Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-08-05
CHAPTER XXI.

III
striking increase in legisla-
lion that aims to restrict unlawful or
Improper practices in business, the
awakening of the public conscience,
aas caused greater demand than ever
Tor influence at the national capital, for
these restrictive measures must be
either killed or emasculated to a point
,f 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
ngton to ward of attack by any means
that brains can devise or money pro-
eure and to obtain desired favOrs at
lost that will leave profitable balance
Tor the purchaser. When commercial
tricksters, believing In the lobbyists
tavorite maxim. "The People Forget"
feel that they have outlived the latest
reform movement and see 1.-THE good
Did days" returning, the professional
politicians introduce q 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
that, with the aid Of his inside knOwl-
edge Of his employers business. the
measure is made to give 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
Tor oiling or blocking the course of
Dill. Sometimes he confines himself to
the interests of his own clients. who
ever they may be. But sometimes he
notices q bin that promises to be
pretty good thing for the client Of
some other member If 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
honse') 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-
cd, and now prices for passing or de-
feating legislation can be quoted to
Interested parties just as the price of
carload uf pork can be ascertained at
Il given time and place. Perhaps it is
this system that leads grating men,
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 Sc
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 wo-
man legislative agent has been known
to occupy an important position in
Wnchin utny, oh ,at Che ic
hard to detect and frequently more I'm
prlncipled than the men similarly en-
gagged, II that is possible.
A woman with q measure of social
standing would naturally prove the
most successful as lobbyist in Wash
hgton because Of the opportunities
her position would afford her to meet
people Of prominence. And just such
a one was Mrs. Cora spangler, with
"hom the Langdons had been thrown
IN contact quite intimately since their
arrival at the capital.
Pretty and vivacious, Mrs. Spangler
pore her thirty-seven years with un-
common ease, aided possibly by the
IVA anu LIE tASt
dinners and receptions were attended
py people Of acknowledged standing.
Always a lavish spender of money,
this was explained as possible because
or fortune left her by her late hus-
oand, Congressman Spangler Of Penn
syivania. That this fortune" had
consisted largely of stock and bonds
VI bankrupt copper smelling plant
IN Michigan remained unknown, ex-
eepr to her husbands family, one or
TWO OF her own relatives and Senator
reapody, who. coming from Pennsyl-
Vania, had known her husband intf-
mately.
de 1t was who had suggested to her
mat she might make money easily by
euitlVating the acquaintance of the
new members of both houses and their
iamilies. 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 well sup
plied with funds deposited monthly
70 her account In Philadelphia trust