The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-03-27
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
UOIs WASHINGTON SPECIAL.

that one oil thein ls IN the interest OF q cer4
tain class of lobbyists. Formerly leading
representatives Of the press were accorded
privileges of the floor, but now they are
limited to the smoking room back Of the hall,
while ex-Congressmen are permitted to walk
about the floor and button-hole members in
the interest of whatever jobs they may have
on band. This gives the press about half a
chance against these professionals and their
schemes. II is very well known, here at
least, that ex-Members Of Congress are
among the most adroit and successful lob
byists. A great many of them after their
terms expire remain here and engage in the
business ol advocating all sorts Of schemes
and claims, to their own profit. In the last
days OF session when some subsidy or other
job is to be pushed through they crowd the
floor and GIL the sofas which stand against
the walls, each one having certain Congress
men to influence and prod. The press has
part Of one of the galleries set apart for it
where debates and the like may be reported,
but to secure any real information for the
public this gallery is useless. To obtain u
knowledge of what is going on in the House,
good, bad or indifferent, it is necessary to
have some means of communication with
the members. To the most important branch
of the lobby this is granted to the press it
is vigorously refused. When in former days
the lobby and the press were put on equal
terms by the practice of the House, the cor
respondents of newspapers, who are both
honest and alert, were able, in numberless
instances, to get at and expose and defeat
the schemes of the lobby. But in the new
era OF economy and reform, so called, Con-
gress has, with curious care, both crippled
the press aud protected and encouraged the
lobby.
The Senate is threatened with n scandal
dirtier than the Acklen fraud in the House.
Mrs. Lockwood, a female lawyer, publishes
Il card accusing Senator Hill of disgraceful
irregularities, and the publication of this
letter will perhaps induce Mr.. Hill to call
for another investigation, inasmuch as part
Of the accusation is that he has made APP
pointments in the Senate for reasons which
if su6stantiated, would certainly be an in
suit to the Senate. The origin of this diff
Guilty between Mrs. Lockwood and Senator
Hill was the suit filed by her against the
Scnatorin behalf of young woman, charg-
ing him with bastardy. But the young wo-
man turns out TO have been pretty bad one,
and herself published statement that the
suit was begun without her consent. This
cast the burden of the affair upon Mrs. Lock-
wood and the Senator proposes to prosecute
her. l know nothing of the merits of the
case. Senator Hill may be no better in this
particular than some other COngressmen
could name, but as ior Mrs. Lockwood there
is decided opinion that she is making her.
self too free in looking up cases of this sort
to get into. She has no legal knowledge or
| ability wh0tever,and it is not impossible that
/ she may, as n result Of this conduct, be dis
barred.
| There has been several scandals in this
Congress of various kinds,and hushing them
up, in the hope that they will be forgotten,
is not so effective as some Congressmen seem
to think. There is, for instance, the Acls-
| len business. One ofthe new rules sets forth
| that "questions of privilege shall be, first
those affecting the rights of the House, the
safety, dignity and the integrity of its pro.
ceedings," and any member of the House
may at any time call It's attention to breach
of these. The Acklen case, as reported by
| the Foreign Affairs Committee, clearly affect.
ed its dignity and particularly the integrity
of its proceedings--he having deliberately
deceived the House by presenting us report
Of that committee, paper which was en-.
trely the work of his own hands. 1t is &
case demanding expulsion, yet it has beer
dropped into the safe deposit of the judiciary
Committee, where the Chairman, Mr.. Proc
tor Knott, says that there is no hurry abou
ii. There is no reason why il should b,
brought forward. There are other matter
Of more importance, and so on. There hal
seldom or never been Congress which LpC
so much dirty linen on its hands.
In the matter of Public business there i,
little to write about at present. Deficiency
bills have chiefly occupied the attention o
Congress this week. The Government Print
ing Office has been pretty much at a stand
still for want Of funds The printing for tn,
extra session used up about half the appro,
priation for the year and Congress has no
appeared in any hurry To renew the supply
Mr.. Deirees was about to stop printing th,
Record when the matter was taken hold O
IN earnest. Congressman could not stanc
tito have stopped the printing ortheir "lceJl,
remarks" from day to day. The effort t.
change the system of public printing, or Il
make the Public Printer an officer electc,
by the House instead of an appoin;ee Of th,
President will probably fail. There ar
several schemes to get the printing establish
II. mt into private hands but none Of then
can succeed.
Apropos OF our Navy, noticed during
rambling debate on the Forihcations biz
in the Senate the other day some interesting
statements were made by Mr.. MePherson il
relation to four iron cluds now partly bull
A board of survey had declared that if on
Of these should be completed in accordanc
with the plans followed thus far her armo
would sink her deck two feet under water
1t had been discovered that, if 81 per ceH
Of the armor provided for another should b
withheld, her deck would even then sinl
four and half inches under water. No
QUO Of these iron clads would huat ii com
plcIed in any manner which would reude
It's arnor a sufficient means of defense. The,
had been constructed thus far upon the con
/ tractors own plans, aud at the contractor.
own price, and millions have been expende,
upon them Don PEDRO.
e Save the Rags.
The price ofpaper has been advanced fror
! six and one-half TO ten cents all over tn
country, If this price is maintained, tn
/ public will be cOmpelled 10 nav mora "a