The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-19
GATHERING FOR CONGRESS.
THE LOBBY SHOWING Up IN LARGE
AND EXPECTANT NUMBERS.


Wash.neton. Nov. 1S-New congressman
are beginning 10 arrive here to look the
field over and set a line on their iegisia-
tive ard departmental cuties. In making
the round OF puoIe places, the newcomer
is constantly beset 10y the old guard OF
haueers-ou. who suddenly loom up ia
Washington. with the advent Of every ses-
sion OF Congress. o.. here this Old guard
makes its camp during the recess nobody
appears to know. and their means OF ex-
istence is an equal mystery.
The Cd guard is composed of male ana
female characters who lnfdst the corridors
Of the capitol day after day. while Con-
gress is in sess on. oil seeming to be in
terested in some pending legislation. They
are quick TO locate new member, and
unless he is up to date. they are apt %
extract from him loan or any old thing
that is not nailed down. The same charac-
ters are frequently seen at the White
House and in the executive departments
always busy going somewhere, but never
seeming to reach their destination. Some
of them have a slight interest in some an
cient claim, which they continue to hope
may some day be settled in their favor
There is another type of character IA
miliar on the congressional stage. They
are the regular salaried attorneys or rep
resentatives OF leading railroads. CONNER
cial and financial corporations. They re-
sent being called members of the lobby
There are also walking delegates for near
ly every grade of labor organization, in
GLIDING government employees. The letter
carriers, army and navy officers, clerks
in the various departments, and rostmas-
ters of all classes. are regularly assessed
to support their respective representatives
in tn lobby while Congress is in session.
There was a time when senators and
representatives, were supposed to be the
sole guardians of the interests Of their
constituents in matters requiring legisla-
tive or departmental action. Now, every
separate interest feels that it is being neg
leced unless it is represented ia the lobby
The victims seldom complain, but cheer
fully submit 70 assessments, with the hope
and expectation that they VIII be bene-
fitted in the long run. The printers al
the government printing Office spent a
large sum of money jim the last Congress |
10 get an increase in their pay. An attor-
ney who looked after the case for them
received something over $4,000 for his ser |
vices. The printers secured the desired |
increase. and they declare they are very |
well satisfied with the expenditure they |
made in the lobby.
Statesman Out of IA Job.
The lobby Is composed largely of former |
senators and representatives. who are ia |
miliar with the tricks of legislation. Some |
OF them WELD more influence than others, |
and that class manage TO realize a hand !
some income as the result of their labors, |
either in promoting or defeating proposed |
legislation. There are other ex-statesmen |
who are not so fortunate. They are with
out regular clients, and are what is known |
as "jobbers" or runners" Under the |
rules of the House and Senate, ex-mem- /
bers of those bodies are entitled to the /
privilege of the floor, providing they are |
not interested In pending or proposed leg |
slation Conscience is below par with a
number of fallen statesmen, who try to
leak out miserable and degraded exist
ence running errands in the halls OF Con-
gress. They accept fees ranging from |
ten cents to ten dollars, according to the /
liberality of the sender of the message. |
When Mr.. Reed was Speaker, he tried to |
break up this disgusting practice, and he |
offenders. so that they dared not appear |
upon the floor of the House. Under a |
new Speaker there is a revival of hope and |
expectation in the breasts of the spotted
and they are assembling !
here for the winters campaign, anticlpat- |
ing a lively and a PROSPEROUS session in |
their peculiar line of operations.
Anti-Bryan Sentiment.
Northern, Eastern and some of the lead |
No..
arriving In Washington daily, are not dis |
posed to regard Mr.. Bryan as the inevi- |
table candidate of their party in the next |
presidential contest. They realize that Mr.. |
Bryan is making a strong bid for the hon |
u, and no man seems TO be willing to stand |
up before him and dispute his claim to
the nomination. At the same time they |
do not hesitate TO say, but not to be quot |
3D. that they are confident that Bryan |
cannot lead the party TO victory One of |
the ahlest men in the Democratic party, |
who has his state solidly behind him, de- |
clared, in conversation with your CORE |
spondent, that il is idle for the Democratic |
party TO nominate Bryan again and ex-
pect to be successful He said there is a |
growing sentiment among the conservative
and practical men of the party in all d.
rections that there is a good fighting
chance for the Democrats to win, If they
can select man who can command the
He mentioned as POSSIBLE
ties Arthur p. German Of MARYLAND
Judge Peckham of the United States Su-
preme Court, William c. Whitney of New
York, Richard Olney OF Massachusetts
Robert E. Pattison of Pennsylvania, or
some good, practical man from the West.
The Democrats are in the same trouble
to-day they were at The last convention.
They went 10 Chicago thoroughly disor-
gained and uncertain in their minds as
to what kind of a man should be. selected
for their standard bearer. Without any
fixed purpose, or any man IN sight upon
whom they could unite, Mr.. Bryan stam-
peded the convention, and he has never
lost sight of the presidential chair since
In the meantime, he has made very COM
living while travelling through the
land displaying himself and announcing
himself as the perpetual candidate of the
Democratic party.