5 JULY 1913, Page 10

The Washington correspondent of the Times described last Saturday the

activities of lobbyists in Congress. He says that the investigation which is being held by Congress has produced "sensational revelations" of what Mr. Roosevelt has called the Invisible government of plutocracy. Twice stories have been told of mysterious strangers impersonating Congressmen on the telephone in conversations with magnates interested in the dissolution of the Union Pacific. The pur- pose of the conversations was to advertise the ability of a well-known lawyer to " grease the wheels at Washington." The sugar producers have been guilty of " shameless and expensive efforts " to influence public and Parliamentary opinion. The free sugar party, it is true, have been equally active, but the correspondent says that the conviction that the "Interests" have been unscrupulous in their efforts to prevent reductions of the tariff makes the passage of the President's measure almost certain. Similarly the President's

legislation that has to do with business will be helped forward by the revelations of the " backstairs activity of Wall Street camp followers."