"IF YOU CAN'T BUY A SENATOR, THREATEN HIM"
Senator Peabody was the most surprised man in Washington when he heard
the junior Senator from Mississippi state that no one was to enrich
himself out of the government naval base project.
He heaped a mental anathema on the head of Stevens for saddling such
a man on the Senate "machine," for Langdon would of course never had
been put on "naval affairs" (just now very important to the machine)
without the "O.K." of Stevens, who had won a heretofore thoroughly
reliable reputation as a judge of men, or of what purported to be men.
The thought that at this time, of all times, there should be a man
on the committee on naval affairs that could not be "handled" was
sufficient to make him who reveled in the title of "boss of the
Senate" determine that he must get another chief lieutenant to replace
Stevens, who had proved so trustworthy in the past. Stevens had lost
his cunning!
As the vote of Langdon could not be secured by humbug or in exchange
for favors and as it could not be "delivered," Peabody, of course, was
willing to pay in actual cash for the vote. This was the final step
but one in political conspiracies of this nature?--cash. But Langdon
would not take cash, so Peabody had to resort to the last agency of
the trained and corrupt manipulator of legislation.
He would threaten.
Moreover, he knew that to make threats effective, if it is possible to
do so, they must be led up to systematically--that is, they should be
made at the right time. The scene must be set, as in a play.
Senator Peabody glared at Langdon as though to convince the latter
that to stand in his way would mean political destruction.
"So nobody is going to make a cent, eh? Well, I suppose you want all
the profits for yourself." Turning to Stevens, who had just entered,
the Pennsylvanian cried:
"Do you but listen to our suddenly good friend Langdon. He wants to be
the only man to make money out of the naval base. He won't listen to
any other member of the naval committee making a cent out of it. Why,
he--"
"Great God, sir!" exclaimed Langdon. "You are going too far, Peabody.
You state what is false, and you know it, you--you--"
"Then you are willing that others should have their rightful share?"
put in Stevens. "Oh, I understand now, Senator."
"No, no, no!" cried Langdon. "You do not understand, Senator Stevens,
and I must say I am ashamed to speak of you by the honorable title of
Senator, sir. I will not listen to any person enriching himself at
the Government's expense, and I am your enemy, you, Peabody, and you,
Stevens, beyond recall. You both know you misrepresent me."
Langdon walked over to Stevens and faced him.
"Do you remember, Stevens, Lorimer Hawkslee, back in wartime?"
"Yes," said Stevens, puzzled, "I remember him--a very fine gentleman."
The old planter sneered.
"Yes, a very fine gentleman! You remember he got rich out of contracts
for supplies furnished to the Confederate Government when it wasn't
any too easy for the Confederate Government to pay and when he was
in that Government himself. I never quite thought that the act of a
gentleman, Stevens. It seemed to me to be very like dishonesty.
I refused to speak to Lorimer Hawkslee in the Carroll Hotel at
Vicksburg, and when the people there asked me why I told them. I want
to warn you, Stevens, that I'm likely to meet you some time in the
Carroll Hotel at Vicksburg."
Stevens backed away angrily. "I catch your insinuation, but"--he
received a warning glance from Peabody and broke into a pleasant smile
calculated to deceive the old planter--"this once I will overlook it
because of our old friendship and the old days in Mississippi."
"You are a fine talker, Langdon," said Peabody, coming to Stevens'
rescue, "but I can readily see what you are driving at. You want an
investigation. You think you will catch some of us with what you
reformers call 'the goods,' but forget evidently the entirely simple
facts that your family has invested in Altacoola lands more heavily
probably than any one else among us. You want to raise a scandal, do
you? Well, go on and raise it, but remember that you will have to
explain how it happened that there is $50,000 invested in the name of
your son, and $25,000 in the name of your daughter, Miss Carolina, not
to mention a few thousands put in by the gentleman who, I am given to
understand, is to be your son-in-law, Congressman Norton.
"How about that, Norton?" Peabody asked, turning to the Congressman,
who had followed Stevens.
"I corroborate all you've said," remarked Norton. "I can state
positively that Senator Langdon knew that his money was going into
Altacoola land. I will swear to it if necessary," and he glared
bitterly at Carolina's father, feeling certain that the girl would
cling to him as opposed to her parent.
Langdon made a threatening move at the Congressman.
"I consider my riddance of you mighty cheap at the price," he cried.
"Come, come, Langdon," fumed Peabody, "I must get away from here to
catch the midnight train. Let's get through with this matter. You must
realize that you cannot fight me in Washington. You must know that
men call me the 'king of the Senate.' I can beat any measure you
introduce. I can pass any measure you want passed. I can make you a
laughing-stock or a power.
"Why, my friend from Mississippi, I can even have your election to the
Senate contested, have a committee appointed to investigate the manner
of your election, have that committee decide that you bought your way
into the honorable body, the Senate of the United States, and on the
strength of that decision have you forfeit your seat! What a pretty
heritage to hand down to posterity such a disgrace will be! Why, the
very school children of the future will hear about you as 'Looter
Langdon,' and their parents will tell them how particularly degrading
it was for a man of your reputation to drag into your dishonest
schemes your son, sir, and your daughter. For who will believe that
this money was not put in these lands without your consent, without
your direction, your order? Did you not sign the mortgage on which
this $50,000 was raised?"
Senator Langdon waved his hand deprecatingly. "I'm learning the
under-handed ways of you professional politicians. I'm getting wise.
I'm learning 'the game,' so I know you're bluffing me, Peabody. But
you forget that the game of poker was invented in Mississippi--my
native State."
Pressing a button, Langdon summoned a servant and said: "Send in Mr.
Haines. I guess I've got to have a witness for my side."
"It's no bluff," spoke Stevens as Haines entered. "Peabody can and
will break you like a pipestem; he's done it to other men before you
who--who tried to dispute his power. But I'll try to save you. I'll
ask him to be merciful. You are not of any importance in the Senate.
We do not need to deal with you--"
"Then why do you both spend so much time on me?" asked Langdon
innocently. "Why doesn't Peabody go to Philadelphia?"
"Langdon," said Peabody, "you know my control of the Senate is no
piece of fiction. But I will forgive your obstinacy, even forget it.
I--"
"Look here," cried Langdon, "just because I'm a fat man don't think
that I can't lose my temper." He stopped and gazed at his two
colleagues.
"Now, you two men stay still one moment, and I'll tell you what really
will happen to-morrow," he exploded, "and I'm only a beginner in the
game that's your specialty. The naval base is going to Altacoola--"
"Good!" simultaneously cried both Peabody and Stevens. "You're coming
in with us?"
"No, I'm not, but I'll pass the bill so that nobody makes a cent, just
as I said I would. I'll fool you both and make you both honest for
once in spite of your natural dispositions."
Stevens and the Pennsylvanian stared at each other in disgust.
"Furthermore," continued Langdon, "Altacoola must have the base
because I've known for some time that Gulf City was impossible. But
some crooked Senators would have made money if they'd known it, so
they didn't learn it. Altacoola, that proud arm of our great gulf,
will have those battleships floating on her broad bosom and the
country will be the better off, and so will the sovereign State of
Mississippi--God bless it--but neither Senator Peabody of Pennsylvania
nor Senator Stevens of Mississippi is going to be any better because
of it. No, and if you men come to my committee room at 12:30 to-morrow
noon you'll have a chance to hear how all that's coming about. If you
are not there by that time I'll bring in a minority report in favor
of Gulf City, just to show you that I know how to play the game--this
Washington game--"
"Come, let's go. We can do nothing with him," said Peabody to the
senior Senator from Mississippi.
"Well, Senator, in the name of goodness, what are you going to do? How
can you win for Altacoola without letting these grafters make money
out of it?" asked Haines in astonishment as the other two walked away.
"What are you going to do at 12:30 to-morrow?"
Langdon turned to him and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling
despairingly.
"I'm blamed if I know!" he exclaimed.
[Illustration: "TO-MORROW AT 12:30."]