Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-03-12
CHAPTER TX.

"HE combination of the forces of
 Langdon and Haines did not | find much favor among the A powers that are--at the capital. Senator Peabody pore emptOrily demand ed an explanation from Stevens as to how he had allowed his senator" to engage as his secretary 'this inquisi- tive man Haines. a reporter who didn't know his place."
 Here we've put Langdon on naval affairs because we knew he didn't un- derstand what's going on, and you. Stevens, supposed to be the finished product of the political mill, you fall asleep and let him take up man whom nobody can control, one who knows the inside workings of Wash ington and who will take par-tic-u-lar pleasure in teaching your fellow Mis- sissippian far too much for our good" Stevens reply. to effect that prob ably Haines would consent to be .'tak- en care or if iudiciously approached was derided by the observant Pea body. "A young reformer grows fat on notoriety." he laughed, land think what scandal he would have for hts newspaper if we took chance on dis. closing our hand to him. No. no, Ste vens; VIC must have him watched and try to discreiit him in some way Per haps we can make Langdon believe that his secretary is dishonest"
 Congressman Norton was another man who was dismayed at the forma- ton of the firm of I.angdon and Hains. Young Randolph, too could not forget the defeat and humiliation he had pre- viously suffered at Haines' hands and grew more bitter as the, reporters tn- fiuence over his father grew stronger. But Haines' most effective enemy had arisen in the person he would be the last to suspect, one whom he unceas- ingly admired. one whose very words he had come to cherish. And possibly it was not all her own fault that Caro- lima Langdon had enlisted her services. subtle and quite overwhelming lowing to Haines' fcrver.t worship of herr I against the secret: q Perhaps the so- ciai system of whcn she bad become a part in Washington had something to do with the craving to become leader l in that fascinating world whose daz- zling variety and infinite diversion seemed to fill her soul with all that it yearned for. Love she had, for she had now promised to wed Congress man Norton. She loved him fondly; she had confessed to him, and gradu- ally she came to work desperately against Haines. who. she had been convinced by Norton and Randolph, would prove stumbling block to them, to her father. to herself in her career at the capital. if his influence over the senator should be permitted to exist or to increase. And so on the surface Carolina Langdon was most amiable to the secretary, encouraged him in his attentions to her. led him surely into her power, Norton having prevailed on her to keep the knowledge of their en- gagement secret from every one, even her father
 The days and nights became filled with important work for Senator Lang don and his secretary. Together they went over the important measures, out lined what appeared to be the best course of procedure and carried it into effect as far as possible. Langdon be- came prominent figure in the senate, owing to his consistent support of measures that fitted In with the public policy, or what should be the public policy, of the nation. He had learned that the only practicable way to out wit or to cope with the members of the dominating machine, made up, he was surprised to see, of members of both the parties-the only two in Westinghouse to oppose what the machine wanted with enough power to force it to grant him what he believed the public ought to have. He was de- scribed by some of the hidebound fin siders" on Capitol hill as "the only brainy man who had fought the ma chine in thirty years"
 | At the home he had later established in Washington as preferable to the International hotel were frequently | SteIl Slildli cOLerle or senators ana congressman who had become known to the sarcastic party bosses in both houses of congress as the "Langdon crowd" which crowd was admitted to be somewhat of a factor when it flnal- ly prevailed on the president to take over l1.000 postmasters from the ap- pointment class and put them under the control of the civil service commis. sion. resulting in the necessity of competitive examination for these postmasters instead of their securing positions through political favoritism Those who did not know Langdon intimately suggested that ''this fellow ought to be taken care of What In Gods name does he want? A commit tee chairma nship? An ambassadorship for some Mississippi charcoal burner7 A couple of federal judgeships for his friends? Well. whatever 1t Is, give 1t to him and get him in with the rest of .us!'
 Again 1t was Peabody who had. the deciding say