The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-05-10
THE LAMB AND THE LOBBY

When we find ourselves being
squeezed, the blame is ours.
You are not member of pressure
group you say? How can you be tt
blame? Maybe you have been taking
your citizenship little lightly may
be you have been trifle gullible;
maybe you have been too remiss IL
your home work in citizenry to recog
nize danger signals in the road ahead
What do I mean? Well, first, you
may not have taken an intense enough
interest in the moral fiber and STAN
ina of the people you helped send to
congress. Second, having dispatched
them, you may not have been willing
to spare the time to study what hap
pens to a congressman who is physi-
cally complimentary to the state he
represents, sitting in an office or on
the floor of the house or the senate,
serenely contemplating measures for
the good of the people of the country
as whole, not just for today, but also
for tomorrow and the day after That
is a mighty pretty picture and one
which is pleasant to imagine.
Money Pitfalls Face Your
Congressman
1t is not, however, what happens to
your congressman. He is, from the
moment he sets foot in Washington,
the fox uncovered, and before he has
had time to look down Constitution
avenue and take his bearings, the
hounds are in full cry His virtue, his
morality and his integrity are from
that moment pitted against the most
fearful odds.
To begin with, the cost of living
with dignity as a representative of a
sovereign state and his salary is too
low. Making ends meet will be worry
to him, worry certain of the hounds
will be glad to help him put aside.
Then he will meet up with his first
bit of legislation. He may be an earn
est man who wants to show the people
who elected him that he takes his job
seriously. He will try to study the
bill before him but he will be inter-
rupted by an avalanche of lobbyists
and high-pressure groups, each with
their own favorite war-whoop, their
trained seals and their bright publicity
agents.
They will wine him and dine him
and flatter him and introduce him to
the inner circle of people who |
count If his head isn't screwed on |
tight it will be in whirl. He'll begin |
to incubate personal ambitions at the
cost of the priceless humility of the
true public servant. His personality
will begin to disintegrate in the con-
fusion in which he finds himself. He'll
,hink he's having a fine time all the
while he is gradually losing his sense
If values.
Build Up to Being Sold
Bill of Goods
Then one morning he will wake up
ind realize that he is a smart sophis-
icate who knows the score From
lere on in, he is going to spend the
est of his life rationalizing his fail
Ire to stand up and fight The pres
ure groups have we'll organized
ources for the rationalizer. The NAM
will tell him that he is the defender
# "the American system" The cham
Ter of commerce will tell him that he
he champion of free enterprise" The
zig investors will picture him as the
might in shining armour who defends
widows and orphans" He will will
ngly believe all they tell him. He will
ecide he is great man.
If, on the other hand, your congress l.
IAN has a tough moral fiber and
roves his own and the peoples faith
I him, clings to his sense of values
nd fights the pressure, the library of
lvective swings into action and he
ecomes a communist" socialist"
New Dealer" or "bureaucrat."
If he believes that the first duty of
overnment is to serve ALL of the
eople, he will become 'Goddam New :
ealer." If he believes that all men !.
re created equal and wants to see
lir employment practices, he will be =
.beled by certain Southerners as mig
er lover"
1t is when your congressman stands
lard over natural resources that he
i'll draw the fire of all the Hobbies,
citing together, for they are all con- "
,rned with exploitation
If he believes that man is a natu-
office of State Auditor a