West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-02-06
THE NATIONAL CAPITOL.
Curious Things About the Lobbies
OF Congress.
ihe Ladies Reception Room and the
Women who Frequent It-How states
mon Get Their Money-saIarics,
Mileage. Stationery. Etc.

Mileage, stationery. Etc.
Ihe inside chambers of the House and
Senate, where the sessions are held.
are by no means the only important
places about the Capitol during Con-
greSsional session. The scenes ON the
outside are often more exciting and in
tercSting than those on the inside. and
more business is done in the committee
rooms and the lobby than on the floors
before the Speaker. Ii is in the corri-
cors that the members meet their
friends and lobbyists, and an old SEN
ator tells me that Daniel Webster used
TO come out into the hall and take pay
l"r making speech on bill i'm the
Senate, In those days there was good
ueal OF drinking going on at the Cap
itol ol-much more than there is now
and there was a bar kept midway be-
tween the House and the Senate. known
rs 1.-THE hole in the wall" Now. when
Senator wants a drink he has 10 90
down into the restaurant and ask for
cold tea, winking as he does so. A
y
ana the good temperance people about
VIII never notice the difference i'm color.
lhe corridors of the House present Il
lively scene during a session. At each
door leading into it two door-kpcper,
stand, and these are kept constantly
BUSY carrying in cards and briuOinU
out messages. Around these stand a
score OF men, boys and women, each of
whom fn
particularly. Among them see Char
lie Sheriff., n lobbyist. who. il il said
makes his tens Of thousands a wear. and
n poor cotton claimant. who SAYS he
lost hall million i'm cotton seized hy
the Union army, and his appearance
shows that he has not enough now TO
buy good suit of wooden. nor a decent
oyercoat Near him is smooth-faced Billie
McGarrahan, OF the famous McGarrahan
claim, and over there i'm window re-
cess is Sam Cox talking with lady
veiled in crepe. Here Is n sight-seer
looking curiously on, and now out of
the House COor comes little, fat Con
gresham Horr i'm response To a CORE
spOndent of the Detroit Free Press who
wants 10 talk 10 him on some matter of
news. a seedy looking fellow at nv
side sends i'm card TO Congressman
Blank, and in a moment the door
keeper returns and saws that
Blank is not in his seat I 20 into
the gallery moment later and see him
reading newspaper, and man at the
next desk says he has been there for the
past hour. Many Congressman are so
bored with callers that they refuse to
see any one during the sessions. and
have seen soma mon, hnrp t..- 49,. a..I
after card and throw them on the floor.
giving instruct ons at the same time 10
the dOor-kecpcrs TO report them busy or
absent The ladies of the lobby are the
greatest bore Of the average Congress
man. BY this ] do not mean the lady
lobbyists. There are few purely bust
ness lobbyists among the ladies OF the
Capitol. and the character ab,unds
more in fiction than in reality But
there are scores OF women with claims.
women ofiicc-scekers, and advcnfurcssc,
OF different kinds who come % the Can
itol. and the rooms reserved for their
reception are always full while Con
gress is in session. The lad.c5 rccep-
tion-room Of the House is opposite the
north door IL Is long room with
great white marble Corinthian columns
running through It's center, and with
number Of red-Cushioned leather chairs
and sofas around It's walls When !
entered 10 to-day ! found il filed with
about forty ladies, some sitting and
waiting and others engaged i'm talking
TO COngrcssmen. General Ro.ccraps
was engaged with one lady and Tom
Ochiltree was talking to another.
Some Of the ladies were dressed i'm
the finest Of garments. cut after the I &
est styles, and there were number Of
sealskin clOaks and not few diamond
Mourning, however, predOminated. and
! Judge there were more soldiers
widows after pensions than society
women who had come 10 gossip
noticed many fresh young girls. and ON
speaking 20 the polite Colonel who ha.
charge Of the room. he told me that
these, in nine cases out Of ten. were
young women who wanted places i'm the
departments. and bad come 20 solicit
their Congressman influence. Said
be: You have no idea how many
ofiice-seekers como here There are
women from all over the country
Many Of them are deserving, and not
withstanding what has been said about
10, have yet 10 find tho first question
able character In this room Tf they
are bad they do not show &C. We have
from one TO two hundred ladies in here
every day 20 see Congressmcn They
must all apply TO me and ! send in their
cards 10y page. Sometimes the mem
bers receive them, and sometimes not
lt sometimes occurs that they tell the
boys 20 report them not in, and the
ladies going later in the galleries. and
seeing them In their scats, come down
aud denOunce the boys for not hav ng
given their cards TO them
Many Of the claimants are meritori-
Gus ones, and some of them are very