Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-03-26
CHAPTFR XXII.
LoRBYIsrs--ANo ONE IN PARTICULAR.


 tion that aims to restrict unlawful or improper practices in 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 or emasculated to 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 cost that will leave profitable balance for the purchaser. When commercial tricksters. believing i'll 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 q. few reform measures themselves. most stringent measures. They push these measures ahead until somebody pays up, the:i 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 bis inside knowl- edge of his employers business, the measure is made to give a greater scare than might otherwise have ze- 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 bill that promises to be a 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 ia very annoying to the other member, but the experisl,ce h worth something. He has lcar..ed the value of observing other pc 9le's legis- ,ation.
 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- bcrs of botli 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 a carload of pork can be ascertained at a given time and place: Perhaps 1t 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 not have pledge of absolute se- 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 arc 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 un- 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 lobbyist fin Wash ington because of the opportunities her position would afford her to meet 1 people of prominence. And juv 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 vlvacious, Mrs. Spangler bore her thirty-seven years with un- 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 smelting 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 inti- mately.
 He it was who had suggested to her hat she might make money easily by the acquaintance of the lew members of both houses and their antilles, exerting her influence in varl- JUS perfectly legitimate ways" he lrgued, for or against matters pending n legislation. The Standard Steel cor 'oration kept Mrs. Spangler well sup 'lied with funds deposited monthly o her account in Philadelphia trust company. She avoided suspicion by reason of , Ter sex and her many 0cOuafntances ,