If you want to understand American lobbying today, you should research the way it was done in earlier times. A great place to start is the late 19th century; a time when there weren't any rules; a time when the only limits to a lobbyist's repertoire of tricks was their imagination. This work examines six issues and the advocacy practices adopted by lobbyists beginning in the Gilded Age and running through the administration of Franklin Roosevelt. The issues were divisive and generated plenty of heat. The tools and mechanisms were controversial and occasionally scandalous. In the absence of laws and regulations, these became standard tools in the lobbyist's box of gadgets. They also became the foundation of modern lobbying practice. This work will be interesting to students of the US government, particularly those interested in the US Congress, lobbying and interest group politics. It will likely generate interest among lobbying practitioners around the world.