Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-01-24

that an undue attempt is TO De made
to influence the upper house in behalf
of the League of Nations through a
referendum on the Box peace plan and
through other movements germane
thereto.
How about it? One does not have
to be either a friend or an enemy OF
the League of Nations to be able to
smile bit over the expressed fear OF
some of the senators that attempts are
being made to influence them in be-
half of any plan The truth is that
attempts are being made every day
in a dozen different ways to influence
house and senate, and neither house
nor senate becomes FESTIVE or fearful
unless one or the other is in consider
able part bitterly opposed to the mat
ter in behalf of which the influence is
being used.
So far as one can determine, propa-
ganda in behalf of the League OF Ma
tons so far as it's effect on either
house or serate is concerned will de-
pend for it's force entirely upon
whether or not a movement in behalf
of the league or against it shall prove
to have behind it the majority force
Of the American people
Yieid &c Views of Majority.
Time ana again senate and house
have been Influenced by propaganda
which seemed to have back of it the
will of the majority of the people.
Senators and members of the house
are supposed to be representatives OF
the people and therefore in times past
when it seemed to be true that a ma
jority of Americans were back of this
thing or that thing, senate and house
naturally yielded to the influence ex-
erted, for in the highest sense, al
though the expression of it may be
something of a bromide, the people
are supposed to be masters of their
servants.
There is unquestionably today a
concerted attempt of various organiza-
tons in the United States to secure
American entry into the League of Ma
tons. There are also exceedingly ac-
tive influences at work to prevent the
entry of the United States into the
League of Nations.
No old-timer here has the slightest
thought that the majority in the SEN
ate will be moved away from its OPP
position to the League of Nations by
any force short of overwhelming evil
dence, which, frankly speaking, it does
not seem will come for long while,
if it ever comes that the majority Of
the people desire entrance into the
league. In this matter of the Box
peace plan it is said here that some
of the senator's are seeing ghosts and
are unnecessarily scared by them.
Some Former Instances.
Within the years of the active work
in Washington Of the writer, congress
has been Influenced on several occa-
sions by the same kind of movement
which it is now said is to be made tb4
subject of inquiry as to it's source.
Twenty years ago, or perhaps little
longer, congress, entirely against its
personal will, legislated the canteen
out of the army posts. The propagan-
da in behalf of the removal of the
canteen, which was the enlisted mans
club in which were sold light wines
and beer, was whirlwind affair, and
it was conducted almost entirely by
women. Neither senate nor house
thought it necessary to order an inves-
tigation to see if the women were try
ing to influence them. The evidence
of the influence and of its effect was
shown in the result. The canteens
were closed.
The house once through the manipu-
lation of certain committee members
was going to eliminate the biological
survey from the Department Of Agri-
culture. News of this leaked out in
advance and suddenly a propaganda in
behalf of the survey was started, not
by the survey but by the millions Of
The farmers Institutes, tne stock
raisers and a score Of other industrial
and business elements Of the commu-
ity literally flooded congress with
protests. The biological survey still
lives, and yet there was no investiga-
ton by aggrieved house members to
find out whether the farmers of the
country were trying to influence them
unduly.
There have been dozen things Of
like kind. 1t is only when a matter
which is of deep political interest and
provocative of bitterness comes within
the congressional field Of notice that
Investigations as to the reasons or