Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-08-03
Labor Leaders Are Only Ones Who Will Admit
 Their Business
GATHER SENTIMENT
Then Hurry Back to Their Employees. Few of Mulhall
 Stripe.
BY SIDNEY ESPEY

Washington August 2.-It has been estimated by competent authorities that there are about 2,0OO lobbyists in Washington who do nothing dur ing the session of Congress but seek to have legislation passed favorable to the interests they represent. But, few of them are out in the open. In fact, it is safe to say that but three of them are bold enough to say they are lobbyists and they do not care who knows it. They will go up to member of Congress and say, ''f- am lobbying
 The three men who are so open and above board in their declarations of being lobbyists. are Samuel Comp CTS. Frank Morrison and John Nit chell. They are continually lobbying in the interest of the workingmen and they don't care who knows it." They, themselves are trailing mem- bers of Congress, and whenever they need help they send out hurry call which brings the president of an, union which is interesteo ln ~no character of legislation about to be passed or to be blocked, hurrying to Washington.
 Samuel Gompers fought one of the hardest fights of his life last session and won out against more than half the members of Congress. He had inserted in the suadry civil appro- priation to carry out the Sherman antitrust Law against labor unions or farmers associations. Members of Congress figuratively got up on their hind legs and howled them selves hoarse about "class legisla- tion." It was ''class legislation from a certain point of view, but the President of the American Federation ot Labor. wotted not what they call. ed it. He thought that money appro- pr1ated by Congress to enforce the law should not be directed against the laboring men in their efforts to keep their heads above water in life's struggle.
 He argued with some, pleaded with others and threatened others. He talked with President Taft. The President told him that in his judg- ment as lawyer and a judge the clause was unconstitutional. He talked and argued with him but to no avail The President had ideas of his own and he vetoed the bill as the last act of his administration. The recent special session of Con- gross passed the bill again. with the clause exempting labor unions and farmers associations still in it and President Wilson, while he was not Tn sympathy with it, signed it, be- cause 1t contained number of pieces of legislation that were need cd. especially the appropriations for running the federal departments.
 Gompers and the labor Lobbyists" won out. Congress knew that the laborites had been using every re- source at their command to win out but they saw they were beaten and took their medicine.
 There are very few lobbyists of the Mulhall stripe in Washington nowadays, in fact there never were many of his proportion. Many of them usually are intimate with few members of Congress, and never ask them to vote this way or that. They sound them out and find out the sentiment of Congress and then hur- rledly get in touch with their em- ployers. who in turn come to Wash ington and personally call on mem- bers of Congress and try to change opinions of legislators by submitting pile of figures. which they show will ruin the industry they repre- sent.