The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-29
Kansas Reporter Sees Washing
ton Different From BriStOw.
Congress Is Earnest, Loyal and
Behind the President.
GRAFTERS NOT IN SADDLE
Few Indications of Effort To
Loot the Government.
Many Big Business Men in
Touch With Congress.

Congress, as viewed close up, is a
different congress from the one which
may be observed thru the press dis
patches 1900 or 1900 miles from
Washington. In spite of Interruptions
of the LaFollettes and the Stones and
the interviews and editorials of Bris-
tows, the special session is making
much history and doing many things.
From a close view and few days
among some iof the men who do
things in Washington, it is quite
probable that when congress adjourns
some time late in August, no doubt
it will have granted to President
Wilson every important request.
The spectacle which met the eyes
of Joseph l.. Bristow when he visited
Washington a month ago was not
visible to the eyes of Kansas news
paper man when he recently spent a
few days in the national capital. Nor
did a fairly diligent search for some
of the evidence of the graft and loot
and greed" produce results. The
! Washington viewpoint-and that in
cludes the majority sentiment of lead
ing Republicans and Democrats
that the government is yet quite safe
and that Bristow was merely bark
| ing at the moon.
1t is quite probable congress will
make some unwise steps during the
present important session. 1t is quite
possible the national administration
itself will ask for unnecessary power.
Careful analysis and study months
after congress adjourns will doubtless
show some imperfect legislation.
/ Doubtless the Bristows will be able
: to dig in the debris for a campaign
issue next summer and find some evil
dence of personal greed selfish
/ ness. Yet in Washington political
circles today there as quite
positive conviction that when congress
adjourns it will have given to Presi-
dent Wilson the principal things he
wants. Yet at this time in the move
to grant the presidents demands.
there is no evidence of a desire or
tendency to benefit or cripple any in
6ustry.
| The ''Horrid" Hobbies.
| Much has been said in Kansas of
the existence of a horrid lobby in
Washington. The Kansas newspaper
man was more or less familiar with
the lobby which came to Topeka dur
ing a legislative session. He knew a
little of the methods of forcing and
blocking legislation in his own state.
After all, politics is much the same
game the world over and the lobby
plays about the same cards-only
possibly little better-than the lob
bies at home.
Washington hotels are filIed-with
the men whom Bristow characterized
as after plumber and loot. But when
the Kansas newspaper man met a lit
tie group of Washington correspond
ents and few veteran senators he
found Washington had not seen the
things which Mortified and shocked
Bristow. The lobby is there. That is
certaiA. But it is a new lobby. 1t
isn't the lobby the correspordents
have watched during former sessions
1t isn't the lobby which infested the
committees before the war session.
Some of the men in the lobby today
are the biggest men behind the ma
TONS industrial activities. They rep
resent every form of commercial life
fore the joint committees at the re-
quest of the members of some federal
department.
In the main there is a spirit OF
fairness and patriotism congress never
saw before" said one veteran Repub-
lican senator, who had returned from
an important committee meeting
THE men here are new to COMPRESSION
al committees. They are men willing
: to dig deep to meet government de-
mands and ask only legislation which
will not cripple or shatter their bust.
ness"
Concrete Examples.
Talks with members of the hous'
I and senate revealed the offers of stee
makers to sell the United States stee
: at $50 a ton, when the same steel ha!
{ been selling to the allies and private
contractors at $3.50 a ton. Enormous
reductions in selling prices were ap
T, proved before the committees by mel
, CONTINUED on Page Two.J
L