Putnam patriot., 1909-04-16
CHAPTER NXu-


 tion that aims to restrict unlawful or improper practices in business. the awakening of the public conscience. has caused greater demand than ever for influence at the national capital. for these restrictive measures must be either killed or emasculated to q point of useiessness by that process which is the salvation of many a 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 ingten to ward off attack by any means that brains can devise or money pro cure and to obtain desired fayors at & cost that will leave profitable balance for the purchaser. When commercial trieksters. 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 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 Il greater scare than might otherwise have re- suited The bigger the scare the big ger the fund advanced. of course fer rae lobbyist to handle All this also helps the lobbyist te secure and retain employment.
 Not ail 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 T bill that promises 10 be q 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 fin on the deal' nlmseIr This Is very annoying to the other member but the experience is worth something He has learned the value of observing other peoples legis- satien.
 The outsiders members of the third house'l and the insiders have a bond
 of freemasonry uniting them: they ex- change infoNnation as to what men, bers of both houses can be reached" how they can be got to" dhrough 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 n carload of pork can be ascertained at a given time and place. Perhaps it is this system that leads grafting mem bers of short experience to wonder how knowledge of their taking what Is termed the sugar" got out and be- came known to their associates. Did they not have pledge of absolute se- erecy? 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 we 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- principied than the men similarly en- gagged. if that is possible.
 A woman with a 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 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 un- 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 Spangier 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 PennsyI-
 vania. had known her husband inti- mateIy.
 He 1t was who had suggested to her that she might make money easily by cuitivating the acquaintance of the new members of both houses and their families. exerting her influence in yari-
 ous perfectly legitimate ways" he argued. for or against matters pending in legislation The Standard Steel cor poration kept Mrs. Spangier well sup
 piled with funds deposited monthly to her account in . Philadelphia trust
 company.
 She avoided suspicion by reason of her sex and her many acquaintances of undisputed rank Senator Peabody
 was never invited to Der home. had never attended . single dinner. recep- ton or musicale she had given, all of whieh was q part of the policy they had mutually agreed on 10 deadep any
 suspicion that might some time arise
 as to her relation 10 the Standard Steel company. It was well known
 that Peabody had been put into the
 senate by Standard Steel to look after
 it's interests. He had found Mrs. srangler chiefly
 valuable thus far as source Of fnfor-