The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-04-08
women at the Natto nal CaPitaI--'
T.a..naa and Character

yvoman nj che NatIo nal CapItaI---
rhaIr Inauenee and Character. 49,
The washington correspondent of the
New York cidEer has the following
-cbapter in his last letter: cit is a strange
fact that women are at the bottom Of
nearly all the chicanery and wire-puI-
ling which disgraces our national capt.
tai. While some of them are eIamor-
ing for more rights and larger scope
of exertion, others are silently and as
siduously at work, accomplishing with |
the shrewd diplomacy and instructive
trtckery OF their sex, greater and more
astonishing feats of influence than the
proudest statesman of the land can
boast of. For instance, 1 have in my
minds eye one whose name has figured /
quite prominently in the public prints
of late, whose power is limitlesS. To
speak in the vernacular of the lobby, /
she has "got hold" on some one, and |
she uses it unsparingly. Now be il
known, that politicians seldom do any
thing for mere friendship sake, but gem
orally look forwardto selfish reciproci-
ty, and therefore 1t is that hundreds of |
meritorious men are cast aside, |
and hundreds of others, without a scin- |
tilla OF foundation for their claims, if |
true merit is criterion, are advanced |
and petted by the "powers that be- |
Fear is a more potent agent than either |
friendship or expected reciprocity, and |
u threat is worth a dozen letters of |
recommendation. So it is that the fe-
male referred to succeeds. She threat
ems and is obeyed. She demands a
share OF the profit in the General Order
business, for instance, and the poor
victim who is influential with the
President, must needs go to that digni-
| tary and obtain the required boon, or
suffer worse than a thousand deaths
by failing or refusing to comply with
the demand. In short, matchmaking
is this woman's "hold." Somewhere
in the past history of a certain civil Of
hcer of the Government, there is a
record of romantic, or rather "Lo-
tharoic" episode. He wooed and won;
but did not hos orably treat fair
maiden. The affair was hushed up,
and the episode buried. Until recently
it merely ranked in the memories of
the few who were personally acquaint-
ed with it; but now it ha s been unearth-
ed, and its ghost is made effective in
Tightening a poor mortal into obe-
dience TO the commands of its grand
mother. To speak plainly, the Govern
ment is mulcted for the "huSh money!"
There is another woman whose pow
er is in her bewitching ankles, pretty
black eyes and curly hair. She has
grown PGSSe, but is still influential in
certain directions. Formerly, she as
pired to large game, and rarely failed
to accomplish her object. but for wear
past she has been Obliged to content
herself with smaller jobs, and works
through subalterns OF low degree Her
reputation was firmly established long
+ since, and for a time she was courted
and hattered by applicants for high ia
vors; but she became too common, or,
rather, used her power too openly, and
scattered her smiles and smirks with a
r too lavish hand. If she had confined
n
OF using it promiscuously, she would
have retained her influence. 1t is too
late for her 10 rectify her error; but she
manages yet TO pick up a few profita BILE
crumbs. and, in short, is now "a second
class Office brokeress. She is unscru-
J pulous, and does not hesitate to stoop
: TO informalities in the way of obtain
, ing notes from one officer to another,
asking for favors, and has been known
i to inveigle certain private secretaries
into writing them with an apparent
air of official character. For instance,
note of this kind was effective in
procuring an appointment for one of
her own sex in the Treasury Depart
ment, after which she undertook to
, levy black mail on her victim, but was
foiled in the attempt by the honest
brusquerie of General Spinner. This
woman has become historical, as her
name has become connected with some
of the most important features OF the
Government policy.
: There is still another woman who is
entitled to prominence, when female
lobbyists are under consideration. She
does not live tn Washington now, but
from pleasant country residence in
Maryland still continues the exercise of
questionable power. Comparatively
speaking, is but little known, and vet
, she receives visits from men high in
official position, and is reported to en-
joy sinecure appointment in one of
; the departments. Her husband lives
, with her, and is said to be a great ad-
mirer OF her strategical tact and adj
illustrative ability. Her peculiar
, forte was pardons, but relentless Radi-
Gals having destroyed the power to
grant such favors, she has been Obliged
10 resort to the office brokerage line, in
which she succeeded well enough to en-
able her TO buy the country residence
mentioned, and is contented, resting in
, peace and quiet.