Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-20

ahead until somebody pays up. then
| the bills die. The lobbyist knows all
about these "strike" bills. but does not
| frown on them. No, no. Perhaps he
helped draw up one Of these bills SO
! that, with the aid Of his inside knowl-
| edge of his employers business, the
measure is made to give a greater
scare than might otherwise have re
| suited. The bigger the scare the big
ger the fund advanced. Of course, Tor
the lobbyist to handle All this also
| helps the lobbyist to secure and retnin
employment.
| Not all the Washington lobbyists are
outside of congress. The senator or
congressman has uncqualed facilities
for oiling or blocking the course of a
bill. Sometimes he confines himself to
the interests Of his own clients. who
ever they may be. But sometimes he
notices n bill that promises to be a
pretty good thing for the client of
some other member II 1t passes. Then
he begins to fight this bill so actively
that he must be ''let In on the deal"
himself. This Is very annoying to the
other member, but the experience Is
worth something. He has learned the
value Of observing other peoples legis-
lation.
The outsiders (members Of the third
house') and the insiders have II bond
of freemasonry uniting them; they ex-
change information as to what men,
bers Of both houses can be reached"
how they can be "got to- Through
whom) and how much they want.
This information is carefully tabulat-
ed. and now prices for passing or de-
feating legislation can be quoted to
interested parties just as the price OF
carload Of pork can be ascertained at
a given time and place. Perhaps 1t Is
this system that leads grating mem
bers of short experience to wonder
how knowledge of their taking what
is termed 1.-THE sugar. got out and be-
came known to their associates. Did
they not have pledge OF absolute Sc
crecy? Yes, but the purchaser never
intended to keep the Information from
those Of his kind. Lobbyists must be
honest with each other.
Not all lobbyists are men. The wo-
man legislative agent has been known
to occupy an important position In
Washington. and she does yet. She is
hard to detect and frequently more un-
principled than the men similarly en-
gagged, IL that Is possible.
A woman with measure Of social
standing would naturally prove the
most successful as lobbyist In Wash
ington because Of the opportunities
her position would afford her to meet
peoIe of prominence. And just such
one was Mrs. Cora Spangler, with
whom the Langdons had been thrown
in contact quite intimately since their
arrival at the capital.
Pretty and vivacious. Mrs. spangler
bore her thirty-seven years with I'M
common ease. aided possibly by the
makeup box and the modiste. Her
dinners and receptions were attended
by people Of acknowledged standing.
Always a lavish spender Of money,
this was explained as possible because
of fortune left her by her late hus-
band, Congressman Spangler of Penn
sylvania. That this fortune" had
consisted larfs Of stock and bonds
Of a bankru, oper smelling plant
in Michigan re1.ained unknown, ex-
cept to her husbands family. one or
two of her own relatives and Senator
Peabody, who, coming from Pennsyl-
vania, had known her husband init
mately.
He it was who had suggested to her
that she might make money easily by
cultivating the acquaintance of the
new members Of both houses and their
families, exerting her influence In vari-
GUS perfectly legitimate ways" he
argued, for or against matters pending
in legislation. The Standard Steel cor
poration kept Mrs. spangler we'll sup
piled with funds deposited monthly
to her account in Philadelphia trust
company.
She avoided suspicion by reason OF
her sex and her many acquaintance
of undisputed rank. Senator Peabody
was never invited to her home, had
never attended single dinner. recep-
ton or musicale she had given, all of
which was part Of the policy they
had mutually agreed on to deaden any
suspicion that might some time arise
as to her relation to the Standard
Steel company. 1t was well known
that Peabody had been put into the
senate by Standard Steel to look after
its interests.
He had found Mrs. Spangler chiefly
valuable thus far as source of infor-
nation regarding the members of con-
gress, which she obtained largely from
their families. He was thus able to
gain an idea Of their associations.
their particular interests and their as
pirations in coming to congress. which
proved Of much use to him in forming
and promoting acquaintances. all for
the glory of Standard Steel.
Senator Holcomb OF Missouri told
Mrs. Spangler at an afternoon tea con-
fidentially that he was going to vote
against the ship subsidy bill. Senator
Peabody was in
- t formed do, Of this this