The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-02
"ThE HOUSE."
Its Good and Bad Members--Ths
Remarkable Experiences Of
a Close Observer Of Its
Workings During a
Long Residen ce
at WaShInoton..

Correspondence Rochester Democrat
No city upon the American continent
has a larger floating population than
Washington Ii is estimated that dur
ing the sessions 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 advan-
tages the city offers for making the &C
euaintance of public men others have
various claims which they wish to present.,
while the great majority gather here, as
the crows flock to the c~arrion. for the
sole purpose of getting a morsei 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 revenue which the black
mailing of corporations or private enter
| prise. may bring.
While walking down Pennsylvania
avenue the other day | met Mr.. William
NJ. Ashley, formerly of Jour city, whose
long residence here has made him unus-
ually well acquainted with the operations
of the lobby.
Having made my wants in this particu-
lar direction known, In answer to an III
t~errogative, Mr.. Ashley said:
Eyes, during my residence here have
become we'll acquainted with the workings
| of the Third House. as it is termed, and
could tell you of numerous jobs, which,
| like the Heather Chinee, are peculiar"
you do not regard the lobby, as a
body, vicious, do you?"
Not necessarily So, there are good
and bad men comprising that body yet
| there have been times when it must be
admitted that the combined power of the
Third House has overridden the will of
the people. The bad influence of the
| lobby can be seen In the numerous blood
bills that are introduced at every session.
but how can these be discovered p
Easily enough, to the person who has
made the thing a study. | can detect
them at a glance"
Tell me, to what bills do 20 refer?"
"Well, take the annual gas bills, for
instance. They are introduced for the
purpose of bleeding the Washington Gas
Light company. They usually result IL
an investigating committee which never
amounts to anything more than a draft
upon the public treasury for the expenses
of the investigation. Another squeeze is
the dbdttoir bills, as they are called.
These, of course, are fought by the
butchers and market-men. The first at
tempt to force a bill of this description
was in 1877, when a prominent Wash
ington politician offered a fabulous sum
for the franchise"
Anything else in this line hat you
think of, Mr.. Ashley ?"
Eyes, there's the Job to reclaim the
Potomac flats, which, had it become a
law, would have resulted in an enormous
steal. The works are now being done by
the Government itself. and will rid the
place of that m~alarial atmosphere of
which we hear SO much outside the city
"During your residence here have you
experienced the bad results Of living in
this climate?'
"Well, while | have not at all times
enjoyed good health, | am certain hat
the difficulty which laid me up so long
was not malarial. 1t was something that
had troubled me for years. A shooting
singing pain that at times attacked diff
ferent parts Of my body. One day my
right arm and leg would torture me with
pain, there would be great redness, heat
and swelling of the parts and perhaps
the next day the left arm and leg would
be similarly affected. Then again it
would locate in some particular part of
my body and produce a tenderness which
would well nigh drive me %fiantic. There
would be weeks at a time that | would be
afflicted with an intermitting kind of pain
that would come on every afternoon and
leave me comparatively free from suffer
ing during the balance of the twenty-four
hours. Then | would have terrible
paroxysms OF pain coming on at any time
during the day or night when | would be
obliged to lie upon my back for hours and
keep as motionless as possible. Every
time | attempted to move a chilly sensa-
ton would pass over my body, or | would
faint from hot flashes. | suffered from a
spasmodic contraction of the muscles and
a soreness of the back and bowels, and
ever my eyeballsl became sore and dis
tressed me greatly whenever | wiped my
face. | became ill-tempered, peevish,
%fretful, irritable and desperately despon-
dent"
"Of cours you consulted the doctors
regarding your diff culty?'
Consulted them? well | should say
| did. Some told me | had neuralgia +;
others that had infammatory rheuma-
tism, for which there was no cure, that
| would be afflicted all my life, and that
time alone would mitigate my sufferings."
But didn't they try to relieve your
miserles?' Yes, they vomitted and
physiced me, blistered and bled me, pias.
tered and oiled me, sweat, steamed and
everything but froze me, but without
avail
!, But how did you finally ~recover?"
Il bad a friend living in Michigan who
had been afflicted 10 a similar way and
Il III To-.
his recovery and advised me to try the
remedy which cured him. | procured
G bottle and commenced It's use, taking a
tablespoonful after each meal ana at bed
time. | had used it about a week when
i noticed a decrease of the soreness Of
the joints and a general feeling of relief.
| p~ersevered IN its use and finally got so
L could move around without limpinG,
when | told my friends that it was War
ner's Safe Rheumatic Cure that had put
me on my feet"
"And do you regard your cure as per-
manent?"
Certainly, | haven't been so well in
years as | am now, and although l have
been subjected to frequent and severe
changes of weather This winter, ! have
not felt the first intimation of the return
of my rheumatic trouble
do you object to the publication of
this interview, Mr.. Ashley?"
Not at all, sir. l look upon it as a
duty owe my fellow creatures to allie
viate their sufferings SO far as | an able.
and any communication regarding my
symptoms and cure that may be sent to
me at 500 Maine avenue will receive
prompt and careful attention.
Judging from your recital, Mr.. Ash
ley, there must be wonderful curative
properties about this medicine 2"
Indeed, there is, sir, for man no suffer