Evening star., 1929-11-17
MODERN LOBB|ES
LAUDED IN REPORT
Groups Are Entitled to Place
in Government, Harvard
Professor Declares.
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

'rhe new lobbyists, experts and able
men of affairs, connected with great
national associations representing or
ganized groups, are part of our rep
resentatiVe system. These groups must
be understood and their place in. gov
ernmert allotted, II not by actual leg
islation, then by general public realiza-
ton of their significance.
Just when daily explosions are COM
t1g from the Senate lobby investigating
committee and when the entire country
is wrought up over the fact that a
coat of tar and feathers is being ad-
ministered pdiscriminately to the en-
tire horde of lobbyists so called,
where so often in the past a coat of
whitewaSh has been given to the worst
offenders among them, comes this con-
clusioh In a comprehensive report on
Group Representation Before Con-
greSs," written by Dr. E. Pendleton Her.
ring. instructor in the department Of
government, Harvard University, and
sponsored by the Institute for Govern
ment Research, an association of out
standing public-spirited men specializ-
ing in scientific study of government
and aiding constructively in develop
ment of sound national policies.
Represents Democratic Development.
The report was written before the
Senate lobby investigation began and
therefore had no intent to influence its
action. but it has been made available
for such constructive action as the COM
mittee may decide in the light of reve-
lations made during the inquiry.
The new lobby, the report says, rep
resentS a healthy democratic develop
ment. They have been forced to take
the political structure as they found it.
The Government has set up certain
administrative and judicial tribunals to
deal with the new interrelations of
men that have resulted from easier
have interests in common other than
those bred by living In the same vi
cinitv has been ignored in the structure
of the representative branch of the
Government DR.. Herring's report enl-
phasiZeS.
Entirely extra legal and non-consti-
tutional, the attempts Of these national
organizations to influence legislation
have been baligned and misunderstood,
he points out. The word lobby" un-
fortunate in connotations. is by no
means word of opprobrium. There
have been all kinds of lobbyists, both
corrupt and incorruptible. But in
fiuencing legislation by unofficial means
is process little understood-and
hence distrusted. The term lobby is
used In this report of the Institute for
Government Research in no invidious
sense, but simply as a designation to
indicate those who attempt to influence
the course OF legislation in an unoffl-
cial and non-governrnental capacity.
These national associations in their
lobby activities ARE a part of our rep
resentative system, and yet due to their
heritage from the old lobby they bear
the taint of illegitimacy," he points out.
These groups must be welcomed for
what they are, and certain precau-
tionary regulations worked out"
Some Of the most prominent Of the
great associations that have main
tained lobbies here to influence group
legislation are discussed in separate
chapters Of the report. such as Am
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States. and the trade associations:
The Embattled Farmers" "The Rep
resentation Of Organized Labor" Fed
eral Empolyes' Unions" The Profess
sional Societies" Associations of Or
ganized Women" Forces OF Organized
Reform" The Nationalists and the
mented with long list OF organizations
having representatives in the Capital,
Illustrative of the great number and va
riety Of interests that maintain spokes-
men or support offices here.
Contact Found FasentiaI.
1t is emphasized in THIS volume that
Washington is the latter-day Mecca OF
these various national groups with COM
mon interests because here Is the seat
of Government and being the chief
news center of the world, the channels
of propaganda are wide open. Contacts
with the Government have been found
essential to group welfare.
The unSaVory reputation and the
mathematical methods of the old lobby
are discussed at length with quotations
from noted writers OF the times-Wood-
row Wilson. James Bryce on YAM
pires." Uncle Joe" Cannon, Ben Per-
ley Poore, Channing's History, David
Graham Phillips. William Allen White
and many more recent writer's.
In discussing the new problems of
representation" Dr. Herring says: To
day when the voter becomes fired with