The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1909-05-05
CHAPTER xxi.

improper practices in business, the
awakening of the public conscience
has caused a greater demand than ever
these restrictive measures must be
either killed or emasculated to Il point
of uselessness by that process which is
the salvation of many corrupt manip-
ulator, the process of amendment
Predatory corporations, predatory
business associations of different sorts
and predatory individuals have their
representatives on the field at Wash
| ington to ward off attack by any means
that brains can devise or money pro
cure and to obtain desired favors at a
cost that will leave profitable balance
for the purchaser. When commercial
tricksters, believing in the lobbyists
favorite maxim, THE People Forget"
feel that they have outlived the latest
reform movement and see "the good
old days" returning, the professional
politicians introduce a few reform
measures themselves, most stringent
measures. They push these measures
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, for
the lobbyist to handle All this also
helps the lobbyist to secure and retain
employment.
Not all the Washington lobbyists are
outside of congress. The senator or
congressman has unequaled 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 IA bill that promises to be a
pretty good thing for the client Of
some other member if it 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 legls-
lation.
The outsiders members of the third
house') and the insiders have a bond
of freemasonry uniting them; they eX-
change information as to what mem
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
n given time and place. Perhaps it 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
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 I'M
prlncipled than the men similarly en-
gagged, if that is possible.
A woman with measure of social
standing would naturally prove the
most successful as a lobbyist in Wash
ingtOn because of the opportunities
her position would afford her to meet
people of prominence. And just such
a 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 largely of stock and bonds
Of a bankrupt copper smelling plant
In Michigan remained 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 1t 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 I'm vari-
Gus perfectly legitimate ways" he
argued, for or against matters pending
In legislation. The Standard Steel cor
poration kept Mrs. Spangler well sup
piled with funds deposited monthly
to her account In Philadelphia trust
company.
Che avoidad suspicion NV ransom of