The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-08-07
LOBBYING AS 4 FINE ART.
The Dark Side or Congres ssional and
SfnIe IanIsInffnrn

But we have never heard OF these men
making fortunes. One docs not see
them with town or country residences,
or hear of their driving fast trotters.
The "square' SOFT of lobbyist has little
political influence, and certainly Is not
able to "plant" all his relations and
dependents comfortably in public Of
fees. The truly hourishing lobbyist
PLAYS his cards in a different way. His
pien Of operations. is generally some
-%hing like this Ee msnaSes 30 obtain
ANtrol-by dair means or folll-Tlsualsy ?
,ss-.s.-s.-ss--T members OF the legisla-
re apt to attach much importance
Waeeing Their names in q newspaper
it doec net much matter what sort of a
newspaper it is. Upon thie weakness
the rising lobbyist takes care to play,
with what Judgment and skill he may
possess. He praises his patrons, and
abuses all who refuse TO intrust to him
their ' business. He forges letters, in
vents ISLANDERS, and is particularly ex-
pert in accusing his enemy of being in
vOlved in some disreputable intrigue
with woman The lobbyist who owns
a newspaper knows that this is a sort
of charge which scares nine men out of
ten out of their wits for there is gen
orally no way of disproving it, and the
world is always ready to believe the
worst of man. That is a character
istic of human nature which the lobby
ist turns to excellent account, so FAR as
his own interests are concerned.
It is clear, then, that a newspaper be
comes an important aid to the lobbyist
at the outset of his career, and the
longer he can retain control of it the
more advantageous it viii lie to him.
The majority of men do no' like to have
lies published about them, or to sec
their families made the subject of vile
and cowardly slanders. The lobbyist
knows this, and seldom faus to drive
his antagonist out of the field. We
have no libel law worth mentioning, and
the lobbyist makes the most of this
convenient circumstance. He accuses
one man of starving his children, and
then of carrying on intrigues with
somebody else's wife-in short, there is
no crime which he is not ready to charge
against anybody who presumes to in
terfere with his operations. Two per-
sons who are slandered might enter
suits for libel, but they cannot bring
their cases TO final hearing in less than
five or six years at the earliest. In the
meanwhile, the lobbyist can go on re-
peating filthy calumnies as fast as he
can invent them. The result, in the
majority of instances, is that the vic
tins "kuucKle down" 1t begins to be
said by the persons who are attacked,
80 So-and-so is a dangerous man: he
does not care what he says about you.
It is best 70 let him alone" And so he
is let alone, and goes on rolling up
fortune which honest and hard-wOrklng
professional men seldom have chance
of acquiring. One of the Albany lob
byists is said to be worth $400, 900 an
other. has made at least $500. 900 in the
course of few years, and there IS moth
ing to prevent him doubling it-un 'ess
we undertake to expose him throughout
each session of the Legislature. Aud
this we certainly intend to do. He will
''take 1t out of us" in his newspaper,
but we are used to that.
The lobbyists regular source OF IN
come is, of course, derived from his
supposed knowledge of the art OF put
ting ont money where it will do the
most good" He knows who will take
a bribe, and how much the amount
must be. If a company wishes to get a
bill passed, or to prevent some oblec-
tionable bill from passing, 1T summons
the LOBBYIST to its assistance But, out
side of this kind of work, there are nu-
merous devices for reaping n large in
come. When trade is slack, the lobby
lists get together and concoct bill aim
ing at the rights or privileges enjoyed
bY some company already IN existence.
They pay member Of the legislature
to introduce this bill, and then go to
the threatened company and tell it the
measure IS sure to pass if money is not
sent to Albany to defeat it. They name
their own sum it is generally paid /;
and the dreaded bill is no more heard
of. Then the lobbyist has another plan
of making hay while the sun shines.
A company, let us say, applies to him TO
get bill passed. He tells the agents
he shall want at least $50, 900. The
money is paid. and he goes to Albany
with it and pays out say $4,000 among
the bribable members. The remaining
$15, 900 he quietly put into his own
pocket. If the bill passes, the COM
pany are satisfied and never ask ques-
ton about the affair. If it does not
pass, they may ask questions, but they
will get no information out of the lob
byist. "Where did you pay out the
money ?" he may be asked. His reply,
expressed in warm terms of indigna-
ton, is usually in this vein: Dou
you think Will tell you the names of
the members whom L have bribed p? No;
am bound to protect them. What do
you take me for? ? / would have you
sknow that [ am an honorable man, and
trust you will never insult me in this
way again" The head of the company
begins to feel that he really has acted
very shabbily, and the lobbyist goes
forth with his rs per cent. plunder
comfortably slowed away in his pock-
kets. 1t is n game in which there is
eurcely the least probability of his
Pbeing found out-certaiply not one
chance in a thousand.
By these means almost any man who
follows up the trade Efor a few years
may amass from 100000 to S400, 900.
1t may involve a certain loss of charao-
ter, but not very much. People may
! look askanee at the lobbyist, but gen
orally they will be too much afraid oi
him and his newspaper TO say what they
think of him. And then he has money,
and will buy almost anythisg. The
| lobbyist gets all the society he wants
and even boast-as one did the other
day-of being asked to dinner by the
president and by Mr.. George w
Childs, of Philadelphia" Surely thai
is enough to satisfy any mans socia
ambition. And even if these privileges
were denied to the lobbyist, he would
probably not take the loss much tC
heart. From barefooted and ragged
breeched boy he has been transformed
into wealthy American citizen, owning
houses and lands, with all his pool
relations provided for by generous
public and with the prospect before
him of ending his d. US as a millionaire
in ''palatial mansion" instead of dy
ing pauper in an Irish ditch. Such
reward as this is quite sufficient to make
the trade of lobbying one of the mos
popular of the day, and its brilliant
success is one of the signs by which W.
may Judge of the improvements which
we are making in the political and mora
ideas and principles bequeathed to III
by the 4" Fathers. "-NeaO York Times
'sNo ANIMAL" F" says a writer in Fraser
contending against Darwinism, ''hai
ever been so honored, SO carefully
tended, and so priced by man as th'
horse. He has been for many years the
companion and darling of man. Yet
is the horse of to day more exalted thai
the horse of Job, and Homer, and Vir
j gil? Do we notice him to be in I
| course of transition TO a higher state O.