The Washington times., 1921-11-12
LOBBYISTS NO
lONGERKNOWN
BY LOW Term
Legislative Agents" They Now
Are Called AZ They Watch
Every Move Of Congress.
BY DAVID NJ. CHURCH.
InteTnAllolAAI NasHa narXloa.

The salleryites are the regulars
who are on hand TO observe. Most OF
them are paid for their observations
and are professionals at Il.
The lobbyist" has long since been
deceased In Washington. In this day
OF advancement In things political we
nave legislative agents" They are
perfectly legitimate workers and can,
not be said to be the successors OF
the old time lobbyists. but at least
they are the outgrowth OF the
demised gentleman lobbyist.
Legislative agents work In the
open. They appear before commit
tees TO plead the cause OF their
various interests. and they do ''mis
sionary" work with the various mem
bers, but they are very circumspecl
In their transactions and most care
iui not 10 cross the line OF demorca
ton between propriety and irnpro
prIety In influencing legislation.
Ihese legislative agents are master
minds" They are clever men, mos,
OF them conceded to be more clever
than the men with whom they arc
working.
"Drys" Active.
Foremost In the ranks OF the
legislative agents at the present time
IL Wayne B. Wheslsr, general coun
s1i for the Anti Saloon League. So
far as Congress Is concerned
Wheeler is the Anti i.Ssioon League.
wheeler has come into the lime
| light recently because of denouen,e i :
against him on the floor Of the Sen.
ate. after he was invited to sit with
members OF tho House and Senate
on the conference report on the anti.
beer bill.
Despite tho cartoonists, Wheeler is
a a NJ tlyah
ally, who never deals with the ques-
ton of prohibition as a sin, but who
attacks It as a scientific problem
Once a tanitor of a middle Western
college. he has risen to the ranks Of
great attorneys and probably has
had more influence upon vital legis-
lation in the last two years than any
other private citizen. It is generally
admitted that Wheeler had much to
do with the writing of the prohibition
law and that the Volstead act is
pretty nearly his own child.
When a question concerning pro-
hibition pops up in Congress Wheeler
is on the Job. He doesn't preach. but
he gets down to cold, hard legal
arguments, and thus far he has sue
ceeded In winning every fight he has
entered upon in the cause OF prohi-
may come along to spoil his record
Congress is just waking up to the
fact that Wheeler wields great
power, and Congress is striving TO
assert its independence. Wheeler's
steel-blue eyes snap as he sits in the
gallery and listens to bitter attacks
made upon him.
Alfred p. Thorn. a lawyer Of note,
represents the cause of the railroads
before Congress, as a rule. Thorn is
the Washington representative Of the
American Association of Railway Ex-
ecutives. and he turns up everywhere
that matters affecting the railroads
are being discussed. Short In stature
and given to much avoirdupois. Thorn
In not impressive In appearance, but
when he speaks he generally gets at
tention. Thorn is not n hand-shaker.
He does not gush. He meets members
OF Congress and Government officials
on a strictly business basis and ex-
poets to win his point by legal argu-
ment, and his measure of success is
fairly full. Unlike Wheeler, Thorn
does not have corridor conferences and
makes bis most frequent appearances
before committees, where he shows up
with hugh piles OF briefs and statis-
tics and presents legal arguments that
~.
Farmers Representative.
Benjamin c. Marsh gives an entirely |
different angle on the legislative
agent. Marsh carries the title of |
legislative agent for the National
Farmers Council and sundry kindred |
He Is a most active |
agent and resorts to the buttonhole |
method OF persuasion. Marsh is per- |
maps the most frequent Congressional |
witness. and he appears before every |
and any committee that will hear him. |
Charies Lyman, secretary Of the
American Board OF Farm OrRaniza.
tons. gives still another slant on the
sort OF men who keep their finger on |
the pulse OF Congress. A college man,
who looks like a college man, and a
student, Lyman appears before Con-
gressional committee with a rapid fire
line OF argument that sweeps most Of |
the members Of Congress, doing in
their chairs, into action. Lyman al.
ways livens things up by his snappy
and his snappy replies to
Labor's legislative agents are Of still
another stamp. Edgar Wallace, the
little Welshman. who bears the title of
legislative agent for the American
OF Labor. is a retiring indi.
vidual who speaks with hesitation and
who seems half afraid. This may he
, pose and 1t may not; at any rate, his
ooks and his voice are belying, for
Wallace is a belligerent of no mean
powers when he ia reused. When
abor's cause needs some good, strong
,ration, Frank Morrison is sent to do
he job, and he cuts loose with some
verbal pyrotechnics that arouse fu.
'ious envies among those members Of
Congress who are given to orations
When labor needs cool, collected legal
argument, jackson Ralston comes up
IN the hill and does the Job.