The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-03-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
THE BRAUTTFTuATToN OF THE CITY-THE LOB
BY AND THE swAMPs-THE LOBBY AND TIL
PRIVATE CLAIMS COURT.



but the reek Of the Potomac swamps
goes on forever. Since Washington
has become a beautiful city with
paved streets more solid and smooth
err than the sidewalks of other cities;
with marble palaces as massive and
graceful as the Tuilleries; with doz-
ems of parks that require only a little
more growth to make them Elysian
groves; with statues ond fountains
that discourse history or "babble o
green field" and murmur the loves Of
nymphs-ergo, quo guam neita sint it
is a great pity that these Potomac
swamps, that mingle a curse with
every blessing, and "spice this fair
banquet with the dust Of death"
cannot be mopped up. Congress
could do it with its little appropria-
ton. But congress is a guest who
abides here but two years, subsistiug
chiefly Cd a diet Of whisky and qui-
nine, voting Chinese anti.immigra-
ton bills, anti-NIormon bills, aunts.
sisters, and cousins bills, inhaling
all the time the reek of these swamps,
until their blood blackens and their
sinews crack. Cut this out and send
it to your member Of congress, and
maybe he will send you a package of
garden seed.
The malaria fats would have been
long since improved if it were not
for 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 I'M
der the control of the Secretary Of
War is, that there is no plumber in
it. There is not a penny in it for
the lobby, and it shuts out host Of
greedy spectators and land-grab-
bers, who have long had a scheme
to turn these swamps into solid land
and to sell it in lots at immense pro-
fit. The lobby especially opposed to
the speedy and only honest oblitcra-
ton of these swamps, is q company
of Maryland land-grabbers, the Star
route pIundererF, and q betereoge-
NOUS crowd of lobby highwaymen,
held getber by the hope Of plumber.
There is a measure before congress
which, if it shall become a law, will
do more practical good than any
measure that has been before this
body for years. mean the bill to
constitute a court Of private claims.
1t has been the case for years, that
legislation of broad and national
character has actually been crowded
out Of congress by a host Of private
claims-some just, Some jobs, but all
Of a character too petty to be CON
sidered by the national Legislature.
1t is proposed to refer all these pri-
vatc matters to court especially
created for their adjudication. III
this way congress will be relieved OF
work that has heretofore occupied
nearly one third of its time in COM
mittee and in the two houses More
over, the lobby will receive a power
full blow. Nearly nine-tenths Of the
private claims that come before con
gress are Of a character that will
shrink from the light Of judicial in
vestigation, and a court will easily
be able to hear the tenth claimant
and decide his claim on principles of
law and equity. The result will be
that a large crowd Of lobbyists will
steal away from Washington, and
there will be much less moral and
political malaria about the corridors
Of the House and Senate.