The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-06-19
WASHINGTON NEWS.

sary for President Wilson to prove
his charges that a powerful lobby,
backed with unlimited funds, was at
work in Washington in attempts to
defeat certain provisions OF the
democratic tariff bill--the lobbyists
themselves proved the charges. For
instance there was the testimony or
former-Gov. Carter Of Hawaii, who
admitted that Hawaiian sugar fac
tories maintained headquarters In
Washington in charge Of a man PAID
$4,000 a year and had spent $780,
600 in attempting to influence pub
lie opinion. Gov. Carter said the
organization was willing to spend
100000 if needed to defeat free
sugar.
This sworn testimony alone justl-
fed the presidents charges.
1t has been matter of common
knowledge for years that the large
protected interests maintained mead
quarters in Washington in charge
of high salaried men and spent mil
lions in efforts to influence pubic
opinion by advertising and publicity
campaigns. President Wilson called
attention to these abuses and de-
clared that the same agencies now
we're at work in Washington at
tempting through the use of unllmlt-
ed funds at their command to create
bN. misleading statements and false
representations a false public Opln-
ion. The president believed that
the people, who were not represent
ed by a highly paid lobby and from
whose pockets were taken the mon
ey which was being used wrongfu1iy
to mold public opinion, should know
the true state of affairs.
The disclosures in+the senate COM
mittee have been such as to bring
the lobbyists out in the open and
to defeat their attempt to influence
the character of the tarlff leglsla-
ton. Not only this, but the prac-
tice which has grown in recent years
of members of congress returning
after their defeat for office to lobby
for interests by which they were
employed, and to capitalize the priv
ileges of the floor their former
membership gave them for their prI-
vate gain, will be made unpopular
as result of the lobby investiga-
ton.
Former Senator Faulkner of West
Virginia told the committee he rep
resented twenty-five of the big rail-
roads of the country as legislative
agent.
Former Congressman Hull or
Iowa said he represented an assocl-
alton of corn products manufacture
ers in which fourteen concerns were
interested in connection with the
tariff bill. He also represented an
association of veterinarians, a cocoa
nut manufacturer, the Government
of Ecuador and District of Column
bia telephone company.
Former Representative Bennett OF
New York represented diamond I'M
porters.
Former Congressman Lands rep
resented the DUPONT Powder Com
pany.
:, Other former members of congress
gave similar testimony, but the
practices they have followed will not
be permitted if bills since introduce
ed in congress denying former men,
bers the privilege of the floor for
purposes of lobbying are passed.
An effort to discredit the lobby in
vestigation was made by Senator
Townsend of Michigan when he
charged that the president was in
effect lobbying for the tariff bill by
withholding patronage as a'"blg
stick" over members of congress.
President Wilson said he considered
these charges unworthy of notice.
It was pointed out by, the presidents
friends, however, that an enlighten-
ed public opinion would sustain the
president even in this step if it were
to be shown that he used big stick
in the interests of the people to de-
feat an attempt by financial inter-
ests to prevent the enactment OF leg
islation designed in the interests OF
the whole people. The record, how
ever, disproves the charge that there
has been any withholding OF patron
age, as big federal appointments
were made few days before Town
sends speech in the districts of
Kansas and Nevada senator's who
:. ere not supporting the sugar and
WOOL provisions of the tariff bill.
No democratic. member Of con-
gress will complain that there has
been any withholding of appoint
ments, for there have been hundreds
of nominations sent to the senate
and the physical impossibity OF pass
ing in few weeks on the thousands
of changes incident to the change IN
administration is admitted. There
have been no objections made to the
progress the president has made in
completing the list of Office changes
Part of the work of the anti-tarif1
lobby has been to create by means
Of insidious publicity methods the
impression that there has been dis
sension in the ranks of the demo
cratic party. The republican press
has encouraged this move, of course
as good politics, and Iowa has seer
much of this press misrepresenta
ton and misinformation. AS mat
ter of fact there never has been
time when the democratic party was
freer of dissension and factionalism
President Wilson has no stronger
supporters in congress than Speaker
Clark and Democratic Leader I'm
derwood, who were his opponents
for the nomination. In Iowa the
party, encouraged by it's victory II
| Droci1nnf Will