets are to commercial life, its pro-
moters hope. and to give it standing
and to free 1t from suspicion of maya
Zine control Il governing committee Is
being organized. Mark Twain Is nam
ed as a member of this committee.
Half Of 1t Is already made up, but It
consists mostly Of authors whose names
have been often heralded in connection
with politico economical articles In
the magazines. These include Lincoln
Steffens. Henry Beech Needham, VIII
liam Allen White, the Kansas editor,
and James r. Reynolds, n Of the au-
thors of the Ncill- Reynolds meat In.
spectiOn report. Others are r. NJ.
Allen, secretary Of the interstate pure
food commissions: Francis J.. Henry.
special government prosecutor In the
Oregon land fraud cases: John Mitchell,
president Of the United Mine Workers
of America. and Benjamin Ide Wheel
fornia.
Henry Beech Needham Is credited by
the magazine with being the author Of
the scheme. Like most Of the members
Of the governing committee. he Is a
friend Of President Roosevelt. AS an
vestigated college athletics for II month
" magazine u year ago and found them
very bad. lie has also written about
Washington lobbying.
Winston Churchill, recent candidate
for governor Of New Hampshire; Samuel
Hopkins Adams and Robert Collier
have pledged moral support to the plan.
Active politicians are In 1t too. In the
list of these are Brand Whitlock. may
or Of Toledo; Ex-Governor Garvin Of
Rhode Island, State Senator Everett
Colby of New Jersey. Seth Low. X
mayor Of New York city. and Coy
ernOr Charles s. Deneen Of Illinois.
1--WE believe" says the editor Of Sue
cess, that we can guarantee to the
citizens Of this country that there will
not be a nan on the governing COM
mittee who would for an instant ron
slider a proposition to sell out the peo-
pies lobby. Neither will there he Il
single demagogue or Il man who could
be swayed 10y the demands OF dema-
legislation"