Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-19

/ Immediately replied to this letter. say
ing: Il am much impressed by your response
TO my advertisement. Kindly send me your
business address that may call on you"
In the mean time 1 would call on those
whose addresses were already in my pos
session. First, however. 1 had to get ready
my important matter to bring before Con-
gress."
After going through the volume of hear
ings before the ways and means committee
OF the House which were submitted during
the formation of the Wilson bill, hit upon
the idea of changing the tariff on button
forms from 10 per cent ad valorem to 25
per cent ad valorem Button forms are the
materials used in button making. These
materials are hastings. mohair. wooden and
cotton cloth and silk. 1 found that in the
Mckinley act, the Wilson bill and the bill
now pending before the Senate a singular
discrimination exists in favor of the button
maker. who. though protected by a tax of
40 per cent, pays a tax on his importa
tions of but 10 per cent, while anybody
else importing the same materials pays a
tax OF from 80 per cent to 80 per cent.
This difference recounts to the interests Of
the button maker about 5000 year, and
operates with particular disadvantage to the
American braid makers. the bulk Of cloth
buttons used being made of mohair. braid.
This was all the data I could obtain rela-
tive to my proposed legislation. However,
my plan was to depend not on data, but
dollars. to do my business.
The first attorney 1 visited was the man
who had referred me to Chief Justice Waite
for a character. 1 stated my case to Mr.
x briefly. 1 had to be brief. for 1 didn't
know CROUCH about the matter to be
lei gthy. ! merely said that / wanted the
tariff on button forms changed from ten
per cent TO twenty-five per cent. / indicat-
ed the discrimination existing in favor of
the button makers. / then aid that dida't
propose to have anything more to do in the
case than pay the bills. and like the Chica-
go lady 1 represented myself to be, 1 set
forth the fact that / had money enough be-
hind me to change the Declaration of indie
pendence If l liked, or buy the tariff out
right. Mr.. Y quickly corrected me. when
L referred to him as a lobbyist. He as
sured me that he Is an attorney, though
he confessed at the start that he knows a
lobbyist, and represented this acquaintahce
as the capital he would work in the case
This man." said he, lis one OF the keenest
shrewdest lobbyists in Washington. and he
Is under obligations to me for favors 1 have
been able TO secure for him. He however
Is only one Of the channels through which
would operate. You see, my social posi-
ton is such that l meet public men
Constantly In a familiar way. 1t is
Quite In the natural order of inter-
course among gentlemen for me to ask
any Senator or member to drink a bot
tie of wine. or take dinner with me- and
therein lies large measure of my strength.
These grave and reverend seignors are hu-
man after all, ana, assure you. more legis-
lation eInanateS from the stomachs than
the heads or our respected and respectable
lawmakers. couldn't hope to accomplish
anything to call Senator out into the
marble room and put to him a cold-blooded
proposition to increase the tariff on button
forms or on anything else But under the
mellowihg influence of cold bottle, COM
bined With the penetrating generosity that
sayfat5terfapin stew inspires, You have a
statesman's spirit in condition to properly
receive a passing allusion to the fact that
there's little tariff matter you are inter-
ested in, which you would like to chat with
him about. Then later, through the en-
chanting haze of fragrant tobacco smoke,
you present the details of the case and
the point you want made.
1T may require an additional bottle more
terrapin and another cigar, but fought on
this line your ultimate victory is certain.
How much will II cost? / could not inform
you definitely as to that until had talked
with my friend, the lobbyist of whom 1
spoke Onhand 1 would say 1 might un-
dertake the case for retainer fee of $40, SO
for drawing up the amendment-the change
you desire would have to be accomplished
by means of an amendment-and per diem
charge of IS to $40 with a contingent fee
Of $780, you to bear all the expenses of
whatever arguments 1t might be necessary
to advance in the form of winning and din
ing"
When I returned to Mr.. Y next day
he had seen his friend who is a lobbyist"
and said that after discussing the matter
with his friend, he had determined that he
would have to have 500 at the start and
500 or 500 contingent fee.
did not engage Mr.. X. for during
the interval between my calls upon him /
had seen man, who. while not a lobbyist
as he told me, had nevertheless put seven
special bills through Congress this session.
all of which have been signed by the Presi-
dent This was the man who wrote to me
that he had been moderately successful"
Here" said he, drawing an innocent-ap-
pearing slip of paper from his pocket here
is something that looks as If it does not
amount to much. But IN reality 1t is bill
involving the title to 800 acres of land
valued at $500 an acre which 1 passed with
out the slightest trouble. The thing went
through at a single touch. 1t didn't cost me
a cent to do the work, and pocketed a fee
of 5000. I make speciality of land mat
tiers. 1 am snot familiar with tariff prac-
tice. But / will tell you of some one who
is just the man to do this for you-Mr. Y
He has done great deal in tariff lines,
and is specially equipped for that service
from the fact that he spent the entire
winter in New York in work which
brought him in such relations with the
Treasury Department that he has the
influence of Secretary Carlisle to back any
change he may suggest in the tariff. / will
cally has in his hands the formation of the
conference committee which finally shapes
the tariff bill in Congress"
1 lost no time in seeing Mr.. Y. laid
my case before him, and he Immediately
perceived in the provisions of the offensive
tariff on buttdn-forms difficulties Of adj
ministration which would engage the in
fluence of the Treasury Department on my
behalf He told me how he had effected a
similar change in the tariff by the aid of
this influence 1t was in the matter of hat
trimmings. II was unable to present the
case TO the committee so as to incline them
to my views. But 1 readily showed the
Treasury Department the impossibility of
administering the tariff as it now stands,
and the weight of the opinion of the treas
ury finally carried the day for me in Con-
gress. II take your case, you have every
promise of success. 1 would expect q re-
tainer fee OF $500. and, contingent upon sue
cess not less than 81 500 or 5000
l next called upon an attorney who was
formerly chief of a division In one of the
departments. He told me / had come too
late to hope to do anything with the tariff
now.
But / have money" / urged.
1t Is not easy to use money in the Sem
ate. he said. land there is more fancy than
fact in the talk of the way money can be
used In the House. / had a great deal to do
with the manufacture of the Mckinley act
and the Wilson bill, and can tell you that
success in lobbying depends more on your
ABILITY to interest a man than IL does on
the amount of money you have to spend.
OF course. l have had occasionally to say
to member, If this or that measure goes
through you needn't bother about your
campaign expenses in such and SUCH a
quarter next election" but forty times out
of forty-one all that's necessary is to in
terest your victim. Just get one Congress-
to