Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-18

VTAShINGTON, D. c., June 13.-TAe
wv invisible government" has become
one of the most evident and striking
features of the Washington scene.
For the term has always been applied to
Hobbies and lobbyists aid there are now over
100 Hobbies in Washington, most of which
have offices and telephone numbers, and are
open to visitors, and will tell any honest in
quirer .ust what they want of congress and
how they hope to get it,
The right of any citizen or group of c1ti-
zens to come to Washington and petition con-
gress, or any member thereof, for what they
want, is indisputable. All the excitement
about invisible governments" has bees
based upon the assumption that the lobbyist
is one who employs secret and corrupt meth
DDS to influence congress.
1t cannot be denied that congressman
who is open to corruption csn probably tnd
some one to corrupt him, and this sltuatloI
will probabl never change until all congress-
men become absolutely honest. But the fact
that the1- may be some dishonest congress-
men and some dishonest lobbyists, 1t Is urged,
should not be made the occasion for trying
to make a scandal out of every honest ane
open effort to influence congress by argument
and a show of voting strength
The Great Lobby Scandal
Eight years ago there was great excite
ment when congress set out to investigate
lobbyists. Weeks and weeks OF testimony
followed the adoption of tie resolution OF
investigation. Sensation after sensation, some
real, some forced, were sprung on the public
Many protested t. see the two branches OF
congress clutched tight in the tentacles or
the mysterious, monstrous octopus, invisible
government" Senators and representatives,
many were given to believe, were at the beck
and call of the interests. Congress was
sordid thing, it's members in the pay Of great
corporations.
All of this nonsense blew up shortly after
ward, when the net result of the investiga-
Gil fO h6Smirchlnp a
lone member of the house, out OF total
membership of ABS, the, disclosure that
negro employe at the capitol had received
$40 a month to reveal to a certain lobbyist
the names of the people who were received
by the chairman of powerful house COM
mittee, and the publication of an enormous
report which nobody succeeded in read1ns
all the way through.
After that the grim specter of invisible
government lay dormant for long time
Only now is it beginning to lift its head
little bit. There is some revival Of talk OF
insidious Hobbies operating in Washington,
but these underground methods have no
chance of accomplishing anything OF value
in competition with the frank and open lob
bies maintained here by many great groups
the country over.
The farmers, manufacturers, organized la
Dor, ex-service men, and scores OF other
groups have their national organizations, and
almost without exec ltion have legislative
agents. In very many cases these organlza-
tions are going openly to congress d organ
izing blocs of senator's and representatives
who represent states and districts where Ia
Dor is strong, or where the farmer is strons.
These men are being pledged TO support GER
tain legislative programs. There is little or
nothing secret about it. Often public an
nouncement is made of the organization OF
these groups in congress.
True, there have been revelations in the
past of state legislatures having been cor
rupted by the of money. For great
many years the congress of the United States
has been or should have been, immune to
this suggestion or thought on account of the
size of it's membership.
Congress in the Movies
Despite this being obviously ridiculous,
Washington was recently half entertained
half disguised, by a motion picture advertised
as showing up the inside of official life IN
Washington. In this course brand-neW
congressman is the hero, standing stalWart
and virtuous in opposition to the hydra-head-
ed monster o graft and corruption. Unaided
except by his silver tongue and sterling char
acter, this youth forces through the congress
the measure which throws the ranks of the
predatory interests into awful confusion, and
completely defeats their careful plans. Such
scenes as represen .atives Of these same inter-
ests entertaining great droves of senators and
representatives at dinners are shown, and
each member of congress, always excepting
the hero, is not surprised to find a thousand
dollar bond under his plate, which he pockets
without surprise or comment, and deYotes