re?"

Langdon became so enthused that he paced up and down the room as he
spoke.

"Peabody, you and Stevens and I," continued Langdon, "could get our
friends together and right now start to make this great capital of our
great country the place of the 'square deal,' the place where give and
take, bargain and sale, are unknown. We could start a movement that
would drive out all secret influences--"

The secretary noticed Peabody's involuntary start.

"The newspapers would help us," went on Langdon. "Public opinion would
be with us, and both houses of Congress would have to join in the work
if we went out in front, led the way and showed them their plain duty.
And I tell you, Senator Peabody, that the principles that gave birth
to this country, the principles of truth, honesty, justice and
independence, would rule in Washington--"

"If Washington cared anything about them, Langdon," interjected the
Pennsylvanian.

"That's my point," cried the Mississippian--"let us teach Washington
to care about them!"

"Langdon, Langdon," said Peabody, patronizingly, "you've seized on a
bigger task than you know. After you reform Washington you will have
to go on and reform human nature, human instincts, every human being
in the country, if you want to make politics this angelic thing you
describe. It isn't politics, it's humanity, that's wrong," waving
aside a protest from Langdon.

"Anyway, your idea is not constitutional, Langdon," continued Peabody.
"You want everybody to have a share in the national government. That
wouldn't meet the theory of centralization woven into our political
system by its founders. They intended that our Government should be
controlled by a limited number of representatives, so that authority
can be fixed and responsibility ascertained."

"You distort my meaning!" cried Langdon. "And, Senator, I would like
to ask why so many high-priced constitutional lawyers who enter
Congress spend so much time in placing the Constitution of the United
States between themselves and their duty, sir, between the people and
their Government, sir, between the nation and its destiny? I want to
know if in your opinion the Constitution was designed to throttle
expression of the public will?"

"Of course not. That's the reason you and I, Langdon, and the others
are elected to the Senate," added Peabody, starting to leave. Then he
halted. "By the way, Senator," he said, "I'll do my best to arrange
what you want regard