Evening star., 1924-02-10

them a proper place in the whole scheme Of
business; 1t has submitted itself to their con.
troll"
And farther along he said:
Suppose you go to Washington and try to
get at your government You will always find
that while you are politely listened to, the men
really consulted are the men who have the
biggest stake, the big bankers, the big manu-
facturers, the big masters OF commerce. the
heads Of railroad corporations and Of steam
ship corporations. have no objection to these
men being consulted because they, also, though
they do not themselves seem to admit it,
part of the people Of the United States. But
do very seriously object to these gentlemen
being chiefly consulted, and particularly to
their being exclusively consulted"
LeEislation "in Committee.-
With regard to the legislation enacted "for
the people," Mr.. Wilson had this to say:
Legislation, as we nowadays conduct 1t, is
not conducted in the open. It is not thrashed
out In open debate upon the floors of our as
semblies. 1t is, on the contrary. framed. di-
gested and concluded in committee rooms. It
is in committee rooms that legislation not de-
sired by the interests dies. It is in committee
rooms that legislation desired by the interests
is framed and brought forth"
These structures government were made
by Mr. Wilson during the campaign preceding
his election. 1t his earnest desire that
there should be REFORM And now. eleven years
figuratively holding their breath and their
noses over each subsequent development in the
oil scandal. What is more they are wondering
whether this is just a sample of invisible
government, and whether other powerful in
terests have not just much to answer for
in the way Of purchasing influence and infor-
nation.
During address made by President Will
at Shadow Lawn. n J., in October, 1916,
he specifically mentioned invisible govern.
He air
supposed to be spokesmen Of the republican
party have in public professed to condemn in
visible government, but in private they have
counseled and aided and abetted it"
X + ~
All Partie, Are Used.
But it seems that invisible government as
practfced cannot, in view of the recent dis
closures, be attributed to the complaisance of
republicans. The sinister part Of the business
is that great wealth. the big interests in ef-
forts to control. seek to make use Of all par
ties alike. They contribute to the campaign
chests Of both the major parties. The only
remedy appears to be awakened public con-
science and extreme care by public men.
Today seems to be the day of Investigations.
Government by investigation seems to be the
order. But there have been other investiga-
tions by congressional committees and COM
mittees Of state legislatures that have held the
pubic attention-the money trust investiga-
tion, the old Senate lobby investigation, direct
ed primarily at the efforts made in connection
with the tariff bills, and the investigation of
the life insurance companies and their activi-
ties in New York. All interests whether great
or small. are entitled to their day in court But
it should be in the OPEN The country is made
up of a mass of interests of one kind or an
other. But when any interest or set OF in
terests because Of financial advantages or
for any other reason, is given control, all
others suffer.