Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1915-12-02
INSIDIOUS LOBBY
SAYS w. j. BRYAN,
IN PREP AREDNESS
PRIVATE INTERESTS MAsouER-
AIDING UNDER CLOAK Or IN
TENSE PATRIOTISM.
Bryan Says Greatest Lobby IN His
tory Of Government Aow
at Washington.

2 tuTy " 6UNSTntuSHl NOW &5
81 Al Washington.
William Jennings Bryan. in The
Commoner,,)
In 1913, soon after taking ONCE,
president Wilson electrified the
country and started stampede out
OF Washington, when he charged that
the capital was infested BY an In
sidious lobby" which he was deter
mined to smoke out. The hegira
which followed this presidential
warning left Washington hotel men
to mourn the good old times. There
was never before such q hustling To-
get out OF the City OF Magnificent
Distances.
But the "insidius lobby" OF 1913
was q negligible force in comparison
with the more insidious lobby which
nov infests the capital. The lobby
which challenged presidential attens
ton in 1918 and which fed before,
the scourge which the White House.
brought into view was frankly sell
fish It made few IL any preten-
sions of patriotism. 1t was not saw
ing the country It was not buttress-
ing our shores against a threatened
invasion. 1t was not particulaTly
anxious about the flag. II was trou-i
bling itself little with the Yellow Peril
or the German bogey 1t was there
merely to get all that was to be had
for the railroads, for steel, for sugar.
for glass, for ship yards, for powder
mills, for gun factories, for lumber
and for allsthe other pets Of privilege
which srepubicanisin had tssen nsirts1r-i
ing for so many years.
The word from the White House
gave this lobby great shock and,
occasioned unconcealed alarm in
many quarters, but it was highly cf-.
fective The hotel business in Wash
ington was never 80 poor as It F1..: 1..:t
IN 1918 and 1914. But it must be im-
proving now. For there is another
and an Infinitely more dangerous lob
by infesting the capital of the nation
today 1t is a purely patriotic lob
|1y "a lobby which has wrapped the
flag about it, a lobby profoundly con
cerned over the welfare Of the ma
tion and the perpetuity of our sacred
institutions. a lobby which is in dead
|ly fear OF some imaginary foe, lobby
that thinks in terms of airships, sub
marines, deadnaughts, 16-inch shells,
torpedoes, guns, a huge standing army
and navy greater than Hobson
ever dared to propose.
Even the railroads when carrying
forward theil. successful campaign to
force the government to permit an
increase Of freight rates, flooded the
mails with no such deluge Of liter
ature as that which the preparedness
lobby Is today disseminating. Never
before in the history of the country
has an equal activity in any behalf
been witnessed. Evidently this lob
by is richly endowed. II is magnifi-
Gently organized. 1t is splendidiy
equipped. And 1t is carrying forward
it's work with a thoroughness and
with an Indifference to the costs
which may well challenge the curious
Interest OF the American people who
are being asked to approve of vast
expenditures on the national de-
lenses" the implication being that
our shores are menaced by some
powerful oppressor. q
The ramifcations OF this lobby are
widespread. Scores OF leagues, soci-t
cieties, vlubs and associations have
formed to push particular phases Of
the general campaign. There are ma
tional security leagues, national rifle |
associations, national aero clubs, and
national organizations of various
sorts designed to arouse the country
tc some impending peril and TO bring
ii to a realizing sense Of what is ex.
Iected of it in the way Of funds for
buying battleships, cruisers. dread
naughts. submarines, destroyers, airsIi
craft, powder, war material and equip
nent and for the increase Of army and
ravy to a war footing in a time Of
profound peace. Schools, churches.
POLITICAL rganizatins. the magazine /
Continued on page 4)