National Republican., 1883-04-21
DEADBEATs IN THREE STYLES.
How Honored Names are Marked and
How the moneyed Politicians suffer.


How the Hioneyed Politicians suffer.
There is probably not place in the coun-
try whore the tricks Of swindlers are more
practiced than here in Washington. Not that
there are any more swindlers here than any
where else, but IL is place where shiftless
people get stranded, and think and think
and plot and plan TO get loans that they
know they can never pay. There is n class
numerous enough everywhere, too improvi-
dent to get on' without leaning on
somebody, that somehow lands here, hoping
to get n permanent lein on the government
This class seldom, If ever, succeeds. The
government, even the most extremely politi-
cal part Of IL, has no use for drones or ne'er-
do.weels. 1t wants honest men who can
answer "hereW with a clear, ringing voice
whenever called, and whose names are good
at the bottom Of a check. The deadbeat gets
on poorly trying to got government place.
so, Of course, ne can do no better than put his
old dead-beat machinery to work and get out
of town in some way. This means that some
body suffers.
There is q style of deadbeat living and
deadbeating on good name. He may be the
descendant Of president, though this is rare.
Some honored and honorable cabinet minis
ters have had poor luck with progeny, aud
more than ono great senator has vicarlousy
gone to the devil in the second generation.
Tho more honored and we'll known tho
name the easier tho game. Not moro than
month ago the son Of most honorable
gentleman, once the member of famous
cabinet, came to Washington and easily
played his fathers name for $l00-
perhaps for moro; the hundred-dollar in
stance is tho only one reported thus far. To
give the name would be to unnecessarily dis
honor It. 1t would not help to get the money
back, though poor man lost it. The
| A. 4.
friend of his father. He was shown every
attention, and complimented on every hand.
The friends Of his father are plenty here,
and the son reaped the beueft. When ho
was ready TO go away ho suddenly remem-
berod that he had no money, and remarked
that he would like to get recognized
He casually remarked to friend of his
fathers, "you know he Is coed for half o
million" The friend knew that ho was, and
| was not the man to see his son want, so he
indorsed the draft. 1t took but three days
TO learn that he had made a fool Of himself
Tho old man" " repudiated, and tho son went
on to "work " tho honored name of his father
somewhere else. This is only one instance.
Honored names are the innocent causes Of
dishonored debts many, many times every
year here in Washington. Fathers get tired
Of idle sons and refuse to pay their drafts,
even at the risk of causing friends embar-
raSSmont. III is well 10 peWare OF great names.
Another frequent bleeding scheme is to
strike wealthy man in Office. The would
be-and-sometimes-ar newspaper men work
this scheme the easiest. The genuine cor
respondents are not to be feared. OF course
a man hates to be disobliging, especially when
he has, as politician, been asking favors all
his life, and so when he gets to Washington
he is stuck for nice little bundle Of dis
honored debts. He tosses them aside as so
many lessons we'll paid for, and balances them
by remembering how we'll he has been repaid
for little favors done genuine newspaper
men.
One Of the Others and perhaps the most
frequent of all the schemes, is to visit WASH
ington, spend all tho money brought, and
then get resident friend from the same state
to go security at hotel This trick is too
common to be interesting and too tiresomely
frequent to be strange.
Senators and representatives are bled right
along. That is regular thing, and they
stand II like little men, or great men, as the
case may be.
Probably the money owed in Washington
by borrowing deadbeats would build wall
around the city hundred feet high If all were
paid at once with interest to competent and
trustworthy engineer.