Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-02-26
ruL kIx,.s or THE LOBBY.

JACK DADE-GEORGE sASDERS-CoL. FoRNEY
-CoRNELIUs WENDELL, AND SAN WARD
ESPECIALLY WARD.
Prom Henry Watterson in the Louisville Courier
Journal.
Early one frosty morning, about thirty
years ago, as Col. John Dade Of Nirginyaw
was leisurely perusing a three-column editorial
IN the Richmond Enquirer and getting him
sell together for gin cocktail with Petit.
bones mixer, 81 sam, was sbou. 20 prepare
-lr h-m. somewhat shaky individual,
Wearing . stoye-pipe lat aud a striped
wai>.coat, bristlei Up to the counter Of the
har-room (they did not call them " saloons
IA those days. where the colonel, like other
great men of the period, usually RECALLED
himself three times before breakfast. The
newcomer was stranger TO the Kirginian,
who eyed him susp!ciously over the news
paper. Bat when he Was politely asked to
step NJ ana l.c1e-, his heart was touch
II and, with the politness of one who has
sarried a silver-headei cane and worn a
rU!Llei shirt all his life the descendant of Po-
cahontas advanced and, with bland -four
ish, accepted the profered glass Of grog.
" W HON, said he, have | the honor Of
drinking with ." The shaky individual gG7eA
moment sadly upon Sam, the mixer, and
tAen, gathering resolution from 4 row otdemi-
lhls aQl aecanters around about him, def
ntly replied q" Nv name Is Felix Grundv
Mcconnell am member OF Congress
from Alabama. Ny mother was 4 Justice
Ht the peace my aunt kept q stud-horse /;
and my grandmother commanded a company
10 the Revolution, and fit the British. D-n
,eir so1ls 80 Col. n21y anew h.-aseE up to
Ills foil h-..,a., returned the glass unemptied
o. .ae counter, and observed with much
l-emnity " Sir, am man oi high as
liratiuns and peregriHations, and must
deny myself Of thu pleasure OF drinking
Ul,h You. / bid You good morning, sir,
with which he gracefully waved his hand
ahi retired.
Col. Dade discovered the Washington lob
by, and was its first king, 1t was he who
applied to his friend, John Tyler, fc- a
''sinecuree, - which he explained 10 be a
place " uniting plenty u pay to no work. ="
Tyler mad hiia superintendent of the Dis
.t-s pcui,entiary. His initial act when ha
entered upon the duties of this posi- Was to
summon all the convictS mo his presence
and to address the,s thus " Gentleman,
-Lsm 1 have "A few words to say to YOU.
it ) my purpose to treat you all ike gentle
man. Is long as you treat me like a gen.
ueman, you shall want for nothing. But if
you don't, dam me, III turn of the last one
of you TO root for himself lie died the
possess0r Of a - sinecuree." which Congress
provided for him having been overthrown
from his royalty by the superior arts intra-
duced into the lobby-system during tho ten
years preceding the rebellion
At one time George Sanders was recog-
4.-ed king of the lobby. Forney reigned
1.fnlly, but with an iron hand, for a while.
Cornelius Wendell, however, held his own
longer than either, operating on a grand
scale lie did deal Of jobbing and made
bushels Of money. The war came, like an
avalanche, and swept through the lobbies.
1t proved a reyolltiOnizer, supplanting the
old systsm with the new, and converting :
somewhat exclusive field Of act;cE INTO Z
Wild mobocracy full Of l--is and female ad-
yenturers, each seeking 20 exceed the other
IN exploits Out of the turmoil the figure
Fhic- has appeared most conspicuopsly, as-
suming to himself, and not without reason,
the title Of King, IS 2am Ward
a u.ninall .h1 worlds new fashions planted
.--t Aa.h mint OF phrases in his b-aln.'
ii You want anything done in Washington,
You must 20 to sam Ward. Is it a knotty
lase before the departments which every
body else has despaired of and abandoned
sam Ward will put it through for you.
Would you like to secure the ear of a secre-
tary, or an ambassador? Sam Ward will
give dinner and you'll sit next your mar.
Have you bill before Congress BY all
means c0nfde it to Saa Ward Do you
!
,no right word at the right time like Sam
Ward. Prom stock operation, involving
millions, to neat little party Of four at
Weleker's, from tanning a refractory Con-
gresham to tipping glass of champagne,
from making plenipotentiary to making =
pun, no man Possesses the ready erase OF sam
Ward. This is understood perfectly in the
national capital Go where YOU Will, YOU
hear nothing nut the echo of this mans foot
.tcps, his opinions, his dinners, and his say
,n,s. Have you seen SAM There's
sam . Sam iust went over to see"
Oh, Sam II be here directly" - Where
the devil is sam ?'' - If Sam can't do it,
nobody can" " Sam Il fix it for you"
'' Sans your man." Deyilish good 'un
sam got OF on Robson, eh?'' " Why, Sam
is as Intimate with Grant a. two thieves"
" Sans politics Why hang it, you don't
take sam fer : dam d fool, do You Sans
sst no politics 2" In one word, it is with
;his royal parsonage as it was few years
ago at Washington with a certain princess
a case of Salm-Salm, Figaro ci, Figaro la,
from one end of the Avenue to to the othe-,
in the hotels, in the clubs, in the dwelling
places Of the great and the o4pectant, every
where except upon the hoor Of the Senate or
the House. Alas, the lobby has its limits.
The king Of the lobby can no more pass
those limits than the king. in the fairy
tale. who forbid by magic to eros the hum
BE Threshold Of the swineherd sam sur
yeys these. aad laay say with Pygmalion -
--"Iean 60 so far
AAd 20 No iarther-at that point stop,
10 curse the bonds that sternly hold me back.
10 curse the arrogance Of those proud gods
Who say thou shalt be greatest among men,
And yet inhnitesmslly SMALL
What II is, you ask, that gives this man
the title Of king, and invests him with royal
yowers Behold him as he enters . draw
ing-rooin, solid, square-bu;l, asn, turned
oil ~, with the shqs, crisp gray hair Of an
erlstoey3t os prise fighter, the knowing
sance ci the diplomatist, the dignifed portof
ihe minister, rose in his csat and - smile