"The benefits of such a working bureau to the Proprietary Association," said Dr. Pierce, "can be foreseen: First, a systematic plan to acquire early knowledge of pending or threatened legislation could be taken up. In the past we have relied too much on newspaper managers to acquaint us of such bills coming up.... Another plan would be to have the regulation formula bill, for instance, introduced by some friendly legislator, and have it referred to his own committee, where he could hold it until all danger of such another bill being introduced were over, and the Legislature had adjourned." Little wonder Dr. Pierce wanted a secret session to cover up the frank {087}naïveté of his son, which he did not "wish to have published broadcast over the country, for very good reasons." [IMAGE ==>] {086} EXAMPLE OF WHAT MR. CHENEY CALLS "SHIFTING THE RESPONSIBILITY." This letter was sent by the publishers of one of the leading newspapers of Wisconsin to Senator Noble of that state. It illustrates the method adopted by the patent-medicine makers to compel the newspapers In each state to do their lobbying for them. Senator Noble introduced a bill requiring patent-medicine manufacturers to state on their labels the percentage of various poisons which every bottle might contain. Senator Noble and a few others fought valiantly for their bill throughout the whole of the last session of the Wisconsin Legislature, but were defeated by the united action of the newspaper publishers, who, as this letter shows, exerted pressure of every kind, Including threats, to compel members of the Legislature to vote against the bill. In discussing this plan for a legislative bureau, another member told what in his estimation was needed. "The trouble," said he--I quote from the minutes--"the trouble we will have in attempting to buy legislation--supposing we should attempt it--is that we will never know what we are buying until we get through. We may have paid the wrong man, and the bill is passed and we are out. It is not a safe proposition, if we consider it legitimate, which we do not." True, it is not legitimate, but the main point is, it's not safe; that's the thing to be considered.