Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-03-08
CHAPTER overwhelmingly.

S1k W.
from your work." he apologized.
II am now about to wrap my legs
around the creased cable of pro-
found thought and sink into an
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 surcharged with vital
ity, tremendous strength. Chollie-
wolfe, lounging in his chair,
thought he looked like a man in
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 about?" 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 across his hair.
"I've 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.
cts 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 say7"
"You overrate lobbyists" Wal
Ter replied calmly.
"How 500"
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 statesmen's
minds and caused the current OF
legislation to change its course.
And, of all the so-cailed lobbyists,
this whisky crowd is the worst.
Why, they know nothing at ALL"
"You 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
aud what it does. But in the 10
years I've been in Washington l
don't believe a lobbyist has ever
changed a vote"
That's a sweeping statement"
"But 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 gos-
sipers, salaried scandal mongers-
and that let's 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 q lost art ever since
I've been here"
Miss Downey came in and went
back to her seat.
"Mr. Mannersley will see you in
. few minutes" she informed
Smith.
.Whv-not now?s asked Waller,
with his first sign Of impotence.
What's he doingf'
Miss Downey rebuked him with
tip tilted nose as she replied:
He's in: conference with Mr.
Mitchell"
Albert Mitchell-the whisky
mani
Yes, Mr.. Waller.
Ah, smiled Smith, Thought
they couldn' 4 make members listen
10 theml
this Is different, contended
waller sThe whisky people
elected Mannersly. They got him
81 His home district. That the
only way theserooksca can Affect leg
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