Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1909-04-01
"A Gentleman
From
Mississippi
BY Thomas A. Wise
Novelized From the Play
by Frederick r. Toombs
Copyright. 1909. by Thomas A. Wise.
. CHAPTER NNII.

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 a 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 ut q
cost that will leave n profitable balance
for the purchaser. When commercial
tricksters, believing In the lobbyists
favorite maxim, ''The People Forget"
feel that they have outlived the latest
reform movement and see "thc good
old days. returning, the professional
politicians Introduce n 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
that. with the aid of his inside knOwl-
edge Of his employers business. the
measure is made to give 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 unequalcd 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 n
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 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'O and the insiders have bond
Of freemasonry uniting them: they cx-
change information as to what men,
bers Of both houses can he reached"
how they can be got to- Through
whom) and how much they want
This information IS carefully tabulat-
cd, and now prices for passing or de-
feating legislation can be quoted to
Interested parties just as the price of
carload OF pork can be asccrtained at
a given time Snd place. Perhaps it Is
this system that leads grating men,
bers of short experience to wonder
how knowledge of their taking what
is termed ''the sugar" got out and be-
came known Ito their associates. Did
crecy? Yes. but the purchaser never
intended to keep the Information from
those Of his kind. Lobbyists must he
honest with each other.
Not all lobbyists are mon. The wo-
man legislative agent has been known
to occupy IN 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 measure Of social
standing would naturally prove the
most successful as n lobbyist in Wash
fngton 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 un-
common ease. aided possibly by the
makeup box and the modiste. Her
dinners and receptions were attended
by people Of acknowledged standing.
Always lavish spendcr 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 Pcnnsyl.
vania. had known her husband inti.
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" hc
argued, for or against matters pending
in legislation. The Standard Steel cor
poration kept Mrs. SDangler well sup.
piled with funds deposited monthly
to her account I'm Philadelphia trust
company.
She avoided suspicion by reason of
her sex and her many acquaintances
Of undisputed rank. Senator Peabody
was never invited to her home. had
never attended a single dinner, reccp-
tion or musicale she had given, all of
which was part Of the policy they
had mutually agreed on to dcadcn any
II. ,.s,n