Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-01-06
TEE CURSE OF LOBBY LEarsLA-
TTOM

THE CURSE OF LOBBY LEarsLA-
TON.
have been much afflicted with rheu-
matism and very much alone during
the holidays, because the most or the
people are either away visiting or much
confined at home because of visitors,
and 1 have had to bear my pains and
try to amuse myself with available
reading, when time hung heavily with
my indoor confinement.
I overhauled seven or eight of my
scrap books as a diversion, and it has
even surprised me to see how and where
lobby legislation has got in its work
as shown with my clippings, and myseiI
only a woman.
made a thorough review of the Pa
cific railroad legislation, which was
/ srimed from start TO finish with expen-
sive lobby work, and / went over leg1s-
lative reports during Bullocks time In
Georgia and refreshed my memory later
| with that outrageous scandal which con-
cerned the passage OF the publishing
house claim where noted lobbyist was
paid over 100000 in cash to lobby the
house and senate in Washington city to
collect a claim for the southern Metho-
dist church, south, a little over ten
| years ago.
1 give you my word, these lobbyists
are the curse OF the United States, and
although the constitution of our own
state defines lobbying 10 be crime
and punishable as a crime, 1t is ques-
tion if our own legislative halls are not
swarming with these pests whenever
| any great issue Is at stake, and 1t Is
we'll known that Washington city has
fully as many of the lobbyist fraternity
as there are members OF the congress of
the United States,
1t is a painful fact also that defeated
congressman and senators are too often
willing to settle down IN the nation
capital ready to push all sorts of claims
before congress for the money that in
terested people will pay them Many OF
them get enough to live upon, while
others go down the sliding scale to a
low station in mind and morals They
are so infatuated with the life that they
cannot pull away from Its allurements
and it's supposed opportunities. 1t is
understood that great railroad syndi-
Gates keep resident lobbyists always at
hand. remember there was man in
washington city during the 44th con-
gress who was known even to the hotel
servants as Jay Gould's man."
He and his family had the most ex-
pensive quarters in the hotel, paying
many hundreds of dollars for the choic-
est per month. They had an expensive
turnout at a nearby livery stable, and
flashed diamonds galore. His salary
was said to be more than the president S
annual pay, and he was recognized as one
of the dukes, If not the king of the lob
by. They lived up to the highest notch
as to expense and the limit in display.
Such game becomes fascinating TO a
defeated office holder with the flesh pots
of Egypt as an attraction. When Hunt
| ington decided to rob the federal gov
eminent of what a corrupt credit mobe-
| lier congress has turned over to the
Pacific railroads. his chief lobbyist was
able to Install himself in an elegant
mansion on one of the finest resident
streets of the city and there entertain
| any congressman or senator who was
ter
Some years ago, long after I retired
and became unfamiliar with congress or
| it's methods except from the newspapers,
a lucky chance gave the country an in
side view of Huntington's ways of con-
trolling legislation by LOBBY money
| He had a partner in California who
kept up business at that end of the line.
while Mr.. Huntington managed the
Washington city affairs Although the
wires were very long across from the
l. AlldnltC 10 lnc IdClAlC---AtC hCpb lilChLi
hot to inform partner cotton of what
he was doing and Intending to do with
congress.
These Communications were confiden-
tial and kept secret until mariner Col
ton died. and his widow was forced to go
into court to make Huntington pay over
her dead husbands share in the bust
ness.
| AS she was only a woman unacquaint-
ed with such business, she turned over
to her attorney all OF the kilograms and
| letters that Huntington had sent in be-
fore Colton's death.
Thus the inside was discovered and
the court trial where these documents
were introduced as testimony became so
| interesting that the letters and tele-
grams were printed in the California
daily papers and copied into the New
York Sun, where ! read them and care
fully clipped them for my scrap book.
Huntington could not deny them and
thus the shameful debauchery Of con-
gressional legislation was exposed.
In Bullock's time lobbying was so
common as to be fashionable, and the
smirch was so dark on many prominent
men that the stain will always stay and
annoy their descendants.
| The notorious Methodist publishing
house claim has been and viii ever be a
dark place in the history OF the southern
church. Preachers became so besotted
that they told point-blank palsehoods to