The Forrest City times., 1913-06-20
MUST BE 0N HAND
DEMOCRATIC SENATORS KEPT IN WASHINGTON DURING THE
 TARIFF DEBATE.
NO PAIRING IS PERMITTED
Congressional Campaign Committees to Be Reorganized So as to Aid In the Election of Senators as We'll as Representatives.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

oy SCOh0C SLiN olN
 Washington. The fact that the Democrats have such a slight major ity fin the senate has resulted in what may be called an order that no upper house members of the dominant party shall leave Washington during the tar Tiff debate for any protracted period. The Democrats want to have their full strength on hand so as not to be obliged to depend upon absentees pairing" with Republicans. Under certain conditions pair can be bro ken and this would be dangerous to a party in control by small majority
 Not long ago commission was ap- pointed whose duty it was to be to go abroad to study certain agricultural conditions, and on this commission there were several senators. One of them was exceedingly anxious to go abroad and he made all his pairing" arrangements. Then he went to see President Wilson, who told him he must stay in Washington and help out with the tariff during the considera- ton of amendments and that it would not be entirely satisfactory if he sim ply made arrangements to return in time for the final vote
 Enlarged Duties for Committees.
 The Democratic congressional cam paign committee is to be reorganized, and hereafter there will be a larger representation of senators upon it. a fact which Is accounted for by the con stitutional change which will give the direct. Hereafter the congressional campaign committee will be charged not only with the duty of trying to se- cure the election of members of the house, but with that of trying to elect United States senators. The Republi cans also will increase their congress sional campaign committee by the ad- dition of senatorial members, and their duties will be similar to those of the Democrats. The Progressives have not named congressional campaign committee but as soon as the organi- zation of their party is completed in all sections of the country this will be done.
 In connection with this matter of direct elections it might be said that President Wilson is believed to be in favor. of plan to do away with nomi- hating conventions and to substitute preferential primaries in the choosing of candidates for president and vice president. It is also said that when this has been accomplished the presi dent thinks it would be a good plan to abolish the electoral college and to al low the people to vote directly for their candidates.
 With the organization of the differ. ent political campaign committees and with knowledge that the Republican national committee Is to meet before long to consider the question of a party convention, the real campaign ing work of the parties has begun. The Progressives are busy organizing in every county and every state in the Union. and 1t Is assured that the cam paign for the election of members oi the house one year from next fall will be in full swing for certainly twelve months, an unusually long time.
 Lobbying Gets a Blow.
 Lobbying is still in evidence in Washington notwithstanding the fact that President Wilson inveighed against 1t so bitterly in a public pronouncement some days ago IL can be said, however. that lobbying is not so marked In its public manip. ulations as 1t was prior to the execu, tive protest.
 It is believed that next year great many lobbyists who have haunted the capitol for years will be absent from the city, There are certain ones who are known as offensive lobbyists, and their faces are known to everybody in Washington, while their business is known to comparatively few outside of congress and the newspaper men.
 It is probable that the protest of President Wilson will cause most of these lobbyists to clear out as soon as they finish up their present work, which cannot be carried on with the same openness which was the case be. fora
 Proper Lobby Also Exists.
 There is proper lobby, as well as an improper lobby. The proper lobby is that which is composed of real rep, resentatives of real business who come to Washington to set forth the side of the case as a business which is to be affected. These men are lis tened to patiently by committees and by new members. and their work un- occasionally has its effect on leg islation and perfectly proper effect in many instances. The professional lobbyist uses his personal influence to secure votes one way or another re- gardless of the merits of the matter in controversy
 Comment has been made before in these dispatches about "the letter. writing lobbyists" AS has been said. 1t is the letter-writing lobby which gets next to the president of the United States, for thousands of letters al Q directed to the chief executive ask ing that he refrain from urging this legislation or that legislation. because