The Washington herald., 1913-06-11
LOBBY INVESTIGATION
MAY CAUSE new LAWS
Registering Of Legislative Agents and
Closer Scrutiny Of Campaign
Funds Advocated.
MEASURES ARE INTRODUCED

The necessity for the enactment OF
two kinds of legislation advocated In
the Senate by Progressive Republicans
the testimony given before the COM
mittee investigating the tariff lobby.
The reluctance with which Senators
tell the names of men who have visited
them and their almost general refusal
to brand any of them as lobbyists has
demonstrated the need for such a law
as Senator Kenyon suggests in his bill
calling for the registering of all lobby
lists or Representatives who come here
to procure or prevent legislation.
Common knowledge that the most per-
nicious tariff lobbyists here are former
members of the House and Senate who
have the privileges of the floors of these
chambers and are able to capitalize their
former positions points out the crying
need for the enactment of Kenyon's bill
Withdrawing from ex-members the floor
privileges.
In addition to these obvious necessities
in connection with the lobby evil, the
present inquiry is expected to impress
on members of the Senate the unwisdom
of permitting longer the loose methods
employed in collecting and distributing
campaign funds.
Senator Clapp has introduced two bills
regarding campaign contributions, these
bills representing the net result of the
long Investigation of last summer. Its
interesting to note that, while the primal
object of the investigation was to put
Col. Roosevelt lin a hole Col Roose-
welt came out of the inquiry in better
shape than any Of the other candidates,
he had
the committee, Senator Clapp. has in
troduced the only proposed legislation
resulting from the expensive inquiry.
Senator Clapp's bill prohibits with GER
tain exceptions, the shipment of cam
paign funds from enc State to another:
and the membership on campaign COM
mittees of members of the House and
Senate. The second bill is designed to
prevent the men who frame legislation
from being placed where they may be
required to ask campaign contributions
from men and interests that may be
affected by such legislation.
The first bill of Senator Clapp is to pre-
vent the practice of gathering large sums
IF money in States which are soIidly for
one party or another and in which little
expenditure Is necessary, and shipping it
to doubtful States
The bill contains this provisos That
this act shall not apply to the payment
Of bills incurred by a national campaign
committee in the fitting out and main
tenance of speaking campaigns by a can
didate for the office of President or Vice
President. where A train is fitted out and
maintained by the national committee;
nor shall it include the transportation
and hotel expenses of speakers sent out
by national committee, the expenses OF
literature distributed by a national COM
mittee. advertisements marked as paid by
a national committee, or campaign funds
raised for or sent TO a national commit
tee properly reported as required by law
1t is noteworthy fact that in exam |
ming witnesses so far the lobby investi- |
eating committee has refrained studious- |
~ from trying to dig up any connection |
between representations by industries and |
contributions.