Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-05-06

AZ VI keeps on knowing them. The
striking Increase in legisla-
ton that aims to restrict unlawful or
improper practices i'll business, the
awakening of the public conscience,
has caused a greater demand than ever
for influence at the national capital, for
these restrictive measures must be
either killed IL emasculated to q point
OF uselesSness by that process which is
the salvation of many Il corrupt manip-
ulator, the process of amendment.
Predatory corporations, predatory
business associations of different sorts
and predatory individuals have their
representatives or the field at Wash
lngton to ward off attack by any lean
that brains can devise o. ,soney pro
cure and to obtain desired i..vors at a
cost that will leave Il profitable balance
for the purchaser. When commercial
trichsters, believing in the lobbyists
~favorite maxim, The People Forget"
feel that they have outlived the latest
reform movement and see 1.-THE good
old 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 be
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
employment.
Not all the Washington lobbyists are
outside of congress. The senator or
congressman has %unequaled facilities
for oiling d. 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 a 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 "Iet 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 L bond
of f~reemasonry uniting them: they e2-
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 taDulat-
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
q 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 "the sugar. got out and be-
| came known to their associates. Did
they o have pledge Of absolute Sc
crecy? Yes, but the purchaser never
Intended W Keep lue 1uIOl ulio 4lodl
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
%principled 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
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 un-
common ease. aided possibly by the
makeup box and the modiste. Her
dinners and receptions were attended
! by people of acknowledged standing.