The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-03-08
CHAPTER NINE.-(Continued).

from your work, he apologlzed
81 am now about to wrap my legs
around the creased cable of pro
found thought and sink into al
abyss of reflection"
And he did, until Smith came in
Waller watched him while he
went to Miss Downey and asked
her to take his card in to Mr.. Man.
hershey. More than ever before
he seemed s~urcharged with vital,
ity, tremendous strength. Uollie-
wolfe, lounging in his chair:
thought he looked like a man III
some way supernaturally alive.
tensed, as if expectancy had
turned him to the limit of human
efficiency. 1t was as if a gorge
BUSINESS of virility was within him.
"What it all about2'' inquired
the newspaper man, after Miss
Downey had gone into Manners
ley's office.
"The line of duty" Smith
wheeled toward him, swiftly
brushing his hand Gro his hair.
GIVE come to make a last appeal
to Mannersley. He and his COM
mittee are holding up this amend
ment. I've come to ask him for
the action the people of the coun-
try want"
Waller sank deeper into his
chair and became the picture of
Encouragement.
Its bewildering = benumb-
ing" he said drearily. "Why
don't you try to jump over the
Washington monument-or make
government clerks work-or train
a dozen oysters on the half shell
to sing a Greek chorus?"
"I'm doing only the fair thing"
Smith replied, unaffected by the
others tone. eff the chairman of
this committee is accessible to the
lobbyists Of the other side, why
shouldn't he be told what we have
to say4"
"You overrate lobbyists Wal
Ter replied calmly.
"How SOL"
cts a mistake that nearly ev-
erybody unfamiliar with Washing
ton makes. The things a joke.
People talk Of lobbyists as if they
had some uncanny power, like
Aladdin's wonderful lamp, with
which they Influenced statements
minds and caused the current of
legislation to change it's course.
And, of all the so-called lobbyists,
this whisky crowd is the worst.
Why, they know nothing at ALL"
"Yeu go too far in your assump-
ton that they don't count" Smith
argued.
"Not a bit of it. Just take a
look at them-imposing looking
overcoats, heavy walking sticks,
and wise looks! They haunt the
hotel Hobbies and SLOUGH through
the corridors up here at the CAPT
toll. That goes for all of them, the
whisky crowd and all the rest.
I've heard a lot about lobbying
and what it does. But in the 10
years I've been in Washington I
don't believe a lobbyist has ever
changed q vote"
That a sweeping statement.
NBut not too sweeping. / tell
you, this crowd you have to con-
tend with can't affect a vote-not
a single vote! They're paid Cos
sipers, salaried scandal mongers-
and that lets them out. They
can't make members listen to
them. If they could, they wouldn't
know what to say. If lobbying
ever was worth anything in this
town, it's been a lost art ever since
I've been here"
Miss Downey came in and went
back to her seat.
MI. Mannersley will see you in
q few minutes she informed
Smith.
Why not now?'' asked Waller,
with his first sign Of impotence.
What's he doing9"
Miss DoWney rebnked him with
tip tilted lose as she replied:
He's in conference with Mr..
Mitchell"
Albert Mitchell-the whisky
mani!
Yes, Mr., Waller
Alb, smiled Smith, 81 thought
they couldn' 4 make members listen
to them!!, sss .s
This IS different, contended
Waller. The whisky people
elected Mannersly. They got him
- 49, lsAA-sm IN = nALo