Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-24
A LOBBYISTS LAMENT.
Slim Chances for ssROodfe', This Session

Slim Chances for ssRoodie,, This Session
A MEMBER OF THE THIRD HOUSE CHATS ABOUT
CERTAIN BILLS BEFORE CONGRESS AND DIS
| CLOSES SOME OF THE SECRETS OF LEGISLATION.
1.-The occupation of the lobbyist is about
| played out. for this session anyhow remarked
a member of the third house to STAR reporter
THE boys, he continued, "stiIl hang round.
but most of EN- amt making enough to pay
| their cigar bills. Some of em tried to work the
new library scheme for a fee. but it didn't pan
out. There wasn't anybody willing to put up
DOODLE Then. there's the question Of city
post office site for Washington. Some thought
they saw chance in that but l don't believe it's
! ever shaped up. These chaps with their Gal
| weston harbor job think they are big enough to
work an eight million dollar bill through Con-
| gress without any outside help. They're goin'
! on the economical plan Of doing their own lob
| byin' and expect to talk Congress out of over
| eight millions. Why. they don't even know
who they ought to talk to. It's the foolishest
notion ever heard Of The idea of lot OF
! green hands workin' a bill like that through
They'll find a hard road to travel. and their
| meanness II make it harder for IN. cause the
! boys mean to give 'em d black eye whenever
they get a chance. EaGs' ship-railway bill s
| been Withdrawn
! TO CLEAR THE TRACK FOR THE GALVESTON JOB.
Yes, know model of the railway, shown
| how it ought to work. has been put up over at
| the Senate. Can't you see what that's tor? It's
! plain as my hand here. Senators and members
Of the House viii be invited to see the ship rail-
| way model at work. and while they're looking
| at it, Eads and his Galveston partners will be
! talking up the harbor scheme to 'em. It's Just a
/ nice little trap to get Congressman in commit
tee room and talk em over to the Galveston Job.
| You know Eads strongest pOint-at least that s
| what they say about him-is his ability to
| talk men over to his way of thinking. They say
| that all that's necessary for him to crowd o
| thing through Congress is Tor him to have a
! square show at arguing with members
DOODLE SUPPLIED BY DE LEssEPs.
There's come talk of money comm here to
| beat eNicaraguan treaty. don't know how true
it Is. but do know that some fellers are bankin'
on maxim their winters expenses out Of it..
| They say that Duke Gwin. eX-Secretary Thomp-
| son and one or two Others are comm after the
holidays with Doodle supplied by De Lesseps
| to knock out the Nicaragua canal. But if they
do come none but heightened ducks can get
into the snap. They'll want ey-Senators and
| eX-cabinet officers. who can explain constitu-
tional law and set up terrapin stews at Cham
oerins. That's too high up for me-"
SWELL LOTTERY LOBBYISTS.
There are two or three lottery bills hanging
here in Congress. They are iron-clad. too
They put the screws on lotteries and lottery
ticket sellers; but these lottery companies have
their regularly paid lobbyists to look after such
| things. Didn't you know that? Well you
might get good Item for THE STAR by finding
out the names Of these swell lottery LOBBYISTS
and printing them. j amt sure about it. but
believe they get bills to suppress lotteries intro
dueed so as they can bleed their EMPLOYERS
There's talk of the whisky men trying again to
get RELIEF bill through. but then they amt no
| count. They don't give down worth cent
Maybe the last part of the session will pan out
something that'll give man chance to turn
an honest penny helping somebody or other
through Congress. but the outlook is not ca.cu-
lated to Keep man here If he's got anything to
do somewhere else. 1t don't look to me-
though, as if there's going to be any big busi-
ness in the lobby hereafter. To tell the truth,
people are getting
AFRAID OF ANY MAN THAT'S CALLED A LOBBYIST.
The newspapers have said so much about the
| business that people are down on it. and men,
Der of Congress is actually afraid to talk to any
man who's been spotted as belongin' to the
lobby. And, to be honest about it. some of 'em
amt no better than confidence men after all
They lay round the Capitol watching for any
thing and everything that has money in it. Soon
as they discover somebody who has bill or a
claim they go for him and tell him if he don't
let EN- IN they II Jump on him. It's
DIVY OR FIGHT
with them. No honest lobbyist has any use for
that crowd. It's them that hurts the business
and make people scared at the name of lobby.
There's many queer racket worked about these
Capitol corridors can tell you, and If the re-
porters could Just get on to some of 'em thev'd
| have something worth writing about One man
got $40 900 out of certain crowd when the tariff
bill was hanging in conference Just by cheek and
smart work. The crowd I speak of had GER
tain interest to take care Of and they were afraid
| twas going to be hurt That man found out
how the committee stood and then made bar
gain to protect that interest. He never went
near the committee-neyer spoke a word to any
of the members: but when the report was made
and the thing was all right he got his $4,000
The votes Of members have been sold over and
over again without the members themselves
ever knowing anything about it."
A CONFIDENCE GAME.
''HOw is It done? Well, the racket is about
this: You want to secure the vote of certain
member. l know him, and pretend that can
control him. l let you see me speak to him
and talk with him. You begin to believe can
work him. / just wait till the bill comes up
Then if my man votes for it claim TO have made
him do it; if he don't. / tell YOU he fooled me
and that's all there is of it. But there amt as
much OF this now as there used to be. The law
yers have almost spoiled the trade of the pro-
fessional lobbyist They take fee, as they call
it. and that's respectable. These lawyers are
always on the watch for fees of that kind. and
when tleydrop on game of a fellows to specu-
| late on members vote they go and blow on
him. I'm either goin to study law and get adj
| mtted or quit the business. If stay in it I'm
| gon' to be in the respectable gang"
NOT OPPOSED Ed TEE TRACKS.
A South Washington Business Man
Who Thinks that Section is Benefited
by the Railroads.&c. Criticfsex the
Movement AEai INST the Company.