Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-26
THE CAPITOL POLICE
A Tempest in a Teapot Among
the Men.
AN AUTOCRATIC CAPTAIN
And the Soft Snaps Enjoyed by the
FavOrites Alleged Cause OF TrOa Bile.
The Meal Hours aud the GrOwls of
the Opposing Faction - Veteran
OantilIOn's Emphatic Views on
Walking Delegates.

Walking Delegates
The GLOBE was made aware early last
week that there was trouble in the rank
aud file of the Capitol Police, but we waited
until the smoke Of the battle cleared away
and afford US a clear view of the contend
ing factions The following hurry up call
took US to the Capitol the past week to in
terview the government peelers;
Editor Sunday Globe:
very interesting fight is on at the Capt.
tol between the policemen and captain, re-
garding the allowance of dinner hour
lunch hour, aud the detail of thirty-two
men on special duty, this latter coming un-
der the head of favoritism visit the Capitol
use little diplomacy among the officers Of
the force, and you can increase your circu-
lation to large extent. A man named
Weber, the captain s prime minister as he
is called, Is also connected with IT, it is
something on the order Of a Mkey Lewis
state of affairs. A petition gotten up by
the officers for dinner hour was torn up
by the captain and thrown into the waste
basket The members of the House are in
terested, aud a split in the force is the
object Of a resolution to be introduced IN
the House. Il is a merry war in which
such are ably handled by your excellent
paper. A FORMER OFFICER.
The GLOBE wandered around quite awhile
on entering the law-making edihce before
giinleting" any Of the Capitol police. A
glance in at the House showed empty chairs
as il was only 1890 a. M, too early an hour
for oyerworked congressman TO be grind
ing The thinks he-is-t the-whole thing"
who WEARS the undress uniform of French
general and supervises the doorway on the
Republican side bristled his mustaches at
us, and we looked for his hump and tail to
rise in aggressive resentment at our imper-
Thence in furtively glanciug in the door
way A few good looking UNEscORTED
ladies doomed up and saved us, as pretty
Tommy" (cat) purred softly aud gyrated
in front of them as If piece Of paper had
been tied to his tall
Selecting a grizzled- looking old veteran
wearing the uniform Of Capitol policeman,
the GLOBE man asked a few preliminary
questions as to the number of policemen,
their tricks of duty etc. The subject of
trouble in the force was then broached and
Captain Cantillon for such was the name
he gave, said:
Don Z you believe a word of it. Captain
McGrew is a perfect gentleman, and with
the exception of two or three labor agita-
tors among US we are all satisfied with him.
There are some youngsters on the force
who like all lads, are inclined to be capti-
Gus aud fractions, but they while kicking,
mean no harm. It IS these iron jawed labor
agitators, these walking delegates, who
make trouble I ann glad to meet the GLOBE
man Your paper is doing good, and see
you investigate things before you publish
them. Now in reference to this matter
there'is no trouble whatever The men can
go to their lunch aud to their dinner in the
evening The lieutenants arrange the re-
liefs to let them go But it is absurd to ex-
pect an hour at noon and another hour at
O'Clock for dinner We go of at D. m,
and have all night in bed and all day to-
morrow lido not come on until D. m to-
morrow night. put in eleven hours and
rest twenty four That is good enough
for me and you see I am grizzled old
fellow who did my Share of campaigning
and fighting and marching The captain is
an obliging gentleman, and it is all poppy
cock this racket these two or three fellows
are raising. If they don't like things why
don they quit2' Aud Captain Cautillon
marched off TO show visitor the door Of a
committee room.
Here is the other side.
What have you gentlemen to complain
Of in the captain" said the GLOBE to a
couple of youngish police officers.
"Why--he is an autocrat and plays
favorites He has three detectives, one
clerk aud two bicycle police in his Office
and God knows for what The detectives
spy on us and are suckers. Then he has a
whole raft Of favorites to whom he has given
Al.
o a. m and 60 home when Congress does
each day and you know Congress is rarely
in session after p. III. We have to stay
until p. M. and the odd Sundays we used
to have off he has abolished He wants too
much military business about the Capitol
police and fails to recognize that we are his
equals and appointed through the same
kind Of influence as himself It is all right
for him to be captain and TO be obeyed ac-
cordingly. but the rank does not confer the
right on him to treat rs as if we were hobos.
There is too much Of this old soldier racket
around here aud the captain cannot play
the autocrat with us He has been called
down by the Sergeant alarms and every
thing is all right at present but the Lord
knows how long il will last.
The GLOBE has given both sides a chance
and Il seems evident that the trouble arose
from The lack Of harmony between the older
aud younger elements Of the force. The
captain is not lying on a bed Of roses, even
If he does stretch his weary limbs on the
office sofa, and the GLOBE has no dispo-
sitiou TO add to his troubles in trying to
reconcile the jarring and warning factions Of
his force. The special officers or soft
snaps" more than the captains alleged
autocratic spirit seems to be the nub Of the
difficulty.