, 1867-07-05
NUMBER 90.
The Lady OF the Capitol.


Mrs. Ames, in her last WASHINGTON l.,,.,
to the indePendekF, describes some of f',Ie. ~.
female lobbyists aud their wavs IT.. ~ sI sus
'O~ipg .i sketch Is thrillingly interesting:
Leaning back in deep! chair no oD.
near near her' you see fair woman, whose be,n.
'i,ul presence seems at variance with ~.
many anxious and angular and the saw
coarse women around her. The eaImnes.
Q. assured position, the serene sat;sfs ot;or
OF conscious beauty, envelope her and Ho.t
iiolh ner Ike an atmosphere. We fssI !,
even here. Pale plumes droop above her
lGGyeIy forehead, velvet draperies fal about
alluring laces, the CLEAN 81 CcP'HR aGsSg glimpse Of
on dlmPled' unglOved hands. Look long
INTO this face; its splendor of tint and ner.
lection OF outline can bear the closest seru.
tIny., Look long, and then say if soul
sanity as well as serene looks out from nm.
ger those penciled arches. through the dila-
tlng lrlses:of those beguiling eyes. Look
anu the unveiled gaze which meets yours
win tell you, as gaze can tell, that ad uiatiou
Is the lie OF Its life. and seduction the se,
cret OF Its spell; it is the beauty of one who
tunes her tongue to honeyed accents. and
hits up her eyelids 10 lead men astray. She
comes and goes in snowy carriage. She
ghdes through the corridors, haunts the gal
lerles and ante-rooms of the capitol-eyery,
where conspicuous in her beauty. All who
behold her, inquire: "Wbo is that beautiful
woman Z? Nobody seems quite sure.
Doubt and mystery envelope her like cloud
"She Is rich and beautiful widow" "Shs
is unmarried" "She is visiting the citv with
her husband" Every gazer has a different
answer.
There are few deep in the secrets Of
diplomacy, of legislative venality, of governS
ment prostitution, who can tell YOU that she
is one OF the most subtle and most danperS
GUS of the lobbyists. She is but one of .
ciass always beautiful and always tuccessfuI.
She plays for large stakes; but she always
WINS. The man who says to her, secure nv
appointment, make sure my promotion, and
Will give you so many thousands. Does
she wait Ike suppliant? Not at ALL She
SITS IKE an empress waiting to give audience.
Wlll she receive her subjects in promiscuous
assemblage! No. If you wait long enough
you will see her glide over these tasselated
floors; not aloJe. Far from the crowd. in
some anteNroom, sumptuous enough for the
Sybrtes, this woman, as beautiful as natu1e
cpd ait "a Iu ~ il,d1J1y ueWnusreu
magnate, and then tell him what she wants.
With alluring eyes and beguiling voice, she
will besiege'his will through the outwork of
his senses, and charm him on 10 do her pleas
ure; He promises her his Influence, he
promises her his power, her favorite shall
have the boon he demands Thus some of
the highest prizes in the government are
won. Unscruplous men pay willy women to
touch the subtlest and surest springs to I'M
fuence, and thus open secret way to their
public success. No longer the question is.
shall women participate in politics; shall
they form controlling element ia the gov
erDmenH But as there are women who will
and do exert this power, shall it remain cou-
vert, equvocal, demoralizing, base? or shall
it be brave and pure, and open as the sum-"