The Washington critic. (Washington City, D.C.) 1890-1890, 1890-02-16
GOSSIP OF THE CAPITOL.
WHAT is BEING TALKED OF IN THE
CORRIDORS.
New York Labor Lobbyists Busy
Congressman walker and the CITY
Postofiice-UrgiuG the Repeal OF
the civil Service,

of the Capitol, and in not few in
stances their moves have been con
sidered by many as mysterious. There
is always to be seen New York lobby
ist or two moving around the marble
halls of the biz national building, but
the number has overreached itself
lately.
According to gossips there are rea.
sons for the appearance of these dele
cations underlying those given as os-
tonsible, and that an effort is being
made to hoodwink the Government.
One Of these delegations has caused
more than q little comment among
the Capitol guGssers, and comes as a
representative body from labor organ
izations in New York City.
1t is said that one of these men in
particular was AT one time closely assO-
ciated with II. X. Thurber d Co. in the
Anti Monopoly League, and subse-
quently gained considerable reputation
as leader of Clone STAR labor politi-
cal parties in New York City and else
where. Dame gossip gave it out that
this individual has won for himself
such laurels that at the present time no
labor party in New York, or in fact,
anywhere else, will have any con-
nection with him whatever.
Yet he Is credited with having said
that he is in Washington representing
5000 workingmen, embodying n large
number of trades, who are anxious to
have the Farquhar Subsidy and Bounty
bill go through that their trades may be
benefited and that an army Of trades
men may be given employment from
the great amount of ships which will
be built in consequence of the in
ducements held out to American ship
builders in the bill. He was given
hearing before the Committee on Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries, and went
home to New York to report to his
$1,000 colleagues" the result of his
trip to Washington.
Other men, it was said, have been
given hearings before this committee
whom the members know have other
motives behind those that appear on
the surface, for and against the passage
Of the bill. The Capitol wiseacres are
not slow in asserting that somebody is
after something that does not embody
the welfare of the workingmen nor
the idea of increasing the interest in
American ship-building.
DR.. John Creighton of New York has
been o familiar figure about the lobby
for the past several days endeavoring,
among other things, to discover the
best means to be adopted by the work
ing class Of this city to assist in
the passage of the act repeating the
civil service law. He claims that
| the law acts as barrier
in the path of honest working people
who are able and deserving OF certain
kinds of employment, but are handi-
capped by the necessity Of being
classically educated. He was instructed
to prepare a petition of the names of
those people who sided with him and
send it in.
1t would agreeably surprise Samuel
Gompers and p j. Mcclure, the lead
ers of the American Federation of
Labor, to take q stroll among the men,
bers of the House on both sides and
hear their expressions of approval rela-
tive TO the near approach of the demand
on the part of the Federation for
universal eight hours day s
work. Congressman Wade Of Mis-
souri, is one of the strongest supporters
of the eighthou move, and so is Con-
gresham Lawler Of Illinois. Both of
these men claim that such law should
exist that would make eight hours a
days work constitutional,
1t is admitted by the members of
the House that no city in the country
is so much in need of a city postoffice
building as Washington. Yet year after
year Congress has signally failed to rem.
edy the evil, because certain real estate
dealers had sufficient influence to de-
feat the bill which selected the site fol-
the building.
Congressman Walker of Missouri
takes deep interest in all District mat
tiers, and yesterday evening said it wns
a shame that the Capital of the nation
had to put up with such death trap
as the present City Postofflce. II be
lieve the solution of the problem is foi
the Committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds to bring in bill providing fol
a commission TO have power to select {
site and let their decision in the matter
be final. Then the question of City Post
office would be settled.
The printed testimony so far received
by the special committee appointed
to investigate the Ohio ballot box for
gerry embraces $50 pages of closely
printed matter. 1t is thought that thu
reports of the committee, the testi
mony, when all in, will make volum,
of 500 pages. The report will be largely
circulated in Ohio this fall by the Dem
ocrats.
Saturday is usually dull day arounc
the Capitol corridors, but it was un
usually so yesterday. They wer,
emptier of visitors and lobbyists thar
has been noticed for weeks past. DC
casionally a straggler would pusl
through the swinging doors only
TO be Immediately pounced on by
an army of guides, wht
assured him in chorus that the,
could show him more of the mysteriou
intricacies of the great building in hal
an hour for 80 cents than he coulC
learn In a year. AS rule, however
the guides stood about in little group
discussing among themselves the mutt
bilities of the past and musing upoI
the possibilities of reaping q ricl
harvest before the darkness settlet
around the big Indian on the dom.
Congressmen Quinn Of New Yorl
and Lawler of Illinois walked through
the marble halls arm in arm. The for
mer is about as radical in his views a
to the holding of the Worlds Fair II
New York as the latter is in holding
in Chicago.
"When Quinn arrived in Washing
, ton," said the brainy Representative
from Chicago che lost his eye glasses