The times., 1898-01-03
HOTEL. CHAIRw ARMERs.
one Proprietor Speaks His Mind
About Lobby Loafers


About Lobby Loafers.
While some of these fellows are max
iug New Year resolutions, l wish they
would resolve 10 let up OF Imagining that
this hotel is for their especial benefit
without cost aud without price"
The speaker was the manager of one
of the well Known downtown hotels,
and there was warmth in his words and
.lood iu his eye, as he delivered hiIuself
of the remarks quoted.
1T makes my bloou boil" he cont inued.
There are people who would make this
hotel lobby a recruit ing hospital year in
anu year out, and walk around as if
they owned it and were entitled to special
privileges. The truth is they do not
spenG u cent here and l doubt If they
ever exhibit the color OF money at any
other place. Where they sleep aud eat
the good Lord only knows, but they are
here from early morning until late in the
night"
Here the manager paused a moment,
viciously bit off the end OF a cigar, ap-
piled match and resumed:
Regular loafers, you know. These
bum politicians about town are the worst.
Oh, how weary they make me. Got
gail? That doesn't express it. They
take the cake-in fact, they are entitled
to the W hole bakery, and would get i t il
they wanted it. We can't afford to put
the bouneer on 'en, for, strange rs 1t may
seem, every one of them has pull with
one or more Senators or Congressman.
They take advantage of this fact and play
it for all it is worth. Some of our law
makers get III >. ed up with queer people some
times, and it looks as though they don't
know how to extTicatc themselves, going
out from session to session permitting them
selves TO be guiled and touched OF
course, there must necessarily be a cause
for these loafers having such pulls, and,
perhaps. some of these causes would not
look well in print.
This house spends hundreds of dollars
annually for writing ma terial, toothpcks,
matches, soap, combs and hair brushes for
these fine haired gentlemen When one
of them wants to writ letter he marches
up to the office and calls for pa per and
envelopes as though he figured as the star
boarder Then he goes over to the writ
ing-ro and makes himself at home, mon
opoliZing chairs and Ia bles to the exclusion
guests. MS part Oh tHeir program
is not just now and then, but it is Of
almost daily occurrence. 1t is pleasure
for US to accommodate citizens and friends
when they find it convenient to drop in,
but deliver US from the class OF which
l am speaking.
There are fellows who never see any
soap until they come i'll here, and then
sometimes we don't see it when they are
gone. This is done nearly every day.
Before we had the hair brushes a nd combs
fastened to rings and chains, they disap-
peared right along, and even now one is
stolen by breaking the ring or chain.
Why. there are fellows who come in here
who would carry off the wash-Stand if
1t wasn't fastened. A great many men
don't half wash, and chat means a clean
towel every few minutes, and especially
in summer. The laundTyuan is the only
one benefited by these loafers, but we have
to pay that functionary.
''It seems that one of these fellows can't
go near the counter without grabbing a
handful Of matches or toothpicks. 1t
may De that some of them pay their board
at some cheap place by furnishing soap,
matches and toothpicks. II they don't I
can't imagine what they do with them
Many of them have their mail addressed
in care of the hotel, and they prance up
and ask { there is any mail for SO and SO,
never caring how busy the clerks may be