President Woodrow Wilson once said: “The ‘ business of government is to organize the common interest against the special interest.” Rep. Nicholas Mavroules. D-Mass. used that quotation the other g ”specia.l.4x t” and “single-is ‘ ‘ ro apid growth of these groups during the past decade has driven a wedge between elected government and the common interest. said Mavroules in a statement in The Congres-sional Record. “Wlih can ld3t8.S horizon,” he Qrclaredg jig money specialiinterest groups have invaded the highest councils of government. pleading their own special cases.” There are approximately 2.500 such groups – known as “political action committees” (PACs) – and a federal elections commission report said over $75 million was contributed to political candidates in the past election year compared with $12.5 million in 1974. Mavroules sees “a ray of hope” in proposed reforms in the electoral process now being suggested. These include enactment of a public financing law for congressional elections. extension of terms of office for congressmen to four years which would reduce campaigning pressures. limiting service in Congress to 12 years. and cutting presidential tenure to a single six-year term to free the president from reelection corgiderations and ease the faverage of interest groups. Public financing of campaigns. indicated Mavroules. would encourage more people to run for office and reducethe need for special interest money. One idea would limit total PAC contributions per congressional candidate to $70.000 and cut individual allocations from a maximum $10.000 to $6.000 per candidate. Such proposals offer food for thought and ought to prompt public debate as well as wide discussion in Congress. President Jimmy Carter warned in his farewell address Jan. 14 that because of special interest pressure. government is losing sight of the national interest. The warning should not be ignored.