The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-06-17
MUST Be ON HAND
DEMOCRATIC SENATORS KEPT IN
WASHINGTON DURING THE
TARIFF DEBATE.
NO PAIRING is PERMITTED
Congressional Campaign Committees
to Be Reorganized So as to Aid
in the Election of Senators as Well
as Representatives..
By GEORGE CLINTON.


ity in the senate has resulted in what
may be called an order. that no upper
house members of the dominant party
shall leave Washington during the tar
dff debate for any protracted period.
The Democrats want to have their full
strength on hand so as not to be
obliged to depend upon absentees
pairing with Republicans. Under
certain conditions a pair can be bro
ken and this would be dangerous 10 a
party in control by a small majority.
Not long ago commission was ap-
pointed whose duty it was to be to go
abroad to study certain agricultural
conditions, and on this commission
there were several senators. One of
them was exceedingly anxious to go
abroad and he made all his pairing"
arrangements. Then he went to see
President Wilson, who told him he
must stay in Washington and help out
with the tariff during the considera-
ton of amendments and that it would
not be entirely satisfactory If he sim
ply made arrangements to return in
time for the final vote.
Enlarged Duties for Committees.
The Democratic congressional cam
paign committee is to be reorganized,
and hereafter there will be larger
representation of senators upon 1t, a
fact which is accounted for by the con-
stitutional change which will give the
people the right to elect their senators
direct. Hereafter the congressional
campaign committee will be charged
not only with the duty of trying to Sc
cure the election of members of the
United States senators. The Republi-
cans also will increase their congress
sional campaign committee by the adj
dition of senatorial members, and their
duties will be similar to those Of the
Democrats. The Progressives have
not named congressional campaign
committee, but as soon as the organi-
cation of their party is completed in
all sections of the country this will be
done.
In connections with this matter of
direct elections it might be said that
President Wilson is believed to be in
favor of a plan to do away with nomi-
mating conventions and to substitute
preferential primaries in the choosing
of candidates for president and vice.
president. 1t is also said that when
this has been accomplished the presi-
dent thinks it would be a good plan to
abolish the electoral college and to al
low the people to vote directly for
their candidates.
With the organization of the differ
ent political campaign committees and
with knowledge that the Republican
national committee is to meet before
long to consider the question of a
party convention, the real campaign
ing work of the parties has begun. The
Progressives are busy organizing in
every county and every state in the
Union, and 1t is assured that the cam
paign for the election of members of
the house one year from next fall will
be in full swing for certainly twelve
months, an unusually long time
Lobbying Gets a Blow.
Lobbying is still in evidence in
Washington, notwithstanding the fact
against it so bitterly in a public
announcement some days ago. 1t
can be said, however, that lobbying
is not so marked in it's public manip-
ulations as it was prior to the execu-
tive protest.
1t is believed that next year great
many lobbyists who have haunted the
capitol for years will be absent from
the city. There are certain ones who
are known as offensive lobbyists, and
their faces are known to everybody in
Washington, while their business is
known to comparatively few outside of
congress and the newspaper men.
1t is probable that the protest of
President Wilson will cause most of
these lobbyists to clear out as soon as
they finish up their present work,
which cannot be carried on with the
same openness which was the case be-
fore.
Proper Lobby Also Exists.
There is proper lobby, as well as
an improper lobby. The proper lobby
is that which is composed of real rep
resentatives of real business who
come to Washington to set forth the
side of the case as business which
is to be affected. These men are lis
tened to patiently by committees and
by new members, and their work un-
questionably has it's effect on leg
1slation and a perfectly proper effect
in many instances. The professional
lobbyist uses his personal influence to
secure votes one way or another re-
gardless of the merits of the matter In
controversy.
Comment has been made before in
these dispatches about the letter
writing lobbyists" AS has been said.
it is the letter-writing lobby which
gets next to the president of the
United States, for thousands of letters
are directed to the chief executive ask
ing that he refrain from urging this
legislation or that legislation. because
the writer's ARE sure 1t is going to
cut wages or hurt them in some other
way
Now, the ietter-writing lobby. from