Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-17
SPEAKERS DEFEND
LOBBYING BEFORE
WOMAN VOTERS
Col. Donovan Points to I'M
provement Over Old Institu-
ton of Graft and Secrets.
MISS PERKINS, NEW YORK,
HOLDS PUBLIC LIABLE
Banquet Attended by 225-Con-
ference Ends Session This
Afternoon.

That much maligned offshoot OF
American politics. lobbying. came in
for a generous defense last evening by
Col. William j. Donovan, former AS
siStant Attorney General. and Miss
Frances Perkins, industrial commits
Sioner New York State Department OF
Labor. who addressed large group
of delegates and guests attending the
General Council banquet of the Ma
tional League of Women Voters at the
Wardman Park Hotel. The meeting
will be concluded this afternoon at S
O'Clock with an organization confer
ence. limited to members of the con-
ference.
Both speakers last night agreed lob
bying could be an instrument both for
good and for evil-that when used to
further personal aims 1t had evil re-
suits. but when used TO give intelligent
information by experts to legislators 1t
became a factor for good.
Tracing the history of lobbying, Col
Donovan said: The term lobbying
had an evil connotation in American
history. 1t was too often synonymous
with corruption and graft. The old
lobby had its strength in secrecy and
in the fact that it could deal with a
few key men in the legislative body
without its activities being barred to the
public by the newspapers. The mod
ern lobby is based upon a different
principle. The new lobby has little, if
any, resemblance to the old lobby. It's
work is usually attended by full pub
licity and its success Is largely de-
termined by the public following WHICH
it has"
Great Service Performed.
Col. Donovan declared that lobbyists
often perform great service to legis-
lators by transmitting information
which ii would otherwise be impossible
for members of Congress to obtain.
Legislators today are faced with a
multitude of problems OF far-reaching
economic significance Of which they
have no individual knowledge"
Five hundred different economic
groups already are represented in Wash
ington. Donovan declared, and economic
groups have become as much factor
in government as political parties. The
former Assistant Attorney General Sug-
gested that a creation of an economic
forum for open lobbying. where ccm-
mittees interested in some particular
subject might hold open hearings and
place their findings before members OF
Congress. might have far reaching ef-
fectS toward relieving the burden OF
our legislators in regard to economic
depression, would wipe out 'secrecles
and oorruptionS' and place economic
groups in more influential place.
Miss Frances Perkins placed much
of the blame of the rise OF this third
house. the lobby" to the voters them
selves, who, she declared, frequently feel
their their duty toward government Is
finished after they have taken part in
the elections.
Government of People.
More and more we realize that the
failure Of government Is due to the
failure of people to function 365 days
year. They feel their duty it finished
when tie elections are over" she said.
Miss Perkins agreed with Col Dono-
van that the lobby was a factor for
government good IN giving information
to legislators. The lobby she said,
is for the education of the adminiStra-
ton and legislative officials. There are
lots Ct things legislators don't know.
Therefore. they need this method OF
learning of the needs of the people"
Miss Perkins, in support Of lobby
ing" gave brief resume of what the
third house had accomplished in the
past 25 years, reminding her audience
that lobbying had been an important
factor in bringing about woman suffrage
Speaking as a philosopher" Prof.
Alexander Meikle john, president of the
Experimental College, University of
Wisconsin, agreed that representation Of
cause is communicable If it receives
the proper representation, and if the
cause is really for the public interest"
Prof. Meikeljohn expressed the opin-
ion that it was frequently difficult TO
know when an interest was a public
one or a private one. A lack of moral
responsibility in government is one of
the most serious problems facing the
American social order" today, he de-
clared.
we are drifting into way of living
destructive to everything worth while
in life" he said. Life cannot be con-
strued in terms of representation. There
must come in a notion of social control
social control of the social processes -
More than 225 guests attended the
banquet last night at which Miss Belle
Sherwin of Cleveland and Washington,
presided.