Predatory corporations, predatory business associations of different sorts and predatory individuals have their representatives on the field at Washington to ward off attack by any means that brains can devise or money procure and to obtain desired favors at a cost that will leave a 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 “the good old days” returning, the professional politicians introduce a 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.  Per-haps he helped draw up one of these bills so that, with the aid of his inside knowledge of his employer’s business, the measure is made to give a greater scare than might otherwise have resulted.  The bigger the scare the bigger 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 unequaled facilities for oiling or blocking the course of a bill.  Sometimes he confines himself to the interests of his own clients, whoever they may be.  But sometimes he notices a bill that promises to be a pretty good thing for the client of some other member if it 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 people’s legislation.

The outsiders (members of the “third house”) and the insiders have a bond of freemasonry uniting them; they exchange information as to what members of both houses can be “reached,” how they can be “got to” (through whom) and how much they want.  This information is carefully tabulated, and now prices for passing or defeating legislation can be quoted to interested parties just as the price of a carload of pork can be ascertained at a given time and place.  Perhaps it is this system that leads grafting members of short experience to wonder how knowledge of their taking what is termed “the sugar” got out and became known to their associates.  Did they not have pledge of absolute secrecy?  Yes, but the purchaser never intended to keep the information from those of his kind.  Lobbyists must be honest with each other.

Not all lobbyists are men.  The woman legislative agent has been known to occupy an important position in Washington, and she does yet.  She is hard to detect and frequently more unprincipled than the men similarly engaged, if that is possible.

A woman with a measure of social standing would naturally prove the most successful as a lobbyist in Washington because of the opportunities her position would afford her to meet people of prominence.  And just such a one was Mrs. Cora Spangler, with whom the Langdons had been thrown in contact quite intimately since their arrival at the capital.