The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-02-26

mo halls OF legislation and wah TO members
g the Canal Board. re set himself up m
successful Indeed field OF operations was IN 4
untrodden BY any before him. and he cid
not therefore have 10 encounter the opposition as
others who invaded the peculiar precincts Of long
tabiissed LOBBYISTS Nr. Wood be said
~ 10 have built up the canal claim business himself and
Il asserted lie did not find Il unworthy of his talents
Rumor has Il That the smiling oily and nsnuatinq Dan
found the Canals FL Dorado reliable and GER
tain than California or Australia Rumor has a sian
derous tongue, however. and this may be only
OF her malicious inventions. Whether or no
accordns 70 Henry smith Of Albany, Is now "very
venerable and experienced gentleman from Onondaga /"
No longer member Of the third house present
the republican leader OF the Assembly. He has been
member for many years and in tho present House nls
the position OF chairman Of the Committee OF Ways aud
Means. He Is prosy speaker but good worker and
thorough adept In tho tricks inricacles OF egsa
tion He has cw of the glittering but Of tho solid
, Attributes q leader; = decidedly better in manipu-
where eioquence and taking Wit essentials He Is
the recognized champion Of the canals
Any history Of the lobby long or short would be in
complete without some mention Of Ben Field of Albion,
BENJAMIN among the regular lobbyists for he IS not ono
whose aid 10 to be obtained for mercenaFy considera
tons any more than could Grnnol and others OF the
dead and gone He docs not buy and sell for personal
gain, nor does no advocate jobs because he has
be called political lobbyist. He has figured in Albany
circles for number OF years. and has worked himself
ioaOer QO0n management
and remarkable shrewdness. Ben originally Weed
like most of the prominent politicians his party
but he fell out with 1.-THE old man. fine day. and has
ever since been OF the most determined, able and
industrious opponents or the deposed king the lobby
He comes here regularly every winter, boards at the
Deavan during the legislative term and occupies him
self with lobbying for and against bills for political
sons About month or more ago gave you sketch
canvass. It was faithful photograph as far as
With went, sen IS s large plump rosy mortal mortal
IN ND Ha iu otrn
fathomable genius, moving about with thought
full brow and supposed to be eernay plotting and plan
shake Albany TO its very centre He provokingy
ticent, and talks little like most oracles;
gets all hc can from everybody else Ben is interested
oeheye. IN sleeping cars, and has nice farm In
Albion. Orleans county
With these preliminary observations as to the lobby in
general in the and present let without further
ado proceed to sketch the live Of to-day who
to control, each in his way the machinery Of egs
lation.
It is proper to premise that do not wish II to be
dersood that the people whom have and shall men
ton within the descriptions have already given
OF the general characteristics OF the lobby Some OF
them are men who now occupy high social positions.
and who above the breath OF low suspicion. This Ia
particularly the OF few Of the old associates OF
Weedmcn who dabbled in lobbying merely for the love
about to give are of individuals whom common
fame makes members of the present lobby
or of these individuals Van vechten have already
given very and sufficiently correct account but
add here that the which he and Wood met
with the means OF inducing others to attempt in
dependent lobbying. and thus was undermined gradually
the Weed influence, until now the ''Old Man" is
cipher deserted by nearly all bis former adherents and
totally dsregardcd by the now that springing
up ali the State. There his power
aud influence, however What he welded Is now
divided among OF hungry mitaiors each in
dependent of the other and exercising that
large and extended sway both democrats re-
publlcans that distinguished the Weed era great
big job has now to be accomplished by combination
macy and the most skilfu mannuverne while before
the same thing could be done by the simple nod |
changed!
The leading lobbyists Of the present time seem to be
B. Barber Abram Van vechten, Hugh Hastings, |
Thomas G. Alvord Henry smith. Dan D. Conover. J.
G. Carey, Frederick Lit,Ieohn James j. Bclden Peter
son, Thomas B. Van Buren,, George Sheriff.. Waldo
Hutchins, o. p Stuart John Thompson, D. D. S. Brown
Benjamin r. Maniere, Charles vnndervcort ex Speaker
Hoskns, Croffu Nelson J. Waterbury, and some men,
hers and friends Of the Citizens Association. Behind
these and the real powers who set all the machinery
motion. but who seldom appear here tpss personis,
are such men as George Law, the vanderbits Oliver
Joel Wolf, John Kerr Bin Tweed Hugh Smith and 4
host Of national State and municipal officers, besides
many business Of the metropolis interested in the
passage Or slaughter Of certain legislation.
HUGH HAsr1xGS
IL one Of the most remarkable and prominent among
those have enumerated as actual lobbyists HIS irst
appearance In Albany In the r6ke Of bright Irish
sd fresh from tns native SOD and overowng with the
without monev. but managed TO fall in with both
One Of his earliest occupations that Of clerk
hammered away much to his own profit pecuniariiy |
But he attached to him the good viii Of all the fast /
elevated to the dignity Of editor and proprietor Of
weekly paper called the Ssvic publication which bad
INDUCED continually IN the luxury Of sensation
lbe, and its Celtic proprietor finally met bis reward In
the shape Of for defamation Of character
by gentleman named Stone III correctly nformedl
who carried the thing with much that
Hastings IL Is said IN order to escape regular trial. pub
licy apologized for the article he had written acknowl
edged its asy and in fact performed that very refresh
ing operation OF eating his words This occurred
s 70 T.
obstacle, though his enemies made the Of It.
He survived the obloquy necessarily excited against him
long es he ~s elected Clerk q the sous
out Of existence and is quondam established the
Knickerbockera daily paperwhch Ii still in existence,
Hugh served bis term out as Clerk Of he Senate, ana
thereafter took 70 lobbying, in which he has since
become one Of the most famous adopts o. the day. He
mansion In State street. opposite the CAPITOL and lived
in style corresponding win his and elegant estab.
fellow" He Is lively, makes jokes and spends money
freely. His hospitality Is genuine and cordiT. He |
good sense never 70 gel worried when unpleasant
passages In his checkcred caSeer are rnked up |
has "a seat IN the House, being one OF the regularly
appointed reporters of the Assembly, and may be
any day during the session perchcd a somewhat high
stool before still higher desk, with pen stuck
his left and his hands strokng the fuarown whis-
kers that ornament his smiling counenance He Is said
TO have had finger In several very larve PIES that
been cooked in this virtuous capital and he
is worth about $500 0oo His operations are not |
confined within strict boundaries but he has bcersome.
what identified with city bills and has often worked
them through, but sometimes iabored defeat them
He Is about forty-fve years OF age.
d. RARBER
Is half brother Of Judge Noah Davis Jr, the late
formidable candidate for United States Senator against
Roscoe Conking and Ira Harris. Barber took very
active part in that contest and in laborng for the cleo
ton Of Davis found himself II is said opposed by the
adrot and dsshing Hastings who throw his influence
In favor OF Conkng The result Of interesting race
nov matter Of history, but IL not generally known
how large share Of the secret working and manmuver
ing was performed bv the rival lobbyists Barber and
Hastings In fact people shy that these skful
generals together Of course with the Ben Field
and q few others did the chief part OF the or