Evening star., 1936-03-29
SMITH LOBBY BILL
STUDIED BY BLACK
Wants to Put Teeth in Meas.
ure to Require Regis
tration.
BY the Associated Press.

6y tlo hbbOClutcu EEesss
Notice that he would drive to ex-
pand the Smith lobby registration
bill, passed Friday by the House. was
given yesterday by Chairman Black
of the Senate Lobby Committee.
I'VE want something with teeth in
1t, something that will really COM
pei lobbyists to register" said Black,
author of the Senate-approved regis
tration bill.
The House bill would stipulate that
organizations engaged principally in
lobbying tell of contributions made to
them. Blacks bill, discarded by the
House, would call for such data from
organizations active in lobbying "in
whole or in part"
Lobbying is lobbying" he said, Bit
ing an unlighted cigar. AT any
rate, it's the first time in history that
both Houses of Congress have passed
lobbyist registration bills"
kilograms Returned.
Coincidentally, Black announced he
had returned copies Of subpoenaed
kilograms concerning Louis Levand,
publisher of the Wichita CKansas)
Beacon. The committee, he said,
had found nothing Of interest in
them
Black said Levand had criticized
the committee for subpoenaing the
kilograms and declined to make public
an exchange of messages with the
publisher regarding them.
Saying he had read only news
paper descriptions Of the Smith bill,
Black bluntly declared himself in IA
vor of the registration of all paid
lobbyists who appear before Govern
ment departments as well as Con-
gress. The Smith proposal would not
direct the registration of commercial
representatives appearing before units
in the executive branch.
Remember those shipping con-
tracts?" the Alabaman queried, recall
ing the investigation he conducted two
years ago into air and ocean mail con-
tracts.
Explains principally"
Representative Smith, Democrat, of
Virginia explained during the day why
the phrasing pertaining to those "prin-
cipally" engaged in lobbying had been
used in his measure.
1T was brought to my attention, and
I think to the attention of other
members" he said, that there were
many organizations of national scope
organized principally for other pur-
poses than effecting legislation, but
many Of those organizations do, from
time to time, become interested in
legislation and they undertake to do
something about 1t.
"It was not thought necessary or
proper that that class of organization,
because a minor part of its funds
were devoted to purposes Of influencing
legislation, should be required to re-
port all of the dues Of their hundreds
Of thousands of members"
Black and Senator Schwellenbach,
Democrat, Of Washington spoke sar-
castically of the radio speech Friday
night by Jouett Shouse. American
Liberty League chief, in which he said
action Of the committee in seizing
news publishers kilograms was 1.-The
opening wedge to censorship Of the
press"
"shouse. Shouse, who is Shouse9"
asked Black. How do you spell it?'
schwellenbach vouchsafed, you can
say that Shouse has to bust loose
every so often to try to justify his
S54,000-a-year salary"
Black said no plans for resumption
of the hearings into influences directed
at legislation had been made.
Were just waiting for Tuesday to
hear Schwellenbach, he said.
Schwellenbach has served notice
that on Tuesday he plans to make q
speech on the Senate floor attacking
william Randolph Hearst, who has
brought injunction proceedings against
the committee in the District Supreme
Court.