The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1912-04-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Hon. Choice Il. Randell. our former
Cobb County boy, who is now a mem
Der OF Congress from Texas. stirred
up the animals in the House of Rep
resentatiVes Saturday Mr.. Randeil as
] have recently told the readers of
The Journal. used to live out on Proc
tor creek. three miles from Acworth.
He has been in Congress more than
ten years and is no spring chicken in
national legislation.
Mr. Randeli has a bill to prevent
members of Congress and the Senate
from being employed by persons or
corporations having interests that are
to be affected by legislation. He does
not think lawyer can take a fee
from trust, for instance, and still be
able to see with perfect clearness
when the interests of the public and
the interests of the trust conflict. Also.
ne cannot understand how an officer
OF a trust could at the same time
represent the people with impartiality.
Il
Thursday MIR RandeIl made a speech
in the course of which he said that
In his opinion an investigation would
disclose that a majority of the men,
bers of Congress and the Senate were
engaged in emplOyments which the
passage of his bill would stop, and he
added that nine-tenths or larger per
centage were perfectly innocent en-
pigments, but still the opportunity
was there.
The newspapers made a sensation
of it and Congress howied. Saturday
Mr.. Randell made another speech. re-
iterating his exact language, which
had been distorted.
If Mr.. Randeil were a new member
his bill would be entitled to less con-
sideration, but he has been where he
could see for nearly dozen years.
For my own part, | believe the vast
majority of Legislators, congressman
and Senators, are perfectly honest.
Such bill as Mr.. RandelI proposes
would do no harm, but the trouble,
wherever it exists, is deeper than the
surface. No law can make an honest
man out of a crook, and there are
ways to kill a dog without choking
him to death with butter
What are called the interests"
never sleep. The people wake up oc-
casionally, but they don't stay awake.
The trusts so on forever. The PEG
pie thrash around in election times.
but the lawyers of the trusts stay on
the job
These interests" are both Demo
cratic and Republican. They will give
to the Republicans because they own
that party. and to make sure of ne
shp-up they will also give to the Dem
ocrats.
They need to have in Washington
men of their own whom they can
trust, SO they send here for important
positions able men who are interested
with them and who are in full sympa-
thy with them. And in that way their
influence is felt and their interests are
looked after
This influence, born Of the power
that is inherent in wealth, is felt.
everywhere, on this continent, from
the legislatures to the presidency, and
in my humble judgment touches the
courts, even the Supreme Court Of
the United States.
No law can reach it.
There is no remedy for it except in
the regeneration Of the people. I'm
less the people wake up, study their
government and look after their own
interests tht erusts viii look after
ne government for them
1t is reported here that there has
Deen set aside $4,000 to be spent in
aarrying Georgia for Underwood. Mr..
Underwood is in the steel business, is
. wealthy man, with very wealthy
connections, and can get all the money
De wants.
Governor Woodrow Wilson was here
last week and said his campaign
committee had been 'broke" four