Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-03-22
"THE THIRD HOUSE.
It's Good and Bad Membership Re-
markable Experience Of Close
Observer of its Workings Dur
ing a Long Residence at
Washington.

Correspondence Rochester Democrat.
No city upon the American CONT
nent has larger floating population
than Washington. 1t is estimated that
during the sessions of congress twenty
FIVE thousand people, whose homes are
in this and other countries, make this
city their place of residence. Some
come here, attracted by the advantages
the city offers for making the acquaint-
ances Of public men; others have va
rious claims which they wish to present,
while the great majority gather here,
as the crows flock to the carrion, for
the sole purpose of getting morsel at
the public crib. The latter class, as
general thing, originate the. many
schemes which terminate in vicious
bills, all of which are neither directed
at tie public treasury, or toward that
revenue which the matchmaking Of
corporations or private enterprises may
bring.
While walking down Pennsylvania
avenue the other day met Mr.. VIM.
M. Ashley, formerly of your city,
whose long residence here has made
him unusually we'll acquainted with
the operations of the lobby.
Having made my wants in this par
ticular direction known, in answer to
an interrogative, Mr. Ashley said:
eyes, during my residence here l
become well acquainted with the
workings of the Third House, as it is
termed, and could tell you of numer.
our jobs, which, like the Heather
Chinee, are peculiar.
"You do not regard the lobby, as a
body, vicious. do your"
mot necessarily so, there are good
and bad mem comprising that body;
yet there have been times when il
must be admitted that the combined
power of the Third House has over
ridden the will of the people. The
bad influence of the lobby can be seer
in the numerous blood>bills that are
introduced at every session."
But how can these be discovered?'
easily enough, to the person who
has made the thing study. / car
detect them at glance"
"Tell me, to what bills do you re.
fer?"
"Well, take the annual gas bills, fol
instance. They are introduced for the
purpose of bleeding the Washington Ga:
Light Co. They usually result in an
investigating committee which never
amounts to anything more than draft
upon the public treasury for the expen
ses of the investigation. Another
squeeze is the abattOir bills as they are
called. These, of course, are fought
by the butchers and market.men. The
first attempt to force bill of thi'
description was in 1877, when a promi
nent Washington politician offered {
fabulous sum for the franchise"
Anything else in this line that vol
think of, MIR. Ashley"
eyes, there's the job to reclaim thu
Potomac flats, which, had it become {
law, would have resulted in an enor
nous steal. The work is now bein.
done by the Government itself, anC
will rid the place of that malarial at
mosphere of which we hear so mucl
outside the city"
"During your residence here hav
you experienced the bad results of liv
ing in this climate?"
/
"Well, while 1 have not at al
times enjoyed good health, | am Gel
tain that the difficulty which laid m
up so long was not malarial. 1t wa
something that had troubled me 70
years. A shooting, singing pain tina
at times attacked different parts of m
body. One day my right arm and lie
would torture me with pain, ther
would be great redAess, heat and swell
ing of the parts; and perhaps the mex
day the left arm and leg would be sin
ilarly affected. Then again it woul
locate in some particular part of m,
boldly and produce tenderness whic
would well nigh drive me frantic