The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-08-01
VERMONT LOBBY HARMLESS.
Lieutenant Governor Howe Advises a
One House Legislature.


BURLINGTON, Aug. 1.-Lieut-- Gov.
Frank E. Howe spoke on the Lobby
That Infests Our Capitol Thursday at
the Merchants association luncheon
which was held in the Hotel Vermont
roof garden. Mr.. Howe delivered a
good speech with much sterling adj
vice in it, but those who came hoping
to hear exposed startling practices of
corruption-if any did come for that
purpose-went away disappointed, for
there were no disclosures. In fact as
Mr. Howe sketched it, the lobby in
Montpelier is innOcuous If not neces-
sary. The most startling feature of the
acknowledgement s speech was his
assertion that a one-house legislature
would be better than the kind we
have.
The speaker said that every one of
us had at one time or another been
represented by paid or unpaid lobby
lists. He assorted that the common no.
tion of lobbyists as people who 60 to
Montpelier and by means of bribery
or illiet use of influence get away
with things which they ought not to
have is in the main fallacious. He
stated that he had seen among the
lobbyists of the capitol, judges Of the
supreme court, the bishop of Vermont,
the presidents of the University of
Vermont, Middlebury and Norwich,
and all manner of men.
He then explained how the lobby
came to exist. - When you choose a
man from your community or society
or whatever it is that you are
choosing from-to 90 to Montpelier to
further the interests of a measure, you
choose the smartest man among you -
said he, while when you elect a man
TO the Legislature, you pick some
good fellow who can get the votes. -
He pointed out very clearly how the
| growing of the state meant the grow
| ing up within it of institutions and in
| terests which naturally desired to be
heard in the making of laws.
He showed the danger of the lobby
| 70 be largely due to the fact that the
| people who go to the state house to
| lobby have one thing in mind and cen
| traliZe their effort on the getting of
| that one thing. They are specialists
not only in their way of going about
| what they want, but usually by life
| training. The university president is
backed up by life of experience in
the line touched upon by the educa
tional measure in which he is inter.
csted. 1t Is hard for the ordinary
legislator not to be argued around by
him. What we need is strong, force
| full men to offset the influence of the
lobby by pulling for the interests OF
| the state as a whole
As it is, the speaker insisted, We
| lack this kind of strong attention &c
the interests of the whole state. Plat
forms deal mostly in generalization.
which it is difficult to defend against
| the attacks of the different lobbying
| forces. Economy, for instance. APP
pears frequently in platforms, but tn,
1 question Later arises of how it shall
| be obtained. 1t is difficult not Il
grant one by one the appropriation
for good things which come up ant
ut the end there is no economy. Tn,
| speaker mentioned certain thing.
which might be made into definit,
policy of economy, among them thu
Establishment of one house of the legis
lature, the cutting down of the mum
Der OF judges and state officials. tn
bringing of the methods of govern
ment up to date as to efficiency an,
perfection of system. He said that i
every case the responsibility of gov
eminent was on the voters and o.
their shoulders it must rest