The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-06-05
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
(By Congressman Clyde H. Tave

| SpOndent TO Inc Reporter
Washington, June 2.-In the cleo
ton last fall the people elected mem
bers of congress to revise the tariff
on sugar and other, necessaries
downward, as one step toward the
reduction of the even increasing
cost of living.
Powerful Hobbies are now in Wash
ington endeavoring to persuade these
members of congress to break thell
pledges to the people and betray the
consumers Of the land, to the END
that few men, already rich beyond
the dreams of avarice, may add tc
their swollen fortunes.
1t was to place before the pub
lie this state of affairs that President
Wilson used his now famous state
ment, in which, referring to these
Hobbies, he said: ..
Washington has seldom seen SO
numerous. so Industrious, or so in
| siduous a lobby. There is every evil
| dence that money without limit is
| being spent to sustain this lobby
| and to create an appearance OF a
| pressure of public opinion antagonis-
| tic to some of the chief items OF the
tariff bill"
In order that the public may know
all of the facts about the condition
alluded to by President Wilson, |
have introduced resolution provid-
ing for the appointment of a COM
mittee of five members of the house
of representatives to investigate the
subject.
This resolution reads as follows:
Whereas, 1t has been charged by the
President of the United States, and
there is reason to believe that a
powerful and insiduous lobby, repre-
senting interests hostile to the pas
sage of the pending tariff bill in the
form adopted by the House of Repre-
sentatives, is in existence in Wash
ington; and
Whereas, Newspapers are being
filled with paid advertisements CAL
culated to create an artificial pub
lie opinion against certain items of
the tariff bill; and
"Whereas, 1t is charged and there
is reason to believe that unlimited
funds have been placed at the dis
posal of this lobby for the purpose
of overcoming the interests of the
public for the private profit of the
Whereas, The public maintains
no lobby and is powerless to reply
to the paid advertisements OF any
lobby representing financial inter-
ests; and
Whereas, Bills are pending in
congress to regulate and control the
operation of Hobbies at the National
Capitol, and it is advisable to gather
any and all facts bearing on the
aforesaid conditions and charges or
in any way relating thereto, as
basis for remedial purposes; there
fore be it
Resolved, That a special commit
tee of five members be appointed by
the speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives to sit during the sessions
of the house and during the recess
of congress for the purpose OF inves-
tigating and reporting to congress
the facts in connection with the OPP
Grafton of any lobby or lobbies in
Washington; said committee shall
inquire into the sources whence any
such lobby or lobbies are supplied
with funds, and the amount of funds
so contributed; and shall also ascer-
tain where and how these funds are
expended and for what immediate
and ultimate purpose; and shall go
into a general inquiry to learn the
methods by which any lobby seeks
to influence legislation in congress.
If members of congress were to
allow themselves to be guided by the
views of the lobbyists, they would
conclude that the people back home
were not in good faith when they
voted for tariff revision downward.
Or. if they were in good faith at the
time, that they have since changed
their minds, deciding they do not de.
sire the monopolies OF the tarlu
trusts interferred with.
But President Wilson is not being
fooled. Nor is the average. mem
Der of congress. They know that for
every man who beseeches them IN
Washington to retain the tarln on
sugar, there are nine hundred and
ninety-nine of their constituents who
are not writing letters, but who de-
mand that promises made to them
before election be kept after cleo
ton, and especially the downward
revision of the tariff on the vital
necessaries of life. :.
bers of congress also know that ev-
cry penny of the extra dividends that
the lobby interests will make by
virtue of legislation granting them
special privileges, must come from
the pockets of the men, women and
children in the districts back home.
1t will be recalled that President
Taft once faced the same crisis that
members of congress face now. He
listened to the voices at his ear in
Washington, whom the late Senator
Dolliver described as "men who
knew exactly what they wanted.
President Taft forgot the folks at
home who do not write letters, and
on the verys first election day fol-
lowing they got revenge. The lobby
lists in Washington whose counsel he
had accepted were powerless to save
him from the wrath of the home
folks who vote, but who maintain no
Hobbies in Washington.
Guaranteed Eczema Remedy.
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