The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1905-07-15

fessed 1oodler Tells How He start
ed on the Downward Road-Briber
Now Judge.
BY AN Ex-sPEAKER OF A STATE
LEGISLATURE
Copyright, 1906. by Joseph b. Bowies)
Up-to- date legislatures have aban-
<ioned the old-fashioned methods OF
making easy money. The law-builders
who are so modern that they belong to
che up to- he-minute" class, and who
get themselves elected to serve the
people in general assembly, with their
2 own definition OF the word serve" do
not Doodle, II they Doodle at all. In the
clumsy, hands-up style of some years
ago.
This undermining OF the great game OF
graft has really been OF public beneht
for there is not so much bribery in state
legislatures as there was less than ten
years ago. The old-time methods OF
sandbagging have given way to the new
mcthod of protection; the former
rough work. has been displaced by
smooth practices. II no longer Is pos
sible to definitely locate boodler by
his voting record, for seine Of the most
finished rascals who ever went to a
state capital to make laws and money
have unimpeachable records in the bal
loting line.
Team work has taken the place OF in
slividual efforts; the syndicate has
pushed out the single man. The new
way of doing" business in state legis-
latures Is to prevent sandbagging bills
from getting past committees; the cor
porations are protected these days, not
menaced.
In former days when the boys" were
In need OF ready money 1t was the prac-
aice to introduce several bills which
would have the effect of bringing to the
state house ths legislative agents of the
threatened interests. The agents would
then give up more or less handsomely
and the boys" their fortunes repaired,
would leave their cooperative prey alone
for time. Doodle bills then we're the
rule; to-day they are the exception.
Long before a legislature convenes,
the syndicate, composed of holdover
senators and senator's and representa-
tives-elect, gets together and its mem
rDcrs lay out their campaign When the
Legislature meets certain interests have
Lbeen selected which the syndicate has
agreed TO protect; that is TO keep out OF
the hands of the sandbaggers and petty
Erafters. For this service the interests
In question promise to pay to the MEM
beers of the syndicate certain sums OF
money. This arrangement is something
like the contracts which Chinese doc
tors make with their patients; so long
As the doctor keeps the patient well he
Is paid, when the patient falls sick the
payment stops.
This kind of a protective syndicate,
of course, takes in the ruling members of
both houses, although 1t works well when
but one branch of the legislature is
represented in the syndicate. The
,cotcrie cannot prevent the introduction
of sandbagging bills, but such measures
die a deserved death the instant they
reach the committee room. | say de
served" death, for every sandbagging
bill should be killed. BY throttiing
such measures the syndicate actually
performs public service.
Now here is where the clever work OF
the syndicate comes in: IL will not
stand between its clients and meritori-
Gus measures which might injure them.
The syndicate, in short, says to its
clients: I'VE will, for a consideration,
stand between you and the petty CRATER
We will guard you from harm when
such harm is threatened by men who
seek to injure you for corrupt purposes
But we will not protect you when the
real interests of the people are involved
When honest bills. whose effect is
prcjudicial to your interests. are intro
duced. you must look out for your
selves"
Corporations, who long have been re-
Earded as meat" by dishonest members
of legislature, do not fear honest eff
forts to control or limit them, but they
dread the bleeding by boodlers and
srafters So when the syndicate comes
Forward with its proposition to keep of
the leeches, the corporations gladly ac-
.cept, pay out lump sum. charge 1t to
legal services or incidental expenses and
figure they are ahead Of the game.
In order to make good It's pledges the
syndicate must have undisputed control
of at least one branch OF the legislature.
tt Is not necessary to have the speaker
of the house or the governor of the
state In harmony with theCsyndicate.
for It's work is to prevent. not forward,
legislation. The syndicate works on
the principle of negation. that means no
bills passed.
When was speaker a syndicate,
such as have described. prevented
every bill OF hold-up or sand-bag-
ging nature from getting past the
doors OF committee rooms. Yet the
very leaders OF that syndicate were the
leaders in forwarding public service
bills which were opposed, in every par
ticular,, to the selfish interests OF its
clients. And the record of that general
assembly marked IL as one OF the most
efficient for real public good ever held
IN the state.
The question arises: Are such meth