Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-20
HAVE
RIGHT TO EXIST,
IT HONORABLE
Much Gossip Anent Invisible
Government Without Firm
I Foundation.
REVELATIONS OF 1918
Br FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.


numbers, and are open to visitors, and
Will tell any honest inquirer just what
they want Of Congress and how they
hope to get it.
The right of any citizen or group Of
citizens to come to Washington and Pc
titiOn Congress, or any member thereon,
for what they want, is indisputable. All
the excitement about invisible govern
ments' has been based upon the assump-
ton that the lobbyist is one who en-
ploys secret and corrupt methods to In
fuence Congress.
1t can not be denied that a Congress-
man who is open to corruption can prob
ably find some one to corrupt him, and
this situation viii probably never
change until all Congressman become abb
solutley honest.~~But the fact that there
may be some dishonest Congressman and
some dishonest lobbyists. it is urged,
should not be made the occasion for try
ing to make a scandal out of every hon
est and open effort to influence Con-
gress by argument and e show Of voting
strength.
THE GREAT
LOBBY SCANDAL.
Eight years ago there was great ex-
element when Congress set out to in
vestigate lobbyists. Weeks and weeks Of
testimony followed the adoption of the
resolution of investigation. Sensation
after sensation, some real, some forced,
were sprung on the public. Many pro-
fessed to see the two branches of Con-
gress clutched tight in the tentacles Of
the mysterious, mOnstrous octopus, in
visible government" Senators and Rep
resentatiyes, many were given to believe,
were at the beck and call of the inter-
ests. Congress was a sordid thing, It's
members in the pay Of great corporations.
All Of this nonsense blew up shortly
afterward, when the net result OF the IN
yestigation simmered down TO the be-
smlrching Of a lone member of the House,
out of q total membership of 43o, the
disclosure that a negro emplOye at the
Capitol had received $40 a month to re-
veal to a certain lobbyist the names Of
the people who were received by the
chairman of a powerful House committee,
and the publication of an enormous re-
port which nobody succeeded in reading
all the way through.
After that the grim specter Of in
visible government lay dormant for a
long time Only now IS it beginning tc
lift its head a little bit. There Is some
revival of talk Of insidIous lobbies operat-
ing in Washington, but these under
ground methods have no chance of ac-
complishing anything of value in COM
petition with the frank and open lobbies
maintained here by many great groups
the country over.
The farmers. manufacturers, organized
labor, ex-service men and scores of other
groups have their national organizations
Wit
islative agents. In very many cases
these organizations are going openly to
Congress and organizing blocks of Sena-
tors and Representatives who represent
States and districts where labor Is
strong, or where the farmer is strong.
These men are being pledged TO support
certain legislative programs There Is
little or nothing secret about it. Often
public announcement is made of the or
ganlzation Of these groups in Congress.
True, there have been revelations In
the past of State Legislatures having
been corrupted by the use of money. For
a 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 its
membership.
CONGRESS IN
THE MOVIES.
Despite this being obviously ridiculous,
Washington was recently half enter
tanned half disguised, by motion pic
ture advertised as showing up the in
side Of official life IN Washington. In
this. of course, a brand new Congress-
man Is the hero, standing stalwart- and
yirtuous in opposition to the hydra
headed monster Of graft and corruption.
Unaided except by his silver tongue and
sterling character, this youth forces
through the Congress the measure which
throws the ranks of the predatory IN
terests into awful confusion and COM
pletely defeats their careful plans. Sucn
scenes as representatives OF these same
interests entertaining great droyes OF
Senators and Representatives at dinners
are shown and each member Of Con-
gress. always excepting the hero is not
surprised to find $1,000 bond under his
plate. which he pockets without sur
prise or comment and devotes his
energies to gulping down few quarts
of contraband liquor, provided by the
host.
This picture Of Washington life as 1t is
not and never has been was laughed or
the screen here in short order 1t IL
fully realized that there are specimens
here and there of dishonest Congress
men. lust as there are dishonest law
yers, bricklayers, or doctors.
But the lobby of today Is not trying
INV such antiquated method as that de-
picted in the movie. These organlza-
lions go openly and frankly to the
Members of Congress whose interests
should coincide with theirs. They en-
deavor and generally succeed in convinc-
ing these men that the legislation their
constituents desire is the same program
for which this lobby is working. They
convince Members of Congress that only
by openly combining with others whose
minds run along with theirs and pub
fishing the fact to the world, can con-
gressiOnal leaders be brought to serious
consideration of the legislative programs
to which these blocks are committed.
However, with the idea that there may
be some of the old fashioned lobbying
going on. or that Senators and Rep
resentatives might be exposed to corrupt
Influences, two measures have already
been introduced in the Senate during the
present session. One was sponsored by
Senator Overman, of North Carolina, and
Is intended to make it a crime for any
person, agent, counsel, firm, company,
eorporation or association to attempt
directly or otherwise to influence legis-
Iation "by any corrupt or improper
method" The bill provides also that all
legislative agents, or lobbyists. shall be
recorded by the proper officials of Con-
gress.
Senator Kenyon, Of Iowa, has intro
duced a somewhat similar BILL the main
requirement being the listing of all
lobbyists or legislative agents, and would
extend this to the executive departments
Won1n