The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-12-28

time comes, wiseacres tell me, among
the things to be seen will be:
1. Notice to congress that the Presi-
dent is not going to allow the legisla-
tive body to run away with things that
gain publicity, If the scheme is one In
which he desires to participate.
2. Notice to the world that the Unit
ed States is not going to surrender
leadership In world affairs even though
the London naval conference has failed
and even though japan has renowned
her signature to the Washington arms
limitation treaty of 1922.
1t is too early to make guess
whether the senators who militantly
fought back after Mr.. Roosevelt's pro-
nouncement will get anywhere. Those
senators were the leaders in the SEN
ate committees munitions investiga-
ton. Senator Nye, the committee
chairman, with all of the breeze of his
North Dakota plains, accused the Pres
ident in effect of trying to stop the
munitions inquiry. Senator Vanden-
berg of Michigan challenged the Pres
ident's right to interfere. Each
thought, as did some of the other men,
bers of the committee who did not be-
come vocal, that Mr.. Roosevelt was
trying to steal the show because it is
fact that the committee was on the
front pages day after day during the
investigation.
Some observers here are inclined to
the opinion that Mr.. Roosevelt will be
able to lull the recalcitrant members
of congress into a kindly feeling to-
ward his program which is designed to
draft far-reaching legislation and that
they will eventually hush-up. At this
writing I am unwilling to agree fully
with that belief. 1 know that there
are numerous members Of the house
and senate who are jealous of the pub
Lefty which the White House has
achieved under Mr.. Roosevelt's tactful
management.
Publicity is meat and drink to poll
tician, whatever his rank may be, and
no one knows that better than Wash
ington correspondents. I believe 1t is
a fair statement of fact to say that
every correspondent reporting national
news at some time or other in his
Washington assignment has been but
ton-holed by an official of the govern
ment whose request was something in
this manner: Treat me as well as you
can on this thing.
One must not be unmindful In dis
cussing this little controversy that it
can become of great magnitude or it
can sink out of sight easily. My own
thought is that Mr.. Roosevelt's control
of congress is not going to be serious
ly disturbed by it. 1t is possible, how
ever, that there are enough dissatisfied
members of the house and senate to
constitute a bloc which will speak its
mind collectively as well as individ-
ually. If that should come about, there
will be fun.
Every once In a while some one dis
covers some new letters written by
George Washington.
Washington Such a circumstance
a Lobbyist? has just developed.
The Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad, preparing to celebrate
the one hundred and fiftieth anniver-
sary of the original corporation from
which it came, has found a letter
signed by General Washington which,
@olI
the first petitions ever filed with a leg
islative body in behalf of private in
terests in this country. In fact, if the
Washington letter in question were to
have been presented to the present
day congress, undoubtedly those in
opposition to the generals plan would
have described him as lobbyist. 81.
o. Bishop, a noted writer and historian
here, found In the Library Of Congress
that General washington had sought
legislation in the general assembly of
Virginia in behalf of the jamestown
company, corporation which in later
years was to become the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad company. General
Washington interceded with the Vir-
ginia assembly on the ground that If
the United States ever were to become
of consequence as a nation In this
world there must be expansion west
ward and If there were to be expan-
sion there had to be means of transpor-
tation.
The general, according to the Ii
~
surveyed a westward route over which
the jamestown company was to OPP
crate That is the route now followed
by the line of the present railroad be-
cause, another report In the library
was, Chief Justice John Marshall was
unable to find a better course. The
chief justice, it was disclosed, was in
vited during his term of Office to
make a study Of proposed routes and
was unable to suggest better layout
after three months Of roughing it In
the then wilds than had been proposed
by General Washington.
Disclosure of the Washington letter
has brought again to the forefront the
question of what constitutes lobbying
before legislative body. There are
those in this administration, the same
as there have been in numerous pre-
ceding administrations, who accuse
anyone attempting to present his side
of the story to legislative body of
being a lobbyist. l believe, however,
that the bulk Of the people look upon
that sort of thing as an exercise of the
right of petition. The word lobby
ing" is usually used here with sim
lister implication and efforts always
are made by the opposition to partic-