Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. IV.djvu/268

226 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS reasons. It was proven that one shameless lobbyist had impersonated, over the long-distance telephone, several of the leading members of Congress and had offered in their name to influence pending legislation. Evidence was multiplied that strong bodies of men united to defeat members of Con gress who opposed the legislation they desired, or sought to put laws on the statute books not favored by them. The trail of the lobbyist was found in a score of ways. The charge of the President of the existence of "a numerous, industrious and insidious lobby" was more than established by the evidence. The President was vindicated. The President s warning and the work of the lobby committee served to put Congress and the people on their guard, and history will doubtless record that the Underwood- Simmons tariff bill was freer from attack by this old enemy of tariff reduction than any other tariff measure passed for many years. As soon as it became certain that a tariff bill, in accordance with the promises of the Baltimore plat form, would pass the extra session, the President bent his energies toward co-operating with Con gress to secure the passage of a currency reform measure. The bill, which was christened with the names of Representative Glass and Senator Owen, had the sanction of the Administration. The President undertook to overcome the feeling of those members of the Senate that remaining in