The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-11-09
Washington Chat
Special Correspondence.

When congress resumes its sessions
next month, it will doubtless be sur
prised to learn that during the recess
period, non political, but business
meaning, organization has heen form
cd, and which is even now enoamped
IN Offices almost under the dome of the
capitol. to watch its every movement
as legislative body and to spy upon
the public acts of each individual
member. This newly formed organic
alton, known as the Peoples Lobby, is
composed of prominent journalists,
lawyers, bankers and few former
government officials, all residing in
different large cities of the country.
At the first meeting held in Washing
ton last week, the scope of the work to
be performed was outlined thus:
First-The collection and dissemin-
alton of information regarding pend
ing national legislation and the atti-
tude of members thereon.
Second-The keeping of an accurate
record of the official acts and votes of
members of congress together with
other information pertinent to their
official records. and from time to time
the making public of these records and
securing for them the widest possible
publicity In order that the people may
have the real inside information re-
garding public questions and how
their representative and senator is vot-
ing on those questions.
AS far as can be learned the publ
city is to take the form of pamphlets
and circulars which are to be mailed
to names of persons secured from
county tax sheets, but just how and
from where the money is to come for
all this watching of congress, has
not been divulged and whether con-
gress will sit up and take notice of
it's self appointed guardians, or what
effect, if any, the Lobby will have,
are questions that time only can
answer.
Officers of the war and navy depart
ment are becoming alarmed over the
deficiency in the country's coast de-
fense and are looking about for means
to remedy the existing conditions.
Attention is drawn to the fact that
when it became necessary to send
few troops to Cuba several weeks ago,
the greatest difficulty was experienced
in finding ships to transport the sold
iers and vessels flying the flags of
many nations were chartered before
an adequate number were secured.
Forty thousand men are needed to
properly man the guns at coast forts
and torpedo stations, yet only $4,000
men are available. To fill the va
cancies caused by those whose terms
of enlistment expire, it requires con-
slant advertising with posters. space
in newspapers and resort to every
other means to bring the army and
navy services before the public, but
even with all this the number of en-
listments fall far short of the neces-
sary number.
In.the navy conditions are not much
better. At present almost the re-
quired number of men are enlisted
but as soon as the ships now building
are completed, the naval authorities
will be at loss to properly man them
all. Officers are now at work upon
several schemes which they hope will
have pulling power to attract able
bodied men into both branches of the
service and with the granting of in
creased pay for the men, already asked
of congress, 1T is likely that conditions
at coast defense points will change
for the better.
Considerable progress has been made
by treasury department officials in
their undertaking to provide greater
abundance of clean paper money, es-
pecially of the small denominations.
There is no longer any doubt that the
nm hlio hao1th hoa lono hoon in