The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-03-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.

IHE BEAUTIFICAT1oN OF THE CITY
THE LOBBY AND THE swAMPs-TuF
LOBBY AND THE PRIVATE CLAIMS
COURT.
Washington, D. c., March 10, 1882
Congresses come and Congresses
go, but the wrecks of the Potomac
s~amps gees on forever. Since
Washington has become beautiful
city with paved streets more SOLID
and smoother than the sidewalks oil
other cities; with marble palaces as
massive and graceful as the TuiIIer.
les; with dozens Of parks that require
only little more growth to make
them Elysian groves; with statues
and fountains that discourse history
or "babl'le o green fiel,!s'' and mur-
muir the loves of nymphs-Eyyo,
Qnde Qatuna ata Siat, it is a great pity
that these Potomac swamps that
mingle curse with every blessing,
and ''spice this tair banquet with the
dust OF DEATH" cannot be mopped
mp. Congress could do it with its
little appropriation. But Congress
is guest who ahi;les here but two
years, subsisting chiefly on a diet of
whisky and qninine, voting Chinese
anti-imnigralion bills, anti-moI-non
bills, aunls, sist. rs, and cousins bills,
inlaling all he time the reek of these
swamps, until their blood bIackens
and their sinews crack. Cut this out
and send it TO your member of Con-
gress, and maybe he will send you
package of garden seed.
The malaria flats would have been
long since improved if it. were no,
tor the lobby. There is always this
monster ready to strangle any good
measure that it cannot convert to its
gain. The trouble with the plan
now recommended for the removal
of these swamps, placing the work
under the control OF the Secretary OF
War, is that thereIs no plunler in it.
There is not q, penny i'll it for the
lobby, and it shuts out host of
greedy spc. ulators and land-grao- ,
bers, who have long had a scheme 70
turn these swamps into solid land
and sell it in lots at an immense
profit. The lobby especially opposed
TO the speedy and only honest oblit-
Grafton Of these swamps, is ccm-
pany of Maryland land-grabbers, the
Star ronte plunderers, and a hetero-
genious crowd of lobby highwaymen,
held together by the hope of pIunder.
There is a measure before Congress
now which, if it shall become law,
will do mo e practical good than
any measure that has been before
this body for ye;rs. I mean the bill
to constitute court of private
claims. 1t has been the case fo,
years, that legislation of broad and
national character has actually been
crowded out of Congress. by hos,
of private cla;ms-some just, some
Jobs, but all of character too petty
tc be considered by the National
1t is pro posed TO l., fer
all these private matters to Il court
especially created for their adjudi
cation. In this way Congress will
be relieved Of work that has hereto
fore occupied nearly one-thirl Of It's
lime in committee and in the two
houses. Moreover, the Lobby will
receive powerful biz ". Nearly
of the private claims
that come before Congress are of a
character tha. will shrink from the
light of judicial investigation, aud
a court will easily be able to hear
The tenth claimant and decide | is
.laim on principles of law and equity.
The result will be that a large crow.l
Of lobbyists will steal away from
and there will be much !
less moral and political malaria
about the corridors of the House
and Senate.