Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-20
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
SENATE committee, we'll equip
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scenes that It never got before. If TIT
Senate committee is discriminating j
can preserve justice and proportion ant
It can thereby lead the public to b.
discriminating. If the public is discrim
mating we may get constructive results
Otherwise we may get nothing more
than the satisfaction of curiosity
which is useful, but does not necessarily
help much for the future. incidentally
the public will get some good laughs
out of these revelations)
The quantity of lobbying is enor-
nous. If the word be taken in the
broad sense, which includes propa.
ganda, and also much that goes by the
name of legal service" in that sense
the quantity of lobbying is greater than
even the most sensational charges have
suggested.
Some lobbying is sinister. A great
deal of lobbying is odious without
being exactly sinister. Nearly all lobby
ing, In the sense of influencing men by
personal contact for commercial pur-
pose, is a thing that persons of high
taste look down upon. Some lobbying
is carried on in behalf of a private
commercial interest for fee.
But some lobbying is not subject to
reproach. Some of it is done by per-
fectly high-minded men, or paid for by
equally high-minded men. Some lobby
ing is done for causes which everybody
recognizes as well meaning.
Benefactor Cited.
One of the very considerable num-
Der of persons who have "lobbied" the
writer of this article within the last
few years is George w. Eastman. Mr..
Eastman is one of the most high
minded men in America. His gifts of
60 11au
been enormous. He gives generously In
money, and also in what Is more valu-
able, his own energy and high intel
lgence. Mr.. Eastman belongs in any
list of 10 or 90 great American benefac-
tors now alive The total of his bene-
factions to institutions of learning alone
is upward of $50,00o.000.
Mr.. Eastman's lobbying of the
writer of this article conformed to the
original connotation of the word. There
was a casual introduction in the lobby
of a Washington hotel, and Immediately
Mr. Eastman was urging me in words
and pressing printed arguments upon
me to help further the enterprise that
was just then 20 the front Of his mind
That enterprise was and still is re-
form of the calendar. I don't know
just what the reform is to be. for set
my mind against it and didn't try to
admit virtue in it. ] recall the phrase
Interchangeable and perpetual calendar, y
and I think the notion is to have -
months, instead of IL. Thirteen months
would only increase the number OF days
on which bills became due. Something
like that must be the motive for it, for
/ observe that Mr.. Eastman has secured
the Endorsement of chambers of COM
merce, including Just lately resolution
- YSaka aHaT ff
merce at its recent meeting in Amster-
dam.
Whatever the details of the notion,
Mr.. Eastman was lobbying for 1t. He
came to Washington in person to lobby
for it. He apparently employs press
agent-"public relations counsel they
call themselves now-to put out prop
uganda for 1t. Every once in so often
newspaper men and congressman re-
ceive notices of favorable action by
some new Chamber of Commerce or
other body. Mr.. Eastman has a COM
rnittee which he calls "the National
Committee on Calendar Simplification."
! with an Office in Rochester. Apparently
Mr.. Eastman has lobbied with the
League of Nations with some success,
for the latest communication says Mr..
Eastman has got the League of Nations
to put his project on the agenda OF
the League of Nations Conference on
Communications and Transit.
Lobbying For Good Purpose.
All this is lobbying, and lobbying that
makes progress. It Is lobbying for a
good purpose, or at least purpose that
nobody can condemn. Nobody can dis
approve either the purpose or the
method. Mr.. Eastman has an idea
which Is an innovation, which can only
- k.wx4 4. &Soya @fT raw
greSs and other governments; and lob
bying and propaganda are a conven-
tional and perfectly proper method OF
trying to bring about such action.
Mr.. Eastman's lobbying is within the
SCOPE of the Senate committees broad
resolution. II the committee calls Mr..
Eastman he will be glad because that
will mean publicity, and publicity is
what Mr.. Eastman needs for his cause.
This Is lobbying in which the man who
does it and promotes it doesn't expect
to get money out of tin which his
only role is to put up money for what
he regards as good cause.
It is not lobbying for commercial
purpose. Mr.. Eastman is high-minded
man who would not lobby for a COM
nercial purpose. In private life Mr.
Eastman manufactures cameras and
kodaks. He won't sell any more kodaks
in 10 new months than in IL ole
ones. If he would, or If his lobbying
meant any selfish advantage to him
he wouldn't lobby for it. Mr.. Eastman
ts rs years old, but he puts the eager
ness of youth into arguing for his
innovation. Fancy, at rs years Of age
being willing to make journeys from
Rochester, N. Y, to Washington, just
to get Congress to change the calendar
Nobody can quarrel with the spirit OF
such man as that.
"Sor' Name of New Month.
One of these days Mr.. Eastman i
he lives long enough, may be success
full. Some time the public will find Itself
required to write on its letterheadi
SOL g." or some such arrangement, in
stead of July o." for Sol" is to be
the name of the new additional month
The public will complain a little, bu
will ind that Congress has made it :
law. After while the public will ge
as firmly established as any other in
stitution.
That is the way things come about
More accurately, 1t is the way thing
are brought about. Nothing really eve
comes about Nothing ever HAP
pens" Somebody like Mr.. Eastman get
an idea, puts money and energy behin'
II, nlreS men 10 put out propaganda II
favor of it. and argue for it and lobb
for it-and presently the thing is done
Not all such efforts are successful
Andrew Carnegie wanted a thing h
called simplified spelling, wanted us +
spell though" not that way. but tho.
It was figured that dropping three let
tiers from the end of though" ant
two from the end of programme
would save 312,54B,2 63,8i2 finger tap
Tor some such figure) each year on tn
typewriting machines Of the Unite
states. to say nothing Of the labor Q
stenographers, the saving in paper an