St. Tammany farmer., 1905-08-12
REVELATIONS Il BY
An EX-SPEAKER
INSIDE HISTORY OF STATE
LEGISLATURE BY ONE
WHO KNOWS.

AASlDE HISTORY OF a STATE
LEGISLATURE BY ONE
WHO KNOWS.
Legislative "sandhaggingn Now Dis
placed by Protection" Hold-u,
Measures Killed in Committee b,
syndicate" for Consideration
How the Work Is rone-Self-Con
ressed Boodler Tells How He Start
ed on the Downward Road-Bribe,
Now a Judge.
81 AN EX-SPEAKER OF A STATE
LEGISLATURE.
tCopyriEht. 1906. by Joseph 3. Bowles)
Up-to-date legislatures have aban
doned the old-fashioned methods O.
making easy money. The law-builder:
VINO are so modern that they belong te
tue up .sO-the-minute" class, and who
get themselves elected to serve the
people In general assembly, with theil
own definition of the word 'serve," dc
not bood:s, If they Doodle at all. in thu
clumsy. hands-up style of some years
ago.
This undermining OF the great game o1
graft has really been of public benefit
1or there is not so much bribery in state
!eglsiatul es as there was less than ten
years ago. The old-time methods OF
sandbagging have given way to the new
method of protection; the former
rough work" has been displaced by
smooth Practices. 1t no longer is pos
slble to definitely locate boodler by
his VOTING record, for some of the most
n finished Iescals who ever went to a
state capital to make laws and money
have unlmneachable records in the bal
loting linen
Team work has taken the place of in
diyidual Naff6rts; the syndicate has
pushed out the single man. The new
way OF doing" business in state legis-
latures is 70 prevent sandbagging bills
from getting past committees; the cor
pOratlOns are protected these days, not
menaced.
In formertdays when the "boys" were
IN need of READY money it was the prac-
tice to intrpduce several bills which
would have The effect of bringing to the
state house the legislative agents of the
threatened iAterests. 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 were the
rule; to-day they are the exception.
-
Long before a legislature convenes.
the syndicate, composed of holdover
senator's and senators and representa-
tives-elect, gets together and its mem-
bers lay out their campaign. When tho
legislature meets certain interests have
been selected which the syndicate has
agreed to protect: that is to keep out of
the hands Of, the sandbaggers and petty
grafters. For this service the interests
in question promise to pay to the mem
berS 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 we'll he
is paid, when the patient falls sick the
payment stops.
This kind Of protective syndicate,
of course, takes in the ruling members Of
both houses. although it works well when
but one branch of the legislature is
represented in the syndicate. The
coterie cannot prevent the introduction
Of sandbagging bills, but such measures
die deserved death the instant they
reach the committee room. say ''de
served" death, for every sandbagging
bill should be killed. BY throttlng
such measures the syndicate actually
performs q public service.
Now here Is where the clever work Of
the syntiicate comes in; it will not I
stand. between its clients and meritori-
Dus measures which might injure them.
rhe syndicate, in short, says to its
clients: I'VE will, for consideration,
stand between you and the petty CRATER.
We will guard you from harm when
such harm Is threatened by men who
,eek 10 injure you for corrupt purposes.
Gut We win not protect you when the
real Interests Of the people are involved.
When honest bills, whose effect is
Drejudicial to your interests, are intro
luced. you must look out for your
Ielves. 5
CORPORATIONS, who long have been re-
rardefl az meat, by dishonest members
If = legislature. do not fear honest eff
orts TO control or limit them, but they
lread the bl-sding by boodlers and
.raftera SO when the syndicate comes
Onward rith It's proposition to keep OF
he leeches, the corporations gladly ac-
,apt nay out lump sum, charge it to
eeal services or incidental expenses and
Iey,re they are ahead Of the game.
In order to make good its pledges the
must have undisputed control
{ at least one branch Of the legislature.
/ is not necessary to have the speaker
4 the house or the goveEnorNpfy the
tate Ii harmony with the syndicate,
q its work Is to prevent, not fANNard,
The syndicate wok on
he principle Of negation, that mAasno
ills passed. vi NM
When was speaker syANIcdAe,
nch ~ ] have described, preferential
very bill Of hold-up Or safIl 1bag- ;
ing nature from getting paHd the ]
nnrx of committee rooms. last| the
ery leaders Of that syndicate yaeFe the 9
saders In forwarding public ERervice /
ms which were opposed. iheYerY par s
cular, to the selfish inteTGsB Iof its
I;ents. And the record ofHhat general
ssemt,ly marked it as oneNpf themost ,
flcient for real public gooA ever| held i