The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-01-07
The Race of the Aldermen.

|. .... The Race Of the Aldermen. -..- ,.
In 1886, it CHANGED in the big city of New
York, that the aldermen elect were sort q.
*'tle,' that is, 50 many wings and so many dem
ocrats. Such thing did not occur often, the
democracy usually having the supremacy
They generally had things pretty much all their
own way, and distributed their favors among
their partizans accordingly. The wings at
length tied them, and the ''locos," beholding
with horror and misgivings the new order OF
things, which was destined to turn out many a
holder of fat office, many patriot overflow
ing with democratic patriotism, whose devotion
to TIE cause of the country was manifest in the
tenacty with which be clung to his place, were
extremely anxiousto devise ways and means to
keep the. wings at bay; and as the day drew
near, when the assembled board of aldermen
should have their sitting at the city hail. var-
Gus lodges were proposed by the locos to out
vote the whigs in questions Or decisions touch
ing the distribution of places and appointment
of men to fill the various stations of the NUM-
cipal government.
Il have it-Ive got it'' exlaimed a round
and jolly alderman of democratic ward
''To-night the board meets-we stand about
eight and eight-this afternoon, let two of us
invite two of the wings, alderman H and
alderman J., out to dinner at Harlem, get
H and j tight as wax, and then we
can slip of, take our conveyance come in, and
vote the internal wings just where we want
them!"
"Capital! prime! Ha, ha, hal" says one
First rate! elegant! Ha, ha, ha!' shouts
another.
'Ha, ha! Haw, haw! He, he, he!' roared
all the boys.
"Well, gentlemen, let's all throw in V
apiece to defray the expenses; we, you know,
OF course, must put the wings through, and we
must give them rouse they won't forget soon.
Champagne and turtle, that's the ticket; coach
for four out and two in Ha, ha!-the
wings shall see the elephantn'
Well, the purse wasmade up. the coach hir-
ed, and the two victims the poor wings, were
carted out, under the pretence of grand alder
manic feast, to Harlem, the scene of many a
spree and jolifcation with the city fathers and
other bon vivants and gourmands of Gotham.
Dinner fit for an emperor being discussed,
sundry bottles of Sham were uncorked, and
their etfervescent contents decanted into the
well-fed bodies of the four aldermen. Toasts
and songs wit and humor filled up the time,
until the democrats began to think it was time
that one of them slipped out, took the carriage
back to the city, leaving the other to. uddle the
two wings and detain them until affairs at the
''tea -room," city hall, were settled to the en-
tire satisfaction of the democrats
-"LaQdlord," says one of the democrats,
whom we will call Brown, 'landlord, have you
any conveyance-horses, wagons carriages OF
carts-by which any of my friends could 60
back to town night, if they wish?'
ooh, yes," says the landlord, "certainly-I
can send the gentlemen in, if they wish.'
Every well, sir-they may get very tight be-
fore theyd desire to return--they afe men of fam
lies, respectable citizens, and do not wish
them, under any circumstances, to leave your
house until morning. Whatever the bill is,
will foot, provided you deny them any of your
means to 60 in tonight. You understands
"Oh, yes, sir--if you request it as matter
Of favor that l shall keep your friends here, ]
will endeavor to do so-but hadn't you better
attend to them yourselt?''
"Wells you see,' says Brown, Il have busi-
ness of importance to transact-must be in town
this evening. Give the party all they wish
put H,at in your fob handing the host anX j.
post up your bill in the morning, and III be out
bright and early to make all square. Do you
hark?' says Brown"
ooh, yes sir-all right responded the
landlord.
Brown gave his confederate the cue step
ped out, promising to 'be in in a minute" and
then, getting into carriage, he drove back to
the city, almost tickled to death with the idea
ofl lo,,, ha aIt
when they all met at the city hall and came up
minus two.
Smith, Browns loco friend, did his best to
keep the thing up by calling in the New Jer-
sey thunder and lightning-vulgarly y known as
Champayne-and even walked into the afore-
said thunder and lightning so deeply Himself,
that man with half an eye might see Smith
would be as blind as an owl in the course Of
the evening. But Smith was bound to do the
thing up brown, and thought no sacrifice too
| great or too expensive to preserve the loaves
and fishes of his party. All of sudden, how
overnight was drawing apace--the wings be-
gan to smell 4 mice The absence of Brown,
and the excessive politeness and Iiberality of
Smith in hurrying up the bottles settled it in the
minds of the whigs that something was going
vi " VIC SF'u7H' s'i'A 'i'N ht'N
better look out-and so they did.
''Jones," says one of the wings, soto voce,
to the other, Brown has cleared; it is evident
he and Smith calculate to corner US here, pre-
vent your presence in the "tea ROOM tonight,
and thus defeat your vote
The deuce! You don't think that, Hall, do
you?"
'Faith | do; but we won't be caught nap
ping. Waiter, bring us bottle of brandy.' -
''Brandy?" said Smith in astonishment.-
"Why, you amt going to dive right into it in
that way, are you?''
why not?' says Hail. Brandy is the best
thing in the world to settle your nerves after
getting half fuddIed on Champagne, my boy;
just you try it--take a good stiff horn. Brown,
YOU see, has cut, we must follow; so let's
straighten up, and get ready for a start Here's
to the sloaves and tishesn''
Jones and Hall took their horns of Cognac
which does, really, make some men sober as
judges after they are very drunk on real Or