The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-11-22
ouR WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our own Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Nou. 18th 1877.

OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.,
From our own correspondent j
WASHINGTON, Nou. 10Th 1877.
While Congress is pegging away
at the various matters within the
range of its duties-and a mighty
wide range it is, too-of which the
public is fully advised by the tele-
graph and the daily press, there are
other things pertaining to capital life
equally interesting to the people at
large. One adjunct of a legislative
body is the lobby, and it has in
times past been a monster institu-
tion and a power here in Washing
ton. There ara hundreds of sharp,
insinuating, managing men, who,
year in and year out, have no DEEPEN
dence in life but what they realize
for their "infuence" in aid of va
rious private schemes against the
public treasury. Some of these get
pay for what they possess only in
imagination, but many Of them have
settled down as permanent residents
of Washington, with handsome for
tunes, spending the summer months
in luxury and leisure at whatever re
sort best pleases their fancy. Yet
now and then there is one whose
particular enterprise has "hung fire.
and whose commissions have, there
fore, not apanned out" so to speak.
This class is found at the beginning
of a new session on the ragged
edge" and clothed, if not in "rag-
ged," at least in "seedy," garments.
But they never say die. To use
Secretary Stanton's famous express
sion, they "stick," living illustra-
tions of the truism. LAS long as
there is life there's hope"
The last Congress saw less of the
lobby than has been known before
in many years. 1t wasn't a good
time for enterprises" The times
were SO hard that public sentiment
demanded economy, and then so ma
ny exposures of previous money
making schemes had come to the
light, and so much of the public do
main had melted away, as it were
only to enrich q few individuals or
corporations, that the new Congress
was compelled at the outset to take
a bold stand against grabs of every
description. This invoked curses
loud and deep against what was term,
ed Congressional littleness and
meanness, but there was nobody hurt.
It was said that for certain reasons
there would be a grand revival when
the present Congress came in, and
that there would be an old-time
sfeast of reason and flow of SOUP al
the clubs, ETC., while the lobby held
high carnival in the ante-looms and
halls of Congress. But present in
dications are that this expectation
was o delusion and a snare. There
was a gathering of clans the first
week or two, but now matters are
quiet. The system of the new Door
keeper relative to admission to the
floor of the House is hard on these
operators. They cannot readily gel
at the members when in session, an6
that seriously cripples them. Ton
SCOTS Texas Pacific enterprise wa:
looked upon as one of the most fruit
full, but hope is nov very low in tina
direction. 1t is an ascertained fac
that not more than sixty members o
the House, in both parties, will favol
the bill. Speaker Randall made III
the Pacific Railway Committee in
manner calculated to give the prop
osition a hearing; but, according tt
the best information l can obtain
its friends do not anticipate any
thing more than a report this win
ter. To sum up, while there are nu
merous enterprises and interest
which have their representative
and agents here, the occupation G
the lobby, as it once existed, is sub
s~tantially gone. In a future letter
shall refer to the ofice-seeking an
society features of Washington life.
The annual report of the Commi.
sioner of Agriculture, just issue
and ready for distribution, contain
many things of interest to the gel
eral reader. The volume is unusua
ly compact and well arranged, an
there are several new subjects trea
ed. In looking through the book,
notice an article concerning "a SUI
%cessful Insect Destroyer" accon
} panied with a drawing or cut of til
/ invention. 1t is a new thing, patel
!. ted during the year, and promises
be a great benefit to the farmin
and fruit-growing community. II
! annual destruction of crops of frui
cotton, corn, tobacco, and vegetabl
q by the curculio, cottonboll, arm
cut, and tobacco worm amounts
millions of dollars. OF all the n
e merous remedies tried none have
far proved successful. The .Litt
Turk" as the curculio is called, b
almost driven plumb culture fro
the country, while the ravagcs of tt
other species named are immen.
, These worms are all Matched frc
eggs laid by miller andbeetle insec
that fly at night, and T east
If caught by a properly arraigned ligl
b 1t is estimated that these insects Z
post from 10000 to 1,O00,O 900 eg
. each, according to the species,
the seventeen days of their avera
h life. If therefore, the insects can
V destroyed before appearing in
70 worm stage of existence, this "
prove the most successful point
II attack. The device referred to
is the Commissioner was patented b,
q firm in Russellville, Arkansas-P
ton & Duke, / believe-and consi
. of a peculiarly constructed Ian
which is to be lighted and set OF
pan filled with water, the bottom