The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-05
AFFAIRS IN WASHINGTON.
The National 0envcntism-Talk absat the
Presidency Tho Printing Spsls- Fashlon-
The Lebby-The Business Of tho Session,
&s., &c., ke.

Our Washington Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, Fen. 20, 1850
The waMin9ton LoJ5y-Is RISE, As Resosrcs Its Spl-n
doris and Its Prodioa!iies, and Its Declte and fall
AND the Causes TAereef-No Vixsk Hope or lis Resur
rection This Side the Presidential Election, DC.
The lobby What Of the lobhyr What re tho pros
poets Of tina. third estate the lobby Ais we have
survived the palmy days Of the obby-we in the
and yellow leaf Of the lobby and only mourn the
decline and fall Of the lobby Like the glory Israel the
glory of the lobby has departed, though not without
lingering hope Of glorious resurrection But not now
not this sdo the Presidential electonnot unil the pre-
sent order OF things shall have passed awaynot until
"Old Buck'' shall have been superseded by " H. Sew
ard, or some such valuable man. can we hope fr the re-
urn Of the liberal reign and glorious carnival OF the lobby
The lobby, excepting the Florida war; w@ but
sarveng appendage Of Congress until the advent OF and
brilliant Of the Gaphn and Gardner claims under
the administrations Of Taylor and Fillmore, and OF TIE
great Illinois Central Railroad grant, under the bnedcent
administration Of "poor Pierce" The acquisitions OF ter
rory resulting from the Mexican war, the discovery Of
the California gold mnes and the grand epoch of uhver
sal speculation extravaganza and corruption thus brought
the country exalted the Washington lobby from the
lowly condition of beggar to the splendos OF the ruling
power Of Congress Thus, under Mr. Pierces favorable
administration the lobby rose TO the dignity of the third
estate; its anointed chief Osamus Benaah Matteson,
reveed in the luxurious anticipa.ions of the imperial
riches Of Cardinal wolsey. And these among the
grand schedules of the magnificent jobs Of the lobby
l. Railroad land grants and grants OF Land canal and
river mpfov Cments.
Patent monopoly extensions
g. Steamship contracts, sites for fortlhcstions, aud
jobs for public buildings such as Custom Houses Post
Offices &c.
Indian wars, indemnites. annuites, treaties, ces-
sions, &c.
Private claims of every maginabl. description; and
last, tbOurb not least,
g. The spoils OF the public printing
This magnificent catalogue of lobby jobs involved net
profits to the lobby Of thousands and millions of dollars
Every great scheme, laad grant, patent job steamship
De Indian Job, private claim or printing plumber, was
treated great game of chance dependent upon
intrinsic merits a public measure, nor yet upon the
party divisions of either house, but upon the bersty
the oily appliances OF the lobby. And they liberia,
in the extreme Take few specimens. Toward the close
of Mr. Fllmores of Office in the White House. there
private gentleman fourshing in this CITY, scale
of expenditures which might justify the suspicion that
"the made OF money" He occupied two houses
his family residence princely establishment, the
doors of which were only opened to official characters
and people OF influence and high standing In society His
other establishment ''free and easy, open 10 all
comers but limited in its gratutous supplies TO liquors
and segars.
Thus the gentleman in question avoided the "repressi
BILE conhct which would have resulted from the opening
his house to Tom, Dick and Harry, "and secured
at the time the good will and ASSISTANCE OF Dick,
Tom and Harry who were kept in bssfu ignorance Of
the superior provided for what the good
arsocra Of the ederast school would call the better
sort" And what was all this fors patent privilege,
which the member OF Congress fresh from the rural dis
ics would suppose to be hardly worth the lobby expen
di.ure Of an oyster supper for twenty men.
Another case. The gentleman has his rooms at one Of
great hotels His iberaly Is that OF Russian prince
in Paris. thousand dollars week for his hotel bills
alone would hardly his expenditures. And he has
host Of lesser lights under pay any one of the first half
OF hundreds and thousands with contingent interest OF
tens Of thousands. And all in behalf OF bill for the
tension Of another patent monopoly which about 70 ex
pre-
And yet another. Messrs Smith, johnson, Jones X Co.
have established line OF steamers between San Fran
cisco and Australia But the British government has
tabshed rival line, against which Messrs Smith, John
son. Jones Co cannot compete without the support Of
Congress They apply for subsidy Of half million for
the transportation or the mails They to Washington
The lobby around them Smith, Johnson, Jones
& Co. are taken captive by the lobby They spend half
q million among the lobby. including Tom, Dick and
Harry. But for the scores that have thus been hand
somey remembered there are hundreds who have been
disappointed The House. too Is convinced that the
pany is rich enough to support hemselvesthe bill fails,
the company swamped the line stopped and between
San Francisco and Australia britannia rules the waves
From these specimen bricks the readers Of the HERALD
will be enabled 10 comprehend the lobby operations involv
ing railroad land grant Of two three million acree, and
other jobs according to their lobby capacities from
Indian treaty covering few hundred thousands to pri-
vate claim Of eight ten thousands, allowing from half
to nine tenths Of the profits to the lobby B1t all these
golden times have passed AS the Arst grand tri-
umphs Of the lobby the Gsphn and Gardner cams
the first deadly blows to the lobby administered
In the exposure Of these magnificent swndles Next,
the railroad land grant and patent jobbing schemes
which reached their zenith under 'poor PIERCE were
brought to sudden extinction under Mr. Buchanan And
of host Of other brilliant lobby jobs usually covered
up in the flag e0d amendments Of the appropriation bills
They have been stopped by Mr. Buchanan.
Even the Congressional printing, which, with the
ptullv il1uctr hnOkc of fha
Railroad explorations, was but lately a million or
more per year, is now reduced to pitful
estimated margin OF two three hundred thou
sand dollars. To the hue and cry of the independent
newspaper press to the great financial revulsion Of 1857
to the Congressional investigating committees thus order
ed and TO the disclosures of the bold and shameless
psnces Of the lobby thus brought about 10 the re-
solue antlobby policy of Mr. Buchanan the country is
indebted for the protraon Of this late powerful institu
ton Of spoils and plunder-the lobby.
We can realize the straits into which is driven from
the tremendous pressure upon the new officers OF the
House FOR the paltry subordinate places within gift
and from the absence of nearly all the great guns of the
lobby from the Of action. They not here be-
cause they are not wanted they no! wanted because
they have been found ont the treasury empty
because cid Buck still stands in the way and because
both the great parties OF the country feel the necessity
OF "a decent respect for public opnion in view of the
Presidential election.
Numerous bills have been introduced including vari-
ous Pacific Railroad Jobs. aordag rays of promise
to the lobby; but the is unpropitious and the
lobby is below par. No Pacific Railroad bill will be
passed this session; and from the cashiug party
between the houses. t0ern
believe that this session OF Congress will he the poorest
for the lobby OF any since the OF Texas
The revulsion Of 1857 honest Administrations aud the
vigilance OF the independent press have thus resulted in
the reduction OF this late third estate of the govern men
the lobby, To its original character of dependent
upon the doubtful chances OF exceedingly doubtful
Congress
The gorioss times of the lobby gone. Fast men
and fast women uxuratng upon the rich harvests of
bonniu lobby have disappeared rom the stage, and
must await another OF the great wheel Of the Pre-
sdeuiis election before promise the revival OF the
carnival Of the lobby.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 81, 1850.
Cutting Out the Business Of The S,ssim-SnmethIng Of a
Schedule Union Rsunion, dc
Under the cali of the several States OF the last
days. for bills, resolutions, &c, Of has been
presented sufficient to occupy the two houses
inauguration of the next President including the follow
ing subjects
The Pacific Railroad, several bills.
l. ..olN lint d