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153
The Commoner
DECEMBER, 1913
21
Report of the Lobby Investigation
An Associated Press dispatch,
dated Washington, Dec. 9, says:
All questions relating to the in
vestigation of the Mulhall lobby
charges were referred by the houso
late today to its judiciary committee.
This action followed a long parlia
mentary debate over a report of a
special investigating committee on
lobby activities at the capitol and
holding Representative McDermott of
Illinois, a democrat, guilty of an "act
of grave impropriety, unbecoming the
dignity of the position he occupies,"
and a minority report submitted by
Representative MacDonald, progres
sive, of Michigan, with a resolution
proposing the expulsion of Repre
sentative McDermott and contempt
proceedings against officers of tho
national association of manufactur
ers. Tho majority report, which I
made no recommendations was j
signed by Chairman Garrett and all I
the members of the committee except !
Representative MacDonald. After the
reading of the reports, Mr. MacDon
ald introduced two resolutions.
The first called upon tho house
to immediately determine whether
under tho committeo's report, Mc
Dermott had not been guilty of "dis
graceful and dishonorable misconduct
and venalty, rendering him unworthy
of a seat in this houso and justly
liable to expulsion from the same."
CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
The other called for immediate de
termination whether, under the com
mittee report, it had not been shown
that J. Phillip Bird, John Kirby, Jr.,
James A. Emery ,,. Martin M. Mulhall
and other officers and agents of the
WIFE WON
HuMhaml "Finally Convinced. '
Some people are wise enough to
try now foods and beverages and then
generous enough to give others the
benefit of their, experience. A wife
writes:
"No slave in chains, it seemed to
me, was more helpless than I, a coffee
captive. .- Yet there were innumer
able warnings waking from a trou
bled sleep with a feeling of suffoca
tion, at times dizzy and out of breath,
attacks of palpitation of the heart
that frightened me.
(Tea is just as injurious as coffee
because it contains caffeine, the same
drug found in coffee.) .
"At last my nervous system was
so disarranged that my physician
ordered 'no more coffee.' I capitu
lated.
"Determined to give Postum a fair
trial, I prepared it according to di
rections on the pkg., obtaining a dark
brown liquid with a rich snappy
flavour similar to coffee. When cream
and sugar were added, it was not only
good but delicious.
"Noting its beneficial effects in me
the rest of the family adopted it all
except my husband, who would not
admit that coffee hurt him. Several
weeks elapsed during which I drank
Postum two or three times a day,
when, to my surprise, my husband
said: 'I have decided to drink
Postum. Your improvement is so
Apparent you have euch fine color
that I propose to give credit where
credit is due.' And now we are
coffee slaves no longer."
Name given by Postum Co., Battle
Creek. Mich. Read, "The Road to
Wellville," in pkgs.
Postum now comes in two forms:
Regular Postum must be boiled.
Instant Postum is a soluble powder.
A teaspoonful dissolves quickly in a
cup of hot water and, .with oream
and sugar, makes a delcious beverage
instantly. Grocers sell both kinds.
"There's a Reason" itv Postum-
national association of manufactur
ers "have been engaged in systematic
practices against the good order and
dignity oi tho house and improper
alld VicloUH lohbvini? iirtivttfnii mn-
dering them liable to punishment by
this house for contempt."
Representative McDermott sat in
tho front of the house while Repre
sentative MacDonald was speaking,
but later left the chamber.
After a general debate over the
parliamentary questions involved, a
motion by Representative Garrett to
refer the whole matter to the Judi
ciary committee was carried, 133'
to 34. j
The majority report also held that i
McDermott, having intimate relations i
with I. II. McMichael, former chief
pago of tho house, knew that M. M. '
Mulhall, "a lobbyist for the national ,
association of manufacturers," em
ployed McMichfel. The majority held
that both the national association of
manufacturers and the American fed
eration of labor engaged in political
activities and expended money to ef
fect nominations and elections of the
members of the house of representa
tives.
Representative McDonald, who
agreed with the majority findings,
declared that congress had fallen
somewhat from its high estate in
the estimation of the American peo
ple; that there has been a broadcast
suspicion of conditions existing in
congress that a system has been built
up for defeating or preventing reme
dial legislation. He made recommen
dations for legislative reforms.
DEFINITION OF A LOBBY
The main conclusions of tho ma
jority define a lobby as "a person or
body of persons seeking to influence
legislation by congress in any manner
whatsoever."
The national association of manu
facturers, the national council for in
dustrial defense, the national tanir
commission association, the American
federation of labor, the Washington
city associations of liquor dealers,
and local loan sharks are found to
have maintained lobbies.
Martin M. Mulhall is held to have
admitted errors in some vital state
ments made in his charges, to have
been corroborated in other subjects
of importance by officials of the na
tional association of manufacturers
and the national council for indus
trial defense. Mulhall, the r3port
says, was extravagant in many of his
claims and overstated ms potency
and influence with members of con
gress and public men gene 'ally. He
entertained animus against many of
those against whom he made allega
tions and used names of public men
with an unjustified freedom. High
superior officers of the manufactur
ers' organization and the council for
industrial defense used him "very
largely and primarily for personal
lobbying," says the report.
The lobby of the association or
manufacturers and of industrial de
fense is held guilty of improperly
preventing and seeking to prevent
legislation.
Gravest doubt was expressed as to
propriety of acts of Mulhall and
Counsel James A. Emery, for the
manufacturers. The report added:
"It is outrageous and offensive that
these associations should have their
paid hirelings about the capitol, but
tonholing members of congress to in
duce them to remain a way when a
vote was "being taken."
LABOR FEDERATION EXONER
ATED Nothing illegitimate was found in
the activities of the American federa
tion of labor. Lobbies of liquor deal
ers and money lenders in Washington
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THE YOUTH'S COMPANION, BOSTON, MASS.
were found to have neither effected
nor prevented legislation improperly.
Methods used by the manufactur
ers' organization in sending Mulhall
through the country with funds to
organize temporary associations were
denounced as "improper, disreput
able and dishonest."
No evidence was found of employ
ment of members of the house for
improper purposes.
Tipping of house employes was de
nounced as reprehensible. Employ
ment by the manufacturers' associa
tion of Former Chief Page McMichael
of tho house was severely censured.
Representatives Bartholdt of Mis
souri, Burke of Pennsylvania, Calder
of New York, Sherley of Kentucky,
and Webb of North Carolina were up
held as "neither reached nor influ
enced by the manufacturers."
The committee held that Repre
sentative McDermott minimized his
intimate relations with Mulhall, that
he obtained small loans from Mulhall,
but added that "these were personal
acts of Mulhall, and we do not be
lieve that ho let McDermott have the
money with a view of corrupting him,
nor do we Relieve McDermott re
ceived from Mulhall In loans or
otherwise anything near the $1,500
or $2,000 as alleged."
The committee concluded that Mc
Dermott's training and associations
have not given him tho ethical per
ceptions and standards relative to
public office that usually characterize
public men.
"We cannot say that .he. has been
corrupted Jn his votes,", it added,
"but some things which a private
citizen may do with impunity must be
avoided by one in official station."
Representative McDonald Intro
duced two resolutions after a confer-,
ence with Representative Murdock of.
Kansas, tho progressive leader. Tliji
first provided that the house should
forthwith proceed to determine
whether the report did not show Rep.
resentativc McDermott to have been
guilty of "disgraceful and dishonor
able conduct in his official capacity,
rendering him unworthy of remain
ing as a member of the house and
liable to expulsion."
The other requested the house to
determine whether the officers and
agents of the national association of
manufacturers, including Messrs.
Bird, Kirby, Emery, Mulhall and
others, had not been guilty of con
tinued gross misconduct against the
good order and dignity of the house,
rendering them liable to punishment
for contempt.
Former Representative Cole of
Ohio was also Included in the list of
those who were "neither reached
nor influenced by tho manufacturers."
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An editor who started about
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ceuts is now worth $100,000. HI
accumulation of wealth Is owing to
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tention to business, and the fact that
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Editor and Publisher.
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