The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-03-02
USING INFLUENCE
IN BEHALF OF
LEGISLATION
Some Comments From Senator
SCOTS Office on Methods Of
Lobbying in Congress

| LOBBYING. In the next few
months, the public will be hearing
a lot about lobbying, the art of
influencing government officials.
II After the scandal brought to
light in the natural gas debate,
i the Senate last week set up wide
i spread investigation. of the whole
! subject of lobbying. The study
i will go into all angles of how
\ pressure groups work and their
influence on government policy.
The probe was organized after it
was revealed that an oil lobbyist
tried to persuade Sen. Case of
South Dakota to vote for the bill
by kicking in $4,000 to his cam
paign for reelection.
PROBLEM. One of the big prob
lens facing the special committee
will be to determine when in
fluence becomes improper.
For example, anyone will agree
that it not only is proper, but
matter of civic duty, for a citizen
to let his public officials know
how he feels about all public af-
fairs.
Let's take a look at how Sin
fluence" works. Joe Doe writes his
Senator about a bill in which he
is interested. This happens every
day. Doe gets one hundred of his
friends to write similar letters. By
this time, the Senator can see that
a letter writing campaign is on,
but it's still proper and healthy
for the legislative process.
These are thing that go on day
in and day out, at the very roots
of democratic government.
WARPED. But the whole pro-
cess becomes warped when public
officials are threatened on the one
hand, or tempted on the other
hand, by large and powerful
groups.
The job for the lobbying COM
mitee is to draw a line somewhere
in the area between where John
Doe writes his Congressman or
legislator and where a powerful
organization throws unlimited fl
nancial resources into the picture.
For example, few people would
see anything improper about the
members of the local chapter of
the association for the promotion
of transparent false teeth passing
resolution in favor of a certain
kind of tooth paste. That sort of
thing happens every day. But it
would be highly improper for this
same association to tell a law
maker that it would kick in $4,000
for his reelection.
ANGLES. In recent years, pres
sure groups have devised new and
effective methods for getting their
views across in an effective man.
ner. Instead of going directly to
public officials with threats or
temptations, they spend large sums
of money to mold public opinion,
and sway it to their side. The pur-
pose is to subject public officials
to great ground-swells of public !
opinion.
This has come about because
most public officials resent and
reject pressure from selfish in
terest groups.
And with the new twist of ap-
pealing to the public first, then
letting public opinion sway them,
public officials have to be even
more careful to honestly serve the
best public interest.
TUG. These are the problems
that the new select committee of
the Senate will have to tug and
pull with in an effort to come up
with some workable recommends |
tions.
But the prospects are brighter
than they may appear. A great
service will be performed if the
public is merely made aware of |
the many and varied ways lobby
ing and pressure groups operate.
Once the people are shown how
they work, then they can do more
to curb improper influence than
public officials themselves. That
appears to be the really valuable
contribution the new investigation
will make.