The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-17
RULER OF A KINGDOM
''MARSE SYDNEY" MUDD, CON.
 CHRISTIAN FROM MARYLAND.
Absolute is His Sway, Even Settles Family Disputes of His Black Com
 stituents-A School With Only One Department.
Washington .2eclal to The New York

Washington s2ecial to The New York Times.
 One of the most picturesque figures in Congress is a. man who In a Maryland district has built up an organization that
 makes Tammany look like a mass meet ing. It is a strictly personal organiza- | ton, but it has all the star Tammany features, with contemporaneous human | interest that Tammany sometimes lacks. The man is ''Marse Sydney" less widely known as Representative Sydney E. Mudd | "a man who has established Kingdom
 under republican form of government. The district takes in part of Baltimore City, but for the most part 1t stretches through the southern part of Maryland | to the Potomac. a region of old families old prejudices, sleepy Colonialism, and | the colored brother. The man is about the slickest politician in either House of Congress, and yet a man of character so forceful as to be almost brutal If the | fight now being made upon him proves | unsuccessful, as all good political seers predict. be will be the dominating figure of the Republican party of Maryland. It has been Jokingly said In the Fifth District: If the opposition were to of- fer $lO vote. the negroes would vote | for Marse Sydney if he only had two" Mudd himself once said, when the oppo- sition threatened to run a very popular man against him. one who had barrels of money at his command: q hope they'll run him; it will add to the pros- perity of my district. My people will take his money and vote for me-" Which was not a boast, an empty and vainglo- rious brag; Mudd never indulges in such things.
 One of the characteristics of the Tam many organization is that, the district leader takes an interest in his people all the year round. and looks out for their comfort and welfare and pays their fines. Mudd has this system beaten to a stand still. He does all that and more. If a man wants job, Mudd will get it for him. even if the difficulties in the way would overpower any ordinary politician, but if the job is absolutely not to be had, Mudd will support the man out of his own pocket until a job can be found Such are his ideas of the responsibilities of an uncrowned king to his subjects
 He keeps the State Central Committee out of his district. He will not allow the Republican organization to enter. You'd only mix things up" he says to them; "these people wouldn't like your ways. Leave 1t to me-"
 Wouldn't Give Him a COnsuIship.
 Not long ago one of his constituents came to nlm ana asked n1m Tor a Con- sulship. Mudd looked at him steadily out of his steely. calculating blue eyes. and said:
 "I won't do it."
 why not?" demanded the constituent. Haven't I done great work for the party?"
 "Yes. said Mudd. DO you suppose I'd send any man out of the country who had done good enough work to deserve a Consulship? I've been in Congress eight years. and I've never expatriated a good worker yet. No, Sir; need your vote'
 to the file clerks room is popularly known as "Mudd Avenue" Here the constituents of Mudd line up and wait for him. and along it he proceeds, deal ing out justice, awarding plums and re- fusing them. It looks like an ancient crowd of Britons waiting to be touched for the Kings evil. The woodbox out side the Republican exit from the House has been the scene of many embryo con ventions. Here Mudd sits when constitu- ents come to see him, and lays out his plans for knocking out the Republican State organization headed by Senator McComas
 Once Mudd came out of his house at S:30 o'clock in the morning to get break fast at a hotel. It was o'clock in the afternoon when he sat down to his cof- fee and rolls Allowing five minutes to an interview, one can figure from this how many subjects were waiting to De