Page:Upbuilders by Lincoln Steffens.djvu/346

 kept" men on his side. Mitchell ran the price of votes up to thousands of dollars, and he and his lieutenant, Charlie Fulton (later a United States Senator from Oregon), paid out the money in cash. The Pops caught them at it.

Johnson Smith, assistant warden of the Penitentiary, then a Pop assemblyman, proposed to go to Mitchell and take some of his money for evidence.

"Go ahead," said U'Ren. "We'll vouch for your purpose in doing it."

as for himself, and #250 as for the go-between. The next day, when the Mitchell men were trying to gather a quorum, Smith stood outside in the lobby. Rushing up to him, Fulton ordered him to his seat. Smith laughed.

"Why! Aren't you going in?" said Fulton. And when Smith said he wasn't, Fulton flew into a rage. "Didn't you take our money and promise to go in?"

"Yes," said Smith, "I took your money. You were so damn fresh and free with it, I thought I'd take a piece. But it's you that's sold, not me."

There was more to this dialogue, but the sequel will interest the people of the United States who want to know about their United States Senators.