Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-02-15

was no further interference with
Kim while he lived.
When the estate was settled
Washington had . seven days won
der. Norris Peters had been for
years rated a millionaire and better,
The administrator returns showed
a few hundreds of dollars of assets.
There are several widows and or
phans today i'm Washington who
live under roofs which Norris Pet
ers gave their fathers and husbands.
The profits on the photo-lithograph-
ic contracts we're large, but it is
known now that instead Of enrich
ing the contractor they were scat
tered with lavish hand in hospital
ity, in charity and in bonuses.
Elm all Of may experience" said
the oldtimer, 81 don't remember
session so lively as the one OF the
Forty-fourth Congress when the
Texas Pacific and the Southern
Pacific lobbies were fighting each
other. Col. Tom Scott had made
some kind of deal for the Fremont
Ell Paso scheme. He wanted to get
through Congress a Government in
dorsement of bonds which meant
about $50, 200, 900 backing for the
road. He organized the lobby on
magnificent scale. One feature
was the rental of four-story house
for Texas Pacific headquarters.
This house was fitted out from top
to bottom for lobby purposes. There
were parlors for receptions, private
rooms for consultation, free enter
tainment for all corners and polite
walters, force of stenographers
and typewriters in the attic. Scott
would come in on midnight train,
60 at once to the headquarters,
meet his trusted legislative agents,
remain a day or two or longer and
go away on another midnight train
without any knowledge of his pre-
sence getting out. At least that
was the idea when the headquarters
was established. 1t worked we'll
for time. Rut the Southern Paci-
fic lobby, which was on the alert to
see that the Texas Pacific didn't
get the best of the legislation, Sc
cretly hired rooms directly across
the street in another four-story
house. Spoilers were put on guard
in those rooms day and night. A
record was kept of every person
who entered Texas Pacific head
quarters /; of the exact time at which
he entered and when he came out.
1t was noted whether he was alone
in his visit. Strong field glasses
were used, and by this means much
that went on in the Texas Pacific
house was learned and reported to
the Southern Pacific people.
"There was everything to eat and
drink in the Texas Pacific house, -
continued the old timer, and fara.
way longing came into his eyes
champagne and terrapin were
ready at all hours. AS soon as q
man passed the door he was priv.
legged to call for whatever he wanted,
and he got it. The staff of the
Texas Pacific lobby included some
of the most popular men of that
period, especially from the South
There was an ex-Governor from on,
State, an eminent jurist from an
other State, a biographer of Jeffer
son Davis and SO on. The lobbl
argument was mighty strong one
The advocates of the big subsidy
for a Southern route to .he Pacific
had only to point to what the Gov
ernment had done for the Unior
Pacific and for the Northern Pacific
That was enough to make an,
Southern Senator and Represents
tive favorable to legislation which
whould encourage an Ell Paso route
But the trouble was the rivalry be
tween the two lobbies. The Texa
Pacific people made the aggressive
fight. The Southern Pacific lobb,
was organized to see that Tom Scot
didn't get the better of Huntington
1t was composed of men less con
spicious than the Texas Pacific or
ganization, but more experienced
in the methods Of lobbying. /
worked in the dark. Senators ant
Representative we're among tn,
frequent visitors to the Texas Psci
fic headquarters, and their visit
were duly recorded by the spies il
, the rooms across the street. In tn