Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-04-16
CHATTER NNII.

LOBBYISTS III ll~ lllllf. ana Ut
" keeps ON knowing them. The
striking increase In legisla
ton 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 point
of uSeleSsneSS 10y that process which Is
The salvation of many a corrupt manip
ulatur. 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 Of attack by any means
that brains can devise or money pro
cure and tn obtain desired favurS ut
cost that will leave a profitable balance
for the purchaser When commercial
trickstcrs. believing Ia the lobbyists
favorite maxim. The People Forget
feel thar they have outliycd the latest
reform movement aud see the good
Old days" returning. the professional
politicians introduce Il 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
III a l., f,... al
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 uuequalcd facilities
for oiling or blocking the course OF Il
bill Sometimes he confines Aimsrlf-to
the interests Of his own clients who
ever they may Ice Rut sometimes he
notices bill that promises To be 4
pretty good thing for the client ~
some other member II II passes Then
he begins to fight this bin SO actively
that he must he lie 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 bond
of freemasonry uniting them. they eX.
change information as To what mem
bers OF both houses can hc reached ."
how they can be got to" Through
whom and how much they want
This information is carefully lahu,at-
ed. and now prices for passing or de.
feating legislation can br quoted to
Interested parties just as the price "f
q carload OF pork can be ascertancd at
a given time and place. Perhaps it Is
this system that leads grating mem.
beers Of short experience to wonder
how knowledge OF their taking what
Is termed the sugar" got out and he.
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
ha hA ic,
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
lngton 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 I'M
common ease, aided possibly by the
makeup box and the modesto. 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 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-
yania, 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 well sup
piled with funds deposited monthly
nj H.. 4. t..