Huntsville gazette., 1884-03-22
"THE THIRD HOUSE,"
It's Good and Dad hIemhers-The Remark
able Experiences of Close Observer
of Its Workings During q
Long Residence at
Washingto

Correspondence Rochester Den,ocrat.)
No city upon the American continent has
larger floating population than Washing
ton. 1t is estimated that during the ses-
sions of Congress twenty-five thousand
people, whose homes are in various parts
of this and other countries, make this city
their place of residence. Some come here,
attracted by the advantages the city offers
for making the acquaintance of public
men; others have various claims which
they wish to present, while the great ma
jority gather here, as the crows flock to
the carTion, for the sole purpose of getting
morsel at the public CRIB. The latter
class, as a general thing, originate the
many schemes which terminate in vicious
bills, all of which are either directed at
the public treasury, or toward that reye-
nue. which the black-mailing of corpora
tions or private enterprises may bring.
While walking down Pennsylvania ave-
nue. the other day | met Mr.. William NJ.
Ashley, formerly of your city, whose long
residence here has made him unusually
well acquainted with the operations of the
lobby.
Having made my wants in this particu-
lar direction known, In answer to an in
terrogative, Mr.. Ashley said:
"Yes, during my residence here have
Become well acquainted with the workings
could tell you of numerous jobs, which,
like the Heather Chnee,' are peculiar"
You do not regard the lobby, as body,
vicious, do your"
mot necessarily so; there are good and
bad men comprising that body: yet there
have been times when it must he admitted
that the combined power of the Third
House has overridden the will of the peo-
pie. The bad influence of the lobby can be
seen in the numerous blood-bilIs that are
introduced at every session."
"But how can these be discovered"'
Easily enough, to the person who has
made the thing a study. | can detect them
at glance"
"Tell me, to what bill do you refer?"
"Well, take the annual gas bills, for in
stance. They are introduced for the pur-
pose of bleeding the Washington Gas
Light Company. They usually result in
an investigating committee which never
amounts to anything more than draft
upon the public treasury for the expenses
of the investigation. Another squeeze is
the dbattoir bills, they are called.
These, of course, are fought by the butch
ers and market-men. The first attempt to
force bill of this description was in 1877,
when prominent Washington politician
offered fabulous sum for the franchise"
Anything else in this line that you
think of, Mr.. Ashley"
'Yes. there's the job to reclaim the Po-
tonac mats, Wn1ch, had lo become law,
would have resulted in an enormous steal.
The work is now being done by the Gov
ernnent itself, and will rid the place IF
that malarial atmosphere of which we
hear SO much outside the city"
"Daring your residence here have you
experienced the bad results of living in
this climate:"
swell, while / have not at all times en-
ioyed good health, am certain that the
difficulty which laid me up so long was
not malarial. 1t was something that had
troubled me for years. A shooting, sting
ing pain that at times tackled different
,oertS Of my body. One day my light arm
I'd oO-J ID torture me with pain, there
IouIeAoD eq4 SANS s fsdhses,at heat and swelling
4S1ooueQ- semlL eq4 o. 1sIaads -
eour,Iodm, 70 'p7}IodaI aIg