The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1915-04-23

to carry their point. and if they fail
ed to convince a legislator at the first
talk they would come again and again,
persistently following up the privilege
obtained until they thought they had
the legislator convinced.
Permit me to say that the various
railroads of Michigan, who have fought
valiant battle for an increase in pas
senger rates, have carried on persist
ent and effective lobby in way that
cannot help to inure to their credit and
the credit of the State. The officials,
attorneys and professional lobbyists Of
these various lines of r. II. have been
here, some or all, since January LIST.
You have heard talk of the slush Fund,
but until Frank Sparks sprung it in the
Grand Rapids Herald, nobody had
heard or thought of such a term, nor
had anybody suspicioned that money
was being improperly used by the Rail-
roads in furthering their conquest for
higher rates; the legislative investiga-
ton was foolish piece Of business,
cost a lot of money, amounted to
naught, as everybody expected, and
was brought about in the House and
Senate merely to satisfy faction
which is fighting for the railroad in
crease OF fares; they were taking a fall
out of the anti-raise members, at the
expense of the people. The investiga-
ton fell fiat and everybody, even the
reporters, were wholly eXOnerated and
a clean Bill of Health extending to all.
The railroad officials and their lobby
have conducted clean, courteous and
un-annoying campaign, in their fight
for higher rates on passenger traffic;
they have come to Lansing, presented
their arguments on the floor of the
House and in Committee and appointed
hearings; they have flooded us with
written or printed arguments and COL
umns of figures; they have sent us
newspaper clippings and copies OF let
tiers from our own people back home"
with whom they had correspondent par
ticularly for our benefit; they have
conducted a strenuous campaign by pc
tition, and managed to obtain petitions
from every burg, hamlet and water
tank in this state, appealing to the leg
islature to grant the proposed increase
in rates; occasionally the railroad man
yhcn hn
and would join in a pleasant converse
ton; but during this session the rail-
road lobbyist has kept his name free
from the charge of nuisance" or an
noyance" and no member of either
House has had reason to complain OF
the railroad lobby"
Not so, however with some other in
situations prevalent about the House
every day since the session opened; l
speak now of the lobby conducted by
the teachers in behalf of the Teachers
Retirement Annuity Fund, "The Lob
by of Suffragists," "The Lobby OF the
Anti-Cigarette faction" headed by Lucy
Page CASTOR and Jimmie McFadden.
These lobbies have each reached that
stage of becoming an annoyance to var
ious members, as complaints have read
lily shown.
Still about all that one can say
against their lobby is that they were
Just little too persistent, and in many
instances have injured their cause by
over-zealousness. No improper conduct
can be charged against either OF these
Hobbies; Too much persistency is the
worst that can be said of them. When
legislator comes out of 3-hour ses-
sion after having considered the con-
tents of so different Bills and covering
that many different angles of govern
mental affairs, he is very DESTROYS OF
relaxation "a change of some kind that
will give him rest; he is not then in the
humor to listen for an hour or more
to the oft advanced argument of one OF
the lobbyists; many are the tricks and
devices used by legislator to pull
away from some enthused lobbyist. To
have a friend who observes his plight,
send page after the tortured one is a
common method of escape; call to
the telephone is another; the tantalized
member of course fails to- return. But
on the whole Michigan has no particu-
lar need as l view it of any Anti-Lob-
byist Law; the privilege is not being
abused and no one is suffering except
the poor legislator who happens to get
caught in the snares and is compelled
to listen for an hour to an argument
that he has heard or read hundred
times.
ELECTION LAWS
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