The herald., 1895-02-10
He HObnObs With the Big
City Officials

C1ty Hail It's snap. IL the busl-
ness manager knew what
Man. soft job it really is my
salary would be chopped
next week. But I'll see to it that he
doesn't know.
We'll say it's Monday. The Council
meets today. I'm due at 8 O'Clock at my
desk in the Council chamber. The lobby
is full of prominent citizens, and I'm ex-
pected to read their minds the while I'm
keeping tab on the City Clerk, who is
mumbling over an unintelligible mass
of stuff about sewers on Hope street and
the Free Labor Bureau.
Occasionally Councilman chips in a
word or two about what his ward expects
in the matter, and while I'm wondering
what the matter is anyway, the subject
changes and the grade of Echandia street
is established before | have time to start
the wheels in my head running the other
way.
It's o'clock in the evening when this
thing lets up, and the city editor is now
pacing up and down in his den, glaring
through the glass slide at the foreman,
who is bowling for copy, like fiend. Ev-
cry third time across the room the city
editor pauses and yells at the local room
to know if that cussed City Hall man has
got in with that council 'slush" yet.
All have to do now is to sneak in when
he is busy for a moment on something
else, put my page of dryrot into readable
shape, and get back to the city hall on
time to catch the Board of Education,
which convenes at clock. The board
may be through by 10 clock or half past,
and in that case III get through by mid
night.
This may seem like fair days work to
some, but, then, the fact is, I have an
hour at noon during which l have my
time to myself to roam about the hall and
get news from the Mayor and the City
Attorney, the Street Superintendent the
City Engineer the Chief of the Fire De-
partment, City Assessor Auditor, Clerk,
Health Officer, Treasurer, Water Overseer,
street contractors, janitor and cigar deal
er at the entrance. If time hangs heavily
on my hands, l can step out and wash
down half dozen snkers with a cup of
coffee.
And the other days of the week are
even easier than Monday. Tuesday
morning it's the Police Commission,
Wednesday the Fire Commission, Thurs
day the Park Commission, Friday the
Board of Public Works. Saturday there
isn'ta thing; absolutely nothing except
that the City Editor expects ''ba rrel'
of copy out of me.
Of course, when 1 get slip" about
something or other that promises a
''story," there isn't man in the City
Hall who knows a thing about the matter;
not one of them ever heard of it before,
but very often these very same men will
go out of their way to get me the news. A
cousin of their wifes aunt is visiting in
the city from Skowhegan, Maine, and
they want to give me the item. | find
them waiting in the hall for me. They
lead me off into corner and a look of
profound mystery comes over their face
They don't want their name mentioned,
unless it is necessary, but l can mention
in the paper, if | want to, that Mrs.
Sarah Onderdonk, of Sedalia, Mo-, is in
the city. l mention it; it fills up.
I'm walking encyclopedia of informa-
ton on matters pertaining to city bust
ness. Give me hint; that's all | want,
just hint; the Mayor seen talking with
the City Attorney, or the City Engineer
consulting with the superintendent of the
outfall sewer, and I'll write column with
''scare" head. l can ask City Attorney
Dunn how he feels today, and write a
quarter of a column on the answer; 1
don t care what it is. l can tell whether
Auditor Teale has story for me or not
by the way he shoves his hands into his
trousers pockets; l read the mind of May
ors Clerk Parker as l would an open book,
and can hypnotic any deputy in the
City Hall into giving me story as easily
as can tell lie.