Evening star., 1936-03-24
HOUSE MOVES BILL
T0L|ST LOBBYISTS.
Registration Measure Sped
to FIo0r--Kirby 'Forbids'
Reading of Wires.
Nv the Associated Press

Legislation to require registration OF
lobbyists in Congress was given the
right of way to the House floor today
by the Rules Committee.
The measure, introduced by Repre-
sentative Smith, Democrat, of Virginia.
also would require organizations over
the country collecting funds for use in
influencing legislation to file periodic
financial statements with the House
Paid representatives of persons or or
ganizationS in Washington to influence
legislation would have to register full
details of their employment and file
and House as TO their financial receipts
and expenditures.
The measure differs from the Black
bill passed by the Senate last session
principally in that it does not apply to
persons appearing before Government
departments.
Persons appearing as ordinary wit
nesses before committees and political
organizations required to file under
the corrupt practices act, are specifi-
cally exempted from registration in
the Smith bill.
The committee allowed two hours of
general debate in addition to the usual
one hour of debating the rule itself.
with the measure open to amendment.
Kirby Asserts Rights"
John Henry Kirby. dominant figure
In the Southern Committee to Defend
the Constitution, now under investiga-
ton by the Senate Lobby Committee,
has forbidden the disclosure of any
kilograms relating to his private af-
fairs in a message to Chairman Black.
Kirby claimed the committee had
seized numbers of kilograms between
himself and members of his family
and warned against even reading such
kilograms. He said:
Il insist that I have the right to
halt you at the threshold of my home,
which in all contemplation of English
civilization is still my castle"
Concidentally, it was disclosed that
the committee had subpoenaed all
kilograms passing between the Wich-
ita Kans.. Beacon and Washington,
first exempting and later demanding
tne paper press messages.
At the same time, Col Champion
Harris. committee counsel prepared to
file reply to the suit of William Ran
dolph Hearst for an injunction re-
straining the committee from making
any use of Hearst organization tele-
grams and from seeking to obtain
additional such messages.
"Objections'' to Be Filed.
He spent the day surrounded by law
books in the Senate Library. The
committees objections" to the iSsu-
ance of preliminary injunction prob
ably will be filed within day or two
and the case then scheduled for oral
argument in the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia.
1t was revealed. too, that the COM
mittee has warned both the Western
Union and the Postal Telegraph Co.
against informing their clients when
kilograms have been subpoenaed by
the committee.
letter went forward February u,
asserting:
Under rules and precedents Of long
standing, the activities Of Senate COM
mittee investigating subject matters
covered under Senate resolutions are
deemed to be of high confidential
nature until such time as evidence
gathered by these committees is pre-
sented in open hearing.
The cooperation of local man.
ayers of telegraph companies in con-
forming with this long established
rule will materially assist this COM
mittee in the furtherance of its in
Vestigation."
The letter was signed 'for the COM
mittee' by one of its employees.
Kirbys organization sponsored the
recent Georgia Grass Roots Conven-
ton. addressed by Gov. Eugene Tai
madge foe of the New Deal.
No Comment From Black.
Black was not reached for comment
on the Kirby message. but in the past
he has repeatedly insisted that the
committee has no idea of making any
use of kilograms relating solely to the
private affairs of individuals.
Kirby said his information was that
the committee had seized all kilograms
sent and received by him between
February l and December l, last year.
Some of the messages" he added,
"were to and from my wife" or re-
lated to private, family affairs in other
ways.
He went on to say that "even
though" he was a Democrat opposed
to the denomination of President
Roosevelt because of what he de-
scribed as the latter's "apostacy" to
the party, he was still citizen of the
United States and protected by the
Constitution
Il urgently and emphatically forbid
you to exhibit to the eyes of any man
or any woman any telegram which
relates solely to my private affairs and
urge that you do not read any such
kilograms yourself, because I do not
want you or any other person to know
what you are not entitled to know un-
der the law about the scared private
affairs of my family