The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-01 00:00:00

211 E LOBBY SYSTEM.

( From the Anglo-American Tinzes)
Some of the leading newspapers of Massachu-
setts, more especially the Springfield Republican,
have lately made a vigorous stand against the tide
of corruption which had invaded even the Legisla-
ture of that State. Some time ago one of its cor•
respondents writing from Boston described the sys-
tem of log-rolling and bribery, an I openly furnished
the names of those who worked as agents. Head-
ing his letter " The Spoilers, the Spoiled, and the
Spoils," he gave this curious information for the
benefit of the voters of Massachusetts. 46 The
chief man of the lobby is E. D. Foster, of
Cheshire, a rough, tobacco-chewing Yankee, who
was cut out for a first-rate horse jockey, but is
probably spoiled now for any honest (?) occupation.
He goes here by the name of " General," though
whether the title was gained in the Home Guards
or from his skill in marshaling his legislative forces
Ido not know. His chief assistant and fugleman is
Robert C. Nichols, of Boston, usually called " Bob"
for short, Charles Porter, and one Young, also of
Boston, and lesser lights are ".Gen." John L. Swift
and Henry A. Marsh, the latter the chief en-
gineer and manager of the P. L. L's. It should
be mentioned, and I particularly call the atten-
tion of Collector Russell to the fact, that Nichols,
Young, and Swift are officers in the Custom
House, and ought to have, if they have not, some
regular duties there besides drawing their salaries.
The lobby assignation house is at No. 5, Avon-place,
a quiet, if not respectable locality, leading off from
Washington-street, near the Theatre Comique•
The proprietor of the house is Charles Hayward,
formerly a lawyer of Springfield, or perhaps it
would be more correct to say the proprietor is Mrs.
Hayward, his wife. In this house the lobby have
rooms, and there the members of the Legislature
are invited to a " free and easy" every Tuesday and
Thursday evening during the session. There
" General" Foster and "Bob" are always to be
found, one attending at the door, while the other
I,pours out the liquors. From eight o'clock in the
evening till twelve or two o'clock a.m. mein'
hers of the Legislature come and go. Liquors
and cigars are plenty and free, and there are
facilities for a hand at cards, for all who like, se
that it is no wonder all get pretty jolly, and no
remark is excited when the President of the
Senate joins the model farmer from Bolton, Mr.
Howe, in a jovial song or dance. On breaking
up, each member is reminded that a " little mat'
ter" is coming up to-morrow, which it is im•
portant to have passed, and the little matter al-
ways passes. It is said that 2,500 dollars a year
rent is paid for the place, and so anxious are
some of the members to have it kept up that they`
even contribute to its support. For instance, this
year Mr. Howe, of Bolton, is put down for 200
dollars, and doubtless he will get his money back
in some way. This is the place where President
Clark, of the Agricultural College, was wont to re-
fresh himself in former times after his arduous
labours in behalf of the prohibitory law, and here
is where the Senator from Eastern Hampden, Mr•
Alexander, has taken those degrees in sanctity that
entitled him to canonization at the hands of the
North Adams people, assembled last week to haTe
a jollification over the success of the tunnel. Here
it is claimed that thirty of the forty Senators,
eluding the President, have had their convivial
head-quarters during the past session, and three'
fourths of the House have been more or less con'.
stant attendants. If Berkshire people want to knoll
more about this place, let them ask one of the Pitts'
field Representatives, and the people of Franklin
may apply to their Senator." The correspondent
asserts the corrupting influence to be due to the
Hoosac tunnel, and so powerful and bold has the
lobby become that at a public dinner given by the
State printers it was defended and justified as a
necessary and meritorious adjunct of the Legislv
ture—indeed the third house. The lobby does not
receive much money from the tunnel interest;
they work together, each aiding the other, the
lobby being paid by jobs it can put through with
the aid of the tunnel interest, and in return always
forwarding that interest. For instance in the cor'
respondent's words, " that iniquitous measure, the
Maverick East Boston Bridge project, never would
have gone through, especially over the Governor's
veto, if its friends had not promised to vote for
the tunnel. It is notorious that Towne, of Fitch'
burg, and Tompkins, of East Boston, made the I
bargain. The appropriation for Provincetown har'
bour would have been voted down if the south shore
folks had not gone for the tunnel. The permission
given to the towns along the line of the Williams'
burg and North Adams Railroad to take stock in
the enterprise would have been withheld had not the
advocates of that measure given in their adherence
to the tunnel. It has come to be useless for any`
honest man to try to get any honest measure through
our Legislature on its merits alone." If the cor'
respondent has not grossly exaggerated, we map
reasonably ask—if such things can be done in th°,
green tree, what can be done in the dry'

The Humboldt Register reports the discovery DI
Nevada of a mine large enough to supply the world wit 4
quicksilver for many years.

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