The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-02-12
J0RBIES DICTATE LAWS
At NATIONAL CAPITAL
opcANIZATIONS AND IND1V-
,nI1A1s MAKE BUSINESS IN
n111ENCING LEGISLATION.
HELD MENACE AT CAPITOL
Great Army of Trained Employees OF
Men and Interests Seek to Gain
Their Own Ends by Legislation
Hos Become Big Industry.

WASHINGTON. - Lobbying tor
,.,;.1,tion has become one OF the big
10, industries, as well as one OF the
-,ato.t arts holding forth today in
9v,sb,ooton. A recent newspaper
.r,.sy IS authority for the state
.,+ that there now are something
IL. 5000 OF these organizations,
sane big, most small. in the national
capitol.
Gone are the days when emissaries
80 ICES OF proposed legislation circu-
lat.d among the congressman at
Washington with fat purses and latter
nromises. In their place can be
tannd well educated men and women
Who are paid princely salaries Tor
,levor scientific work, the object being
~ rre congress in to passing laws that
ARE favorable to enterprises favored
h., ,bqir EMPLOYERS. or defeating leg
Station which might prove in1m1cal
to such interests.
Lobbying the Game.
Lobbying is the greatest law-mak-
mo game in the United States today.
There are political Hobbies, business
1obbies booze Hobbies, commercial lob
hes banking lobbies, union labor
lobh;es railroad Hobbies and women's
r;rbts Iobbies And every lobby has
* workers who watch and usually try
d to gr;de every act of the law makers.
In Washington certain lCbbies are
orlI;ng one way. Others are pulling
another. One fights for tax reduc-
rion. another for a ''hands Off policy.
One fights for the soldier bonus; an
other OPPOSES it. The whole probes
sion has taken on the aspect OF a
giant game of tug-of-war.
Gold Spreaders Gone.
The old idea that a lobbyist went
around with barrel of money buying
votes right and left from congressman
and senator's is out of date. That was
tbe primitive and crude practice OF de-
cades ago. If any votes are pur-
chased nowadays-it is very question
able that there are-it is effected by
bringing opportunity" face to face
with legislator so that he can FOL
low this opportunity as a pathfinder
which will lead him in the right d1rec-
ton.
Most of the lobbyists-both men
and women-.are able and efficient.
They earn respectfully high salaries,
their monthly pay checks approxlmat-
ing about as much as those OF the
congressman. Virtually all OF them
have access to limited expense money.
Some of them entertain freely, and
rather lavishly, and recruit social IN
Huence as an assistant to their cause.
In this day and age there is little
chance for putting over" secret
achievements Contests between the
different lobbies are more free and
open than they formerly were.
Huge Sums Spent.
Any attempt to estimate the sum
spent annually in the organization and
operation of Hobbies and in the above
board efforts to influence legislation
would be but a wild guess. There IS
Inc accurate way of ascertaining such
data. 1t is sufficient to say that the
gross amount spent each year totals
many millions of dollars The funds
are largely raised by personal sub
scriptions by individuals, firms, corpo-
rations, and associations. In some
cases it is a monthly contribution; IN
others, it takes the form of yearly
check
There is no accurate means OF tell
ing exactly how many propagand1sts
Ike the United States Chamber of
Commerce and the American Fedora
ton OF Labor down to individuals who
Fare IN Washington as champions OF
certain legislation at their own eX-
penSe
Powerful Lobbies.
Among the most powerful lobbles
n Washington today, those OF the An
lrSaloon League, the American Fed
ration of Labor, which maintains pa
atal Offices in one of Washington S
important commercial buildings, the
mlted States Chamber of Commerce,
" hlch has renct1y built a marble
aIace on Lafayette Square, across
rom the White House, the Woman 5
arty, and the farm organizations rep
eSented by the National Grange and
ne American Farm Bureau Fedora
ION are outstanding. The leading
oDbies by groups may be mentioned
follows; labor farmer, woman's
party railroads, commerce, fertilizer,
Pankers and foreign country. Euro
bean interests maintain official watch
fogs OF this kind in Washington in
s PRIDE to keep tab on pending legisla-
ION which might be derogatory to
aer relations with the United States.
Virtually every campaign, move
IAent or project of national scope that
ZONES into being nowadays immedi-
tey sends a representative to Wash
gton to open official headquarters
nd TO initiate a clever campaign OF
publicity that will worm its way into
he congressional limelght.
Tons of Reports.
They disseminate tons of reports
Id publications which urge the vot-
to write their congressman on this
that or the other subject In many
stances by this back-handed method
ey nclte constituents to whom the
apective congressman will listen to
!v9cate the passage of proposed bills.
lsht at present bankers from all
q the country are flooding the Of
continued on Page 5. Column y