190 
The fishmarket men of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, 
Portland and other cities, gave most energetic co-operation. 
The net and twine corporations of New York, Balti- 
more, Gloucester, Boston and elsewhere, were able to 
add to the combined attack their estimates of the import- 
ance of removing State restrictions. 
The fertilizer companies using the refuse menhaden 
scrap for its ammonia, ranged themselves in line. These 
diverse organizations not only packed the committee 
room on the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fish- 
eries four successive days with a crowd of shrewd, inter- 
ested. highly respectable witnesses, but exerted an 
immense, if indirect, influence upon the Congress. Not 
only were these influences and many others energetically 
at work, but there was an appreciable amount of brains 
in the management and plenty of cash to back up the 
brains. If any particular thing was to be said, editorially, 
in a newspaper, it was procured at just the right time 
and neatly marked in blue pencil, placed before the pro- 
per person through the most effective channel. If any 
Board of Trade resolution or other expression of opinion 
would be influential with an individual member, the 
meeting was held, the resolutions adopted. Some one 
saw that it was done. If a member could not be 
directly approached and his ‘“‘friend” could be, the friend 
was ready at his elbow. Able counsel, amply supplied 
with funds and the consequent leisure and opportunity 
had spent weeks in preparation and could display those 
little social courtesies to members, which, with a body so 
large and so indifferent as Congress cannot well fail to 
be a force in themselves. If a reasonable douceur was 
necessary to enlist the interest of local or general news- - 
paper reporters. the money was ready. If a Fish Com- 
missioner of Massachusetts showed energy in opposing 
the bill, the man supposed to be most influential with 
him was able to threaten him with personal and official 
extinction. If a Congressman showed an unduly active 
