Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-02-03
THE KINGS OF THE LOBBY.
Jack Dade-GeOrEe Sanders-C0l. For.
ney-Cornelfus Wendell, and Sas.s
Ward-EsPectallv "ar6

lffp7' t1t9uy WdtteTsOn iH Louisville CbsG-JouT.l
Early one frosty morning, about thirty
years ago, as Col. John Dade, of Nirginyaw,
was leisureiy perusing three-column e1ito-
rial in the Richmond Enquirer and getting
himself together for the gin-cocktail which
Petitioners mixer, sam" was about To pre-
pare for him, a somewhat shaky individual,
wearing a StOye-pi,,e hat and striped waist
coat. hristled up TO the counter of the bar
room tthey did not call them saloons in
those days., where the colonel, like other
great men of the period, usually RECALLED
himself three times before brea kfast. The
newcomer was stranger To the Virgin
ian, who eyed him suSpiciOuSly over his
newspaper. But when he was politely
asked to ''Step up and lici1er,' his heart
was touched, and with the politeneSs of one
who has carried a silyer-headed cane and
worn rIffiedYshirt all his life, the descend
ant of PocahontaS advanced and, with n
bland flourish, accepted the proffered glass
of grOg. Who" said he, - have | the honor
of drinking WITH" The Shaly individual
gazed moment sadly upon Sam, the mixer.
and then. gathering resolution from the row
OF demiiohns and deCantors around about
him. denantly replied Sc Ny name is Felix
Grundy Mcconnell. / am member of Con-
gress from Alabama. Ny mother was jus
tice OF the peace. my aunt kept a Stud-hOrSe;
ard my grandmother commanded COM
Eany in the Revolution, and fl the British,
damn their sOulS!' Col. Dade drew himself
up to his full hight. returned the glass I'M
emf tied To the counter, and observed with
much Solemnity 80 Sir, | am man OF high
aspirations and organizations. and must
you. | bid you COOL morning sir" with
which he gracefully waved his hand and re-
tired.
Colonel Dade discovered the Washington
lobby, and was its first king 1t was he who
applied to his friend, John Tyler, for a 'sine-
cure. which he explained 20 be Il place
uniting plenty ofpay 10 no work Tyler
made him superintendent of the District
penitentiary. His initial act when he entered
upon the duties of this post was to summon
al the convicts into his presence and 10 adj
hot Lon oh Y
hut q few words to say to You. Ii is my pur
pose TO treat you all like gentlemen. AS long
"a you treat me like gentleman, You shall
want for nothing. But if you don t. dam me,
I'll turn Off the last one of YOU to root for
himself" He died the pOsseSSOr of a '.sine-
cure which Congress provided for him hav-
ing been OVcrthrOwn from his royalty by the
superior arts introduced into the lobby Sys-
tenn during the ten years preceding the re-
bcllion.
At one time George Sanders was n rpcoo-
nized king of the lobby. ForEey reigneI fit
fully, but with an iron hand, for Il while.
Cornelius Wendell, however. held his own
longer than either. operating on grand scale.
lie dld deal OfJObbng and made bushels OF
money. The war came like an avalanche,
and swept through the Hobbies 1t proved
reyolutionizcr, suppianting the old system
with the new, and converting q somewhat
exclusive field of action into a wild mobOc-
racy full of male and female adventures
each seeking to exceed the other i'm exploits
Out of the turmoil the figure which has an
peared most conspicuOusly, assuming to him
sell and not without reason, the title of king,
is sam Ward
"A man in all the world new fa-hions planted
That hath mint of phrases ia his brain.
If you want anything done at Washington.
you must go TO Sam Ward. Is it a knotty
case before the departments which every
body else has deSpaired of and abandoned
sam Ward will put il through for you.
Would you like 10 secure the ear of secre-
tary, Senator or an ambassador? Sam
Ward will give dinner and you'll sit next
your man. Have you a bll before Congress
BY all means cOnlide it 10 Sam Ward. Do
you seek an appointment? No one can eIpa
IN the right word at the right time like sam
Ward. From a stock operation. involving
millions, to a neat little party III four at
Welcker's, from tanning a refractory Con-
gresham to tipping glass of champagne,
nom making plenipOtentiary To making
a pun, no man possesses the ready grace of
Sam Ward. This is understood perfectly
IN The national capital. Go where Won
will, you hear nothing but the echo of
this mans footsteps, his opinions, his dinners
and his sayings. Have you seen SAM
" There's Sam" " Sam Just went over to
see -" '.Oh sam IL be here directlv.|
Where the devil is SAM If Sam can't
90 IL, nobody can" ''Sam,ll fix il for you
got off on Robson, eh?'' why, Sam is as
intimate with Grant as two thieves"
"Sam's politics! Why, hang il, you don't
take sam for dam'd fool. do you? Sans
got no pOlltlcS!' In one word, ID is with this
royal parsonage as it was few years ago at
Washington, with certain priucesS-a case
of Salm Salm, Figaro ci, Figaro Ia, from one
end OF the avenue TO the other, in the hotels,
In the clubs, in the dwelIing-placaS OF the
great and the eXpectant, everywhere except
upon the floor 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, III the fairy tale. who was forbid by
magic 10 cIOSs the humble threshold of the
sWIebeTd. sam surveys these, and may say
And GO fart her-at that point ,top,
.11r 30 uHz hat At TpIN m a ma hoo
10 curee The arrogance ol th"s" proud gods
And Yet infinite sinally small. =
What Is II, you ask, that gives this man
the title Of king, and invests him with royal
powers? Behold him a he enters q drawing
room, a solid, square built man. turned OF
%, with the short, crisp, gray hair Of an aris-
tOcrat or the prize fighter the knowing glance
OF the diplomatist, the dignified port OF the
minister, q rose in his coat and IA smile fOr
each and IoI ALL y ruddy Monte CristO, IN
intellectual TurveydrOp: q classic Jim Fisk
Iaileyrand without commission in his
pocket ana without crutch. Henry Clay
or Junius BrutuS Booth materialZed into q
Struggling COmmOncr ''WhO must live. and
mas only his wit to live upon. His wit? il is
very scholarly and renchant. He is rs apt
and reconcile rs poor old Alexander DimitTy
He - as Sciniiilant aS Reverdy Johnson. He
is quite as effective racOnteur as Robert J.
walker or John Thompson GraY-WithOut
Office; without fortune; with Oniy his wit
Quld rides? The man is not "A shallow
pated humbug: he l. a good scholar: he is "a
memory, snd vast experience of the world
The statesman does not avoid him as q mere
ADVENTURE, because he interests the states
man; and statesmen, like other people. nave
their emotions, and are moved. Genius will
tell, and there is-ih this Wretched, Old
CrO1chety world of Shame-a genius for fail
ure which cOncIllateS the genius of success
successful man Is ever battered by the at
tcHtiOn, and usually pleased by the compan-
lOnshIp, of 4 brilliant failure, who does not
happen 10 be cynlc or a bore. He sees his
superior beneath him-loVely prOSpect-and
ne smiles with gOOJ-natured cOmplacenCy,
and Will listen and do. This constitutes sam
Warts power. sJhere is no place az Wash
ingtOn which Sam Ward ihaS not the
capacity 10 fill with diStinctiOn-givIng
MIN fair cOndItiOnS-frOm that of BfiS-
tow TO that OF Schurz, running along
through the rondeau Of government business
You ask why, then, is he a mocl<-monarch
with crown Of straw upon his mead? 1t is
The tate of some men to fribble away their
lives. 70 them life is a M ere comedy. Thew
eVade It's tragic places by sacrificing its
SplendOI; and they end, as all ambition ends
In grand finale of disappointment and re-
greet. IL IS not our purpose 10 dis ect, psy-
chologlcally, this present king of the lobby
VINO has given US such n graphic and anus
ing sketch of himself and his vocation. We
merely take his visible nan iii outline and
IN charcoal; leaving his strange Caree,-like
that OF other he .Oes-hid in mist. Who is he?
Whence came he? Bless your simple soul.