Telegram-herald., 1889-11-12
SECRETS OF THE LOBBY.
Confessions Of = Member OF the
Third House
szlaEg CPr ths Beass % kspr~ssata-
tsss fer s5oo @aa ths Sc teF
$500 - sste So 1tsss oa ssaF
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Fsreclsi CCrrrsrold eaee
wAsasoros NoF 4-la = monsh Ne
SAL hava congress slta gs cnee ucge. AZ
re4.iy t1s 1lsay psrssIas sae sang -o1lt tls
s1rts u that body 4nt pscz ~ l1s eruui1s
N1leh drop frcn 10 s1.bls are making their
appezrance 10 toan- Amoug tless cs1lP
faLoeers conspicuous sllouz them. are tie
lobbyisgA Ths lobbgsts az preparing for
gheir winters mpzlsa. aid lt ls Eo viola
tlan 4 ccuhtence - s4y that they Are sx-
recIiag a Lively and pxohtable seasoa. With
f1Qr cities bildlag for It's worlds fair of
/ ~ and cou gress pretty Wel divided ia is
frsfsFencss. Il would lndsct be srranze Z TIE
professional lobbyist did nor sst Ia few
good licks fer himself There Is ust profes-
sicnal i0bbyisr Ia town who is without hope
o. being employed oy ous or ether q ths
cities watch srs competing f1r tie worlds
fair. With one q taese professional lobby
lsts. man of good reputation IN ais iae Il
business even a lobbyist may have
good OF bad repu tat-ou-a man Who has been
employed by various corporations, have had
q very Interesting conversation.
81 have worked ia " asl.ington Of and on "
said hs. for eight or ten years II does not
90 for a man in ta,s business o. stay here al
tie tine. lie wants % 90 and come II
Insn were Co stay al tie time In Washington
be would soon become known ~ everybody.
snd thar is Just what lie doesn't want The
successful lobbyist, at least Ia my line of
work, does not want % be a marked man
Hs must Do able % 20 and come Ia the
city, visit members az their rooms or be seen
waking with them on the avenue. without
having the word passed along, there goes
60 ard So the lobbyist Three years ago
hnr.
operation. During the whole winter never
left my lodgings ul after dark. never
went out except in q closed carriage. And
during the whole Of taat winter was never
az The Capitol
The common notions about lobbyists and
lobbying are very erroneous. TIE General
belief IS that lobbying consists OF ta- use of
money directly. I venture 10 say THAI there
has not been q congress in the last ten years
whish contained more than half dozen men
whom il would be safe - approach with a
proposition 70 pay money Tor their votes
There ara a few such men in every congress,
and one or two OK that sort have mana ged 40
secure reelection time after time But these
mea are as wen known rs tie names of the
streets, az least % men who are engaged in
the business OK influencing legislation. Their
Influence is worth nothing, and they are
never bothered with except in cases where
the vote : likely % be close, and "A few friends
are needed, no matter where or now pro-
cured, or in the few instances in which it is
found necessary 10 buy such a man out Of MS
opposition 70 your measure.
Nv nile there are out few men who can
be approached in person with actual bribeS
there are many who can be reached Indirect
ly. A professional iuduencer Of legislation
like myself, has little 70 do with the con-
siderati0n which is held out 70 members OF
congress. That Is the work OF others who
F come after US. Our part IS ascertalning how
the ground lays and in preparing the pre-
lminaries. The first thing a man in charge
I Of measure wants 10 know is how il stands
He wants 10 know how many friends he has
and how strong and loyal they are. Then be
wants 10 know who his enemies are, what
motives or feelings influence them, and how
they can best be reached II is in this work
that professional ike myself finds his great
est field OF usefulness. / have sized up con-
gress six or eight times during my work in
Washington, and II usually takes about a
month of patient, hard work Ny terms FOR
SIZING MP the houss Of representatives are
$500 and for the senate $3.50. The senate has
not one-half 50 many members as the house,
il is true, but the senator's are harder 70
reach As a rule you can get at member
of the house in about half the time il takes TO
see a senator, and after you have reached the
latter the chances are he won't give you an
nSling OF what his standing Is on the ques-
ton in which YOU are interested.
Managers Of bills often make the mistake
Of going 70 work without knowing who their
friends are / well remember a western rail
way case The manager was lawyer. as
smart ss a steel trap, but without experience
In this particular line of work lie spent
several weeks here, and did not seem 10 be
making much progress He was somewhat
discouraged, when a friend sent him 10 ne
talked With him little while. and very
soon discovered that the trouble was he
diin't know his friends from bis enemies. and
that be was working too much in the dark.
'' As Ike as no5, said /, You have been
wasting your efforts on your friends, who
are all right, any way That is a mistake
often made here \ man wastes his time IN
taaing care Of men who are with him. and
( who are bound 90 stay with him. n the Same
time neglecting the very men who hold the
I fate OK the measure in their hands.
FINALLY he asked me what / would sizo up
the house Tor. and / told him 500 and tne
cigars Hs waited 90 know what the cigar
part OF it meant. aad lad Co explain e. lln
Actually that man. .n charge % an import
ant bin here. d.d lot know what I meant
wien I said De veull have g. paw f1r t-a
ci-ars lie found 0rs when I sent him q t..l
for Re30 for ODD cirars. which / needed iil
my work How could make uso oi 20 many
f fine cigars on mission itko taati In this
F way. Every ovsa.n; / ordered carriage