The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-02-25

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
/ poth the partieS-the only two in
"aShlnSton-was to oppose what the
machine wanted with enough power TO
force 1t to grant him what he believed
the public ought to Eave. He was de-
scribed by some of the hidebound in
siders" on Capitol hill as 1.-THE only
hralny 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
seen small coterie Of senators and
congressman who had become known
to the sarcastic party bosses in both
houses of congress as the "IanGdon
crowd" which crowd was admitted to
be somewhat of n factor when it final
~ prevailed on the president to take
over 1000 postmaSterS from the ap-
po1ntment class and put them under
the control of the civil service commits
sion. resulting in the necessity of a
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 craftsmanship? An ambassadorship
for some Mississippi charcoal burner?
y couple of federal judGeships for his
friends? Well. whatever it is, give it
to him and get him in with the rest
of uSr'
Again it was Peabody who had the
deciding say.
There's only one thing worse than
a young reformer. and that's an old
onc.' he laughed bitterly at secret
conciaTe at his apartment in the lux
urious Louis Napoleon hotel. "rhe
young one thinks he IS going to live
ana wants our future profits for him
self. The old one thinks he's going
to die. and he's sore at leaving so
much graft behind him."
Heads and hearts thinking and throb-
bling together. Langdon and his secre-
tary, lIaines, plodded along. They
had learned to lean on each other,
the young gaining inspiration from the
old, the old gaining strength from the
young. They loved each other, and,
more than any love, they trusted one
another. And Hope Georgia watched
1T all and rejoiccd, for she believed
with all the accrued erudition of eight
cen years of innocent girlhood that
MIR. Bud Haiues was quite the finest
specimen OF young manhood this
world had ever produced. How could
he have happened! She was sure that
she had never met his equal, not even
in that memorable week she had spent
in Jackson
The passing weeks taught Haines
that he was deeply in love with Caro-
lima, and, though he had underworld
to keep the knowledge Of this from
her, her woman's intuition had told her
his secret, and she Stit1ed the momen-
tary regrets that fitted into her mind,
because she was now in 'thc game"
herself. the Washington game. that
cnSnares the woman as well as the
man and makes her n slave to its fan
cy. No one but herself and Norton
knew how deeply she had plunged"
on certain possible turn of the DO
lttlcil carUS. she must not, she could
not lose If life itself were to remain
of value TO her. and on her sway over
this secretary she was told 1T all de-
pended.
4 subject that for some unexplain-
able reason frequently lodged in
Haincs' mind was that of the appar-
ent assiduity with which Mrs. Spangler
cultivated Senator LanGdon's friend
ship. For several wears she had occu-
pied high social position at the CAPT.
tai, he well knew, but various indefi-
mite. intangible runlors he had heard,
he could not state exactly where, had
made him regret her growing intimacy
with the girls and with the senator
They had met her through letters of
Introduction of the most trustworthy
and assuring character from people Of
highest social rank in Virginia, where
the Langdons had many friends, but
even so, Haines realized. people who
write Introductory letters are some
times thOughtleSS in considering all the
circumstances of the parties they in
troduce, and residents of Virginia who
had not been in the capital for years
might be forgiven for not knowing of
all the more recent developments in
the lives of those they knew in Wash
ington. While not Wishing to have the
senator know of his intention, the sec
rotary determined to investigate Mrs
SD1nUlpr and Sc