The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22


high salaried lawyers, statisticians tariff
experts and publicity wizards; have MAIN
tanned corps of rnen in Washington and
travelling throughout the country, aud
have distributed tons of literature aside
from the public documents franlsed
through the rCstoffice. All cf this is le-
cidediy expensive. and the bills have been
footed by individuals and companies ard
associa tions interested nj the proposition
for which the lobby Is hgfihting. For ex-
ample, representatives of the Hawaiian
sugar industry who have been campaign
ing against free sugar testified that they
had spent In the neighborhood of hun
dred thousand dollars In the past few
months, and that they would gladly have
expended eight or ten times that amount
If they had though ii would have done any
good.
How Publicity Is Secured
Much of the publicity that has been Sc
cured has been in the form OF speeches or
interviews from men in both public and
private life whose names and positions are
such that anything they say is more or
less matter of news. For instance. IL the
head of "a great industry gives out a
statement in which he asserts that certain
legislation will greatly injure or enhance
that industry, the statement becomes
itNS NiiitI tHioSl any DdPti III Int touli-
try would publish, and such publication
would not imply that the newspaper
agreed disagreed with the views ex-
pre- ssed.
There has been much OF just that sort
of thing done in the lobbying that has
been carried on for years, according to
the evidence addneed in the Senate COM
mittee hearing These revelations have
come largely through the Introduction into
fba committee records pf pf letters
and kilograms of the officials and agents
of the organization that has been SYSTEM
atically fighting the removal of the duty
on sugar.
Many of these letters have dealt init
mately. not to say famliarly, with the
names of senators, representatives ani
other men high in public life. They have
revealed much of the plans and opera
tions of the organzation-how congress-
men have beer educated: how the per-
sonnel of congressional committees has
been infuenced how political pressure
has been brought to bear even upon can
didates for the presidency: how inter
views and statements have been got into
the newspapers and the service of press
associations and the like.
Not for Public Eye
Manifestly these letters were not writ
ten for the public eye, and their authors
doubtless now regret that they We're writ
ten at all. Even more, perhaps. do they
regret that the letters We're preserved to
fall into the hands of a hostile investi-
eating committee of Congress. All of
which points to the wisdom of the phloso-
pher who remarked something to the ef-
feet that a wise man might write fool
ish letter, but only a damphool would pre-
serve one.
If grapevine reports are to be credited,
ia.
ington and elsewhere during the past few
days along the line of destroying letters
and other documents that might prove
embarrassing to someone If they were
made public
Furnaces that were laid by for the sum-
mer have fires started in them unex-
pectedly. and fling cabinets have been
ransacked and cleaned out against possi-
BILE emergency. Publicity given the famous
MISUNDERSTANDING Oil correspondence
was a warning that the lobby investiga-
ton, with its revelations has made so
strong that in the future few men will
preserve a receipt, Cancelled check, letter.
telegram or any other sort of document
that might call for explanations at a time
and place, and In a manner, that would
prove in the slightest degree embarrass-
ing, or calculated to arouse suspicion.
Just what the net result Of the lobby
investigation will be Washington cannot
see as yet 1t is difficult to determine if
a line has been drawn between legitimate
and ilegitimate campaigning to influence
legislation when such campaigning does
not involve the corruption or attempted
corruption of public servants. But there
Is little doubt of the effect upon the pub
lc The public will draw Its own conclu-
sions and it will be woe unto those who
are implicated.
The lobby inquiry will continue, and it
will now soon take up the famous Harri-
man merger of the Union and Southern
Pacific roads and the cherges made by
Judge Lovett. counsel for the roads. that
blackmail had been attempted upon him
by people lobbying for certain lawyers to
get in on that famous case. Sensational
developments may come from this probe
1t will not put an end to lobbying. 1t is
certain that lobbying of some kind or
other will continue just as long as there
are legislative bodies and candidates to
be nominated for public office But there
has been lesson to lobbyists of the flu
ture pointed out-don't keep books, and
don't write or preserve letters and tele-