The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-07-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.


ial Correspondence both
houses of congress having commit
tees at work Investigating revela-
tions brought out by President Will
sons charges against legislative lob
bies at Washington, and with the i'm
portant tariff and currency bills up
for consideration, the extra session
of congress has developed into one
of the most important sessions in
years.
The fruits of the lobby investiga-
ton, democratic leaders believe, will
be as beneficial to the people as the
enactment of the legislative meas
ures, for as the truth is being
brought out an explanation is afford
ed of the repeated failures attending
efforts to procure the passage of
remedial legislation demanded by
the people.
In the investigation Of the sugar
lobby charges it was proved that the
sugar interests maintained head
quarters the year round at Washing
ton and employed lobbyists at big
salaries and with unlimited funds to
fight for the retention of the pro-
tective duty on sugar. 1t has been
brought out that the wooden trust
officials had been permitted to write
the wool schedules of republican tar
if measures.
Now it is charge by Col. Mulhall,
by his own confession one of the
most notorious lobbyists at the CAPT
tai, that congressional committees
had been packed" to stitle legisla-
ton objected to by the National AS
ISOLATION of Manufacturers, and that
other committees were packed to
procure favorable action on bills sup
ported by the manufacturers. Col.
Mulhall declares that his activity as
lobbyist included participation in
campaigns to elect congressman who
had shown themselves easily handled
by the manufacturers, and in cam
paigns to defeat congressman who
insisted on representing the people
who sent them to congress, and not
the manufacturers who had millions
behind them to help in their fight to
control legislation and legislators.
Another feature of the Mulhall
charges that will be investigated by
the house committee is that the or
ganiza ton maintained a corps Of
strike breakers, led by Mulhall him
self, whose plan it was to bride and
corrupt labor leaders to call off
strikes. This has been referred to in
congress as a "damnable business
support President Wilson in his fight
on the sinister lobby influence, and
no matter what congressional action
is taken, the widespread publicity
given to the lobby revelations will
serve the purpose of bringing an end
to the usefulness of the lobbyists.
Reports from Iowa of the cam
paign now under way to form a
fighting progressive party organiza-
ton in every county and township
for the announced purpose of putting
a bull moose candidate in the field
for every office in the state, were re-
ceived with interest by Iowa politic-
ians in Washington. The declara-
tons made by David Hinshaw, the
progressive party organizer while in
Des Moines recently that the state is
to be solidly organized and that
headquarters are to be opened in
Des Moines in the fall, corroborates
information. received at progressive
headquarters here
The certainty that this means a
candidate in the field for the progress
sive nomination for United States
senator is not relished by friends of
Senator Cummins here, because it is
believed he will have the hardest
fight of his life in attempting to OBJ
tain denomination on the republican
ticket.
1t is argued that most of the voters
who will participate in the progress
sive party primary next summer, are
men who have formerly voted for
Senator Cummins. They will not be
able to vote the progressive primary
ticket without announcing change
Of party utilization. If they do this
they cannot vote for Senator Cum
Minis in the republican primary.
News has reached Washington that
he standpatters are preparing to
Iowa by placing a strong candidate
n the field to contest the primary
with Senator Cummins.
The anti-Cummins forces believe
hat such a large part of the vote
which would ordinarily be cast for
Cummins will go to the progressive
while the standpat
strength will be kept intact and that !
here will be good opportunity to
defeat Cummins for the nomination.
The democrats are finding comfort
n this situation because they be-
ieve that triangular senatorial |
light would be waged with sucn bit
;erness on the part of the republican
and progressive parties that the
democrats, united on candidate and
casting full party vote, would have
plain sailing.
Chairman Doremus and Secretary
Pepper of the democratic congress
sional committee, have had several
preliminary conferences as to the
plans to be followed in pushing the
1914 political campaign. They will
call a meeting soon of the full COM
mittee to go into details more freely.
1t is the plan of the committee to
send out tons of literature, including
a tariff text book, which will explain
the provisions of and the benefits to
be derived from the new tariff BILL,
and copies of. some of the most i'm