Evening star., 1936-12-28

J. Ddfu
in economi gains or losses, the mere
payment ola fee ranging from SIS 1000
to s25,00d is very little, relatively
speaking, pay for a favorable
decision.
Sometims it is Just one of those
enquiries at which the victims are
exploited y headline hunting prose-
cutors wht are engaged for little
while andthen go back into private
practice to reap the rewards of their
notoriety. Sometimes is is a high
official wh@resignS from an important
post in wIch he himself has infiu-
enced the election or appointment OF
many of Us assistants or subordinate
officials. naturally they feel friendly
to him WIN he comes back to argue
the case o big corporation.
Imlies No Corruption.
1t shoull not be assumed that just
because a former official practices
before his former associates there is
something wrong about it. On the
contrary, Sme of these former officials
know how often the point raised is
merely indifference between tweedle-
dee and Eeedle-dum with emphasis
on the ri M part. For too often the
victims OF this form Of exploitation
pay money just to exploit some piece Of
routine witch they innocently believe
might be lsed to hold up their trans
actions.
1t is difficult to estimate how much
money is paid annually just TO get
things Trough" and without the
slightest tint Of corruption. Yet the
very existnce of this whole scheme
Of exploitation is directly fostered by
the pol:tial system. 1t is closely
akin to tie spoils system.
It is rae that political managers
want anything for themselves in the
way of plplic office. They are, to be
sure, impdtuned by their henchmen
to get mirDr jobs and once in while
they nigh capture an important job
for an important constituent, but on
the whole what the politicians want
Is q metEod Of making money for
themselves They would rather play
upon their influence, real or fancied,
with officills of the New Deal, than
10 hold Office.
Business Hires Enemies"
The bes sidelight on this sort of
thing may be obtained among business
men thenselves nowadays. Though
many of them denounce the New Deal
and take part in campaigns against
its continuance, they turn around as
soon as possible and hire the most
alert or the shrewest New Dealer they
can find t. look after their interests in
Washington.
Senator Black of Alabama con-
Quoted lobby investigation last year
and while 1t is true that his committee
was subjected to considerable criti-
cism for endeavoring to pry into pri-
vate affairs through telegraph Offices,
1t is nevertheless fact that this was
one way TO get evidence of lobbying or
clues to what was going on.
Unfortunately, the committee en-
quasi-political organizations which
were engaged in fighting causes more
or less in the open instead Of con-
centrating on the individuals who
were appearing before executive de-
partments and commissions dealing in
the public's business. Blacks bill,
which aimed at restricting activities
of lobbyists, failed of passage but as
between his measure and the one that
passed the House there is no doubt
that the Senate bill was far more
comprehensive. None of the bills,
however, reaches adequately the root
Of all the evils Of lobbying. namely,
what goes on in the commissions and
agencies of the Government.
II it was required that the name of
every lobbyist not only be registered
but that his fee in a given case be
published along with the rulings or
decisions in which he submitted briefs
or arguments, there would be less
lobbying one, or rather, less fixing"
"Cure" in 5-Year Limit.
Also if members of Congress as well
rs members Of the executive branch of
the Government were forbidden by law
for a period of five years after they
left Office from practicing before any
department or legislative
committee, there would be still less
lobbying and fixing" done.
But the best way of all to cure the
growing opportunities for bureaucratic
is to eliminate much of the
itself. 1t was Andrew
jackson, idol Of the New Deal. who
said in message to Congress just
about hundred years ago:
mo one can be more impressed
than I am with the soundness of the
doctrine which restrains and limits,
by specific provisions, executive dis
cretion, as far as it can be done
consistently with the preservation Of
Its constitutional character"
(Copyrieht 1851