Dolores Ortega. Wife of Peruvian Minister; bright and vivacious, and uses her hands a great deal as she talks, in the Latin-American fashion. Senator Dowsett. Fifty years of age; well preserved. Mrs. Dowsett. Stout and middle-aged. ACT I A ROOM IN THE HOUSE OF SENATOR CHALMERS Scene. _In Senator Chalmers' home. It is four o'clock in the afternoon, in a modern living room with appropriate furnishings. In particular, in front, on left, a table prepared for the serving of tea, all excepting the tea urn itself. At rear, right of center, is main entrance to the room. Also, doorways at sides, on left and right. Curtain discloses Chalmers and Hubbard seated loungingly at the right front._ {Hubbard} (_After an apparent pause for cogitation._) I can't understand why an old wheel-horse like Elsworth should kick over the traces that way. {Chalmers} Disgruntled. Thinks he didn't get his fair share of plums out of the Tariff Committee. Besides, it's his last term. He's announced that he's going to retire. {Hubbard} (_Snorting contemptuously, mimicking an old man's pompous enunciation._) "A Resolution to Investigate the High Cost of Living!"--old Senator Elsworth introducing a measure like that! The old buck!---- How are you going to handle it? {Chalmers} It's already handled. {Hubbard} Yes? {Chalmers} (_Pulling his mustache._) Turned it over to the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate. {Hubbard} (_Grinning his appreciation._) And you're chairman. Poor old Elsworth. This way to the lethal chamber, and the bill's on its way. {Chalmers} Elsworth will be retired before it's ever reported. In the meantime, say after a decent interval, Senator Hodge will introduce another resolution to investigate the high cost of living. It will be like Elsworth's, only it won't. {Hubbard} (_Nodding his head and anticipating._) And it will go to the Committee on Finance and come back for action inside of twenty-four hours. {Chalmers} By the way, I see _Cartwright's Magazine_ has ceased muck-raking. {Hubbard} _Cartwrights_ never did muck-rake--that is, not the big Interests--only the small independent businesses that didn't advertise. {Chalmers} Yes, it deftly concealed its reactionary tendencies. {Hubbard} And from now on the concealment will be still more deft. I've gone into it myself. I have a majority of the stock right now. {Chalmers} I thought I had noticed a subtle change in the last two numbers. {Hubbard} (_Nodding._) We're still going on muck-raking. We have a splendid series on Aged Paupers, demanding better treatment and more sanitary conditions. Also we are going to run "Barbarous Venezuela" and show up thoroughly the rotten political management of that benighted country. {Chalmers} (_Nods approvingly, and, after a pause._) And now concerning Knox. That's what I sent for you about. His speech comes off tomorrow per schedule. At last we've got him where we want him. {Hubbard}