Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-03-10
Most Senators Have
Outside Income; For
Whom Do They Work?
Friday, March 10, 1850
By Nathan Robertson
For Labor Press Association

WASHINGTON (LPA) - New evidence has
w been turned up on the need for legisla-
tion requiring members of Congress to dis
close the sources of their outside income, so
: their constituents can tell whose interests
fshey really representing.
The evidence is survey conducted by
Edward A. Harris, noted Washington cores
pondent of the. st. Louis Post-Dispatch, in
dicatng that most Senators have income out
side their government pay. Harris was inter-
ested primarily in finding out whether Sena-
tors were able to live on their government
salaries of $12, ,5O0 plus $4,000 for expenses
Senators who replied to his QUESTIONABLE, "a
He found most of them were not. Of the 43
reported they had outside income
Thirty-one had income from investments;
16 others from private business connections;
10 from legal fees; 10 from writing magazine
articles ID from fees for speeches.
There's no reason, of course, why Senators
and Congressman should not get outside in
come. But it is quite possible that this outside
income may influence their vote on public
. issues. That is why it has been suggested that
v they be required to publish annual reports on
all outside income.
Senator Wayne Morse, liberal Republican
from Oregon, has introduced a bill to require
such reports from all members of Congress,
and high officials of the executive agencies.
Then the public could judge whether or not
these officials were letting their pocketbooks
influence their public actions.
Today there is no way to tell One Senator,
a few years ago, was loud in his criticism of
the antitrust laws and the way they were
enforced. The public generally did not know
he was connected with big company being
prosecuted by the antitrust division n for
monopolistic practices
Many Senators and Congressman have pri-
vate financial connections that may influence
the way they vote. 1t is almost impossible to-
day. however, to know what those connections
or interests are. In only few cases are they
known. 1t is well known, for instance, that
Senator Kerr d. Okla) currently pushing
Eya bill to exempt the natural gas companies
From control by the Federal Power Commits
sion, has big interest in such gas properties.
But no one knows how many other members
of Congress have similar connections.
How many members of Congress today
who are bitterly opposing the extension of
rent control, or are fighting the middle in
come housing bill, have real estate connec-
tons or investments? Nobody knows Yet dis
closure of the facts might well show that
many of the leading opponents of such legis-
lation have selfish interest in opposing them.
A few years ago when the insurance COM
panies were pushing legislation to exclude
them from the antitrust laws, a survey dis
closes that many of the proponents of this
legislation in Congress were connected with
the insurance companies. They were insurance
lawyers or insurance agents, or had connec-
tons with insurance law firms, were di-
rectors in insurance companies
u The scattered bits of evidence collected in
recent years indicate that one of the most
potent lobbies in Congress may be this Sin
side lobby" by members of Congress who have
compromising private connections unknown
to the public.
The information turned up by Harris of
the ost-Dispatch indicates it is high time
for an investigation of this situation. A Con-
gressional committee should be created to
ind ant hnvx have IfciH
income and where it comes from The public
has a right to know whether its Congress