, 1873-03-23
WASHINGTON,
Some Representative Hen in
the Lobby.
The Cotton-Tay Man and the Great
$7,000,000 Bore.
The French Spo';at;on;st and the
leyee Fellow.

From Our 0,cn Correspondent.
WAsu1SoroS, March 49, 1873,
have no doubt that c1any of my readers ma
be asking themselves, What kind of fellow is
lobbyist to look ct
DEFINITION
i lobbyist is an operator upon his acaua;nt
snce his wits, and his audacity. Your lobbvie
may bo an old man, whose experience, aplomt
suavity or venerableness may recommend him
lie may be strong man in middle lie, VIII
commands what he is paid for doing by
kno"ledge of his own force and magnetism. II
mag bo IN adroit young man, full Of hollow pro
1esslon, who dextercueiy leads his victim aIon,
from terrace to terrace OF sentimentality, unit
that dell is roachc: whe-o tho two men becom,
con1ederates, aad may whisper the truth to eacl
other.
Ron uoIaI1E.
The average lobbyist must soem an agreeable
man. whether he be 60 or no. He ii
seldom so foolish to risk d quarrel fol
no end, and therefore q misrepresentation clr
readily apptoach him and learn the nevs,-there
being tacit truce understood between them,
by which the writer gets his news On the under
standing that he viii! give trouble, in tho way OF
revelations, to none less thaa tho LOBBYISTS
principals. The native lobbyist rather likes to
as he is about, and. if somebody in his own lire,
other than himself, be described enjoya The
matter hugely.
recollect, On one occasion, having it gug-
geEted to me that slsotch on the game Of poker
as played at Washington might incidentally
trend upon character OF lobby influence not
generally understood. The intinnt,on which I
received was, that certain prominent men in
nd ha
the Western game of draw-poker; aud
that certain gentlemen in tllo lobby, know
ing this fact, kumored tho inclination.
and played losing game with the aforesaid dig
nltar3es, IN order that tie acquaintance might be
closer, and the Legislative business in hand easy
to approach 1t il well-e.ta5lished that, ii you
can deceive mau into believing that he has
pllndered you at cards, he feels under eort of
chlvalric obligation: and hence strong lobbyist
will permit himself to lose heavily at tho poker
table, under the assumption that the great Con-
gresham who wins the etale will looa lenicptly
tor. As the appropriation is sure to be twenty
fold the loss ut cards. it is plain tbat the loser
really plays the best game at poker.
e.ISCHIEr AFoor.
On this occasion. vunt d--ectly to couple Of
fellows whom knew to be prime hands at the
draw game, and statcd to them that +
could not play poker, and wanted to
get IN idea OF il, saHs experience. and also some
4olALh Will tO polIL aI[lCiG. 45O[l McQ
entered into tho spirit Of the proposition, and
while one Eat down, with a mischieyous twinkle
in his eye, and gave some inside information,
the other clipped oH snd bought book called
"The American Hoyle," wli:cn he cent to me
under the frank OF the very member OF Congress
who IVES to be the subject Of the article.
TIE coTToE-BCti.
Amongst the lobbyists at Washington, is one
very agreeable, wsu-beLaved, and most learned
u.aa, who is on excellent terms with some Of the
most prominent Of the Judges Senators, etc., at
the Capital. He formerly enjoyed the advna-
tnges Of ] partnership at law, aud in distant
Sta;e was quite Ill influence in politics and At
tho bac. believe thai al unfortunate streak OF
allie, upon speculation involving some lcgisla-
tive proceedings, to mako very much more
money in short space Of time than hs could do
IN year or two by nothodical practice. What
ever the cause, ho slipped his r1oorinSs as fair
lawyer, aud took to tie Legislature every win
ter, but never IN support OF any small 1natter.
his propositions were I'll imperial, aud to hear
countrys. his Gods, aad truths. Ho had fine
way of talking about ''the equities" which he ex-
planned to be something superior in morals to
more points of law end evidence; and, with his
determination. be never failed to be respectable,
and I alwa;s wondered how he over could fail.
Yet he always did fail that is, he could inspire
sufficient lfidence in those who backed him With
money to be kept at Washington from year to
year at their expense, but his proposals wero
preposterous in tho amount asked, that no
body dared to vote for them.
On one OCCASION I WAS bound to New York,
when this gentleman was discovered to have tho !
adjacent berth to mine, and to be my compan- |
ion in those agreeable hours spends sitting
up until the berth shall be made, the lights put |
down. md tho last passenger turned in. I waa |
but imperfectly aware Of his business at WASH |
iugton where he had always addressed me re- |
Ena fl1!fy nd ia mn y1f1ri T
turned to him more unguhrdedly than on pre- |
vious OCCASIONS and soon found myself under |
the glamour of very remarkable mind: Ho |
had spent much Of his life in distant I
Stations interesting in themselves, and |
tho grade Of his acquaintances WAS high, |
and often eminent. He was Prcsident-maklng |
on this particular evening, and called my atten-
some gentlemen whom had never thought Of |
in association with the Chief Magistracy- As he |
proceeded in his talk I felt luminous mind near
me Is truly as if !, had boen sitting close under
crude enough to be original and honest. His
acquaintance with men was that Of one who
ike IN equal. There was bearing in The man
also, and that feeling Of warm interest in my
youth which had the effect to make me feel that
Ihere was something to pity in my associate.
Without any clear knowledge that ho had ever
been wronged, I got to feol that his
1osert had been unequal to his asplIa-
ion, aud imporceptibly the impression was
nado upon me that be had lost his grasp upon
fortune by too much courage, rather than by the
abandonment Of his friends; for, like every man
q the lobby, as l afterwards found ont, he
placed much stress upon personal fidelity You
never find h genuine lobbyist but he makos it a
ooint OF honor that friendship is the last manly
,lement to be given up, md suppose that this is
IN approximate notion to that older relation We
EXPRESS when We say that there is honor among
hieves. At Washington, one hears much moro
# loyalty to ones friends than Of loyalty to
mes country. In fact, one would soon become |
in that promiscuous society by affect
og any undue Or Juvenile consideration for his
ouatry. They expect John A. Bingham, or
Daniel Voorhees,, or some OF the professional or
tors to attend to that kind Of sentiment e1clu-
lively.
Time ran on, end discovered what my quon-
am % companion Of the sleeping-car vas working
=, brain upon during the pending session. He
'ad = = sue scheme, based upon the incest princi-
yes OF e4-ity, to take csc, 1000 out OF the
.reasufy TO res,nd the cotton~tax. I have never
zen aDle 70 persu@19 myself that he did not be-
f Fnf -Hx-.S