pull wires

So when the I.C.C. grants his latest request, Mr. Crowley, nicknamed "Pull 80 Cars" for his initials and industry, will have the right to pull wires on the boards of 107 roads.*

From Time Magazine Archive

He declared that he had made no attempts to pull wires for the publisher, and denied connection with anyone else mentioned in the case.

From Time Magazine Archive

I find that there are two classes of delegates, those who are interested in the meetings and those who simply go to the meetings to get a better chance to pull wires.

From Stories That End Well An Adventure in Altruria——Through the Terrors of the Law——The Real Thing——The Old Partisan——Max—Or His Picture——The Stout Miss Hopkins' Bicycle——The Spellbinder——The Object of the Federation——The Little Lonely Girl——The Hero of Company G——A Miracle Play by Octave Thanet

Once in New York, I can pull wires, if need be.

From The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey

It was, in fact, through her ability to pull wires that Robina had so successfully held him up.

From The Three Sisters by May Sinclair