The times., 1897-05-16
An Interesting Type Of Washing
ton Life Which Is No More.
A CREATION OF THE WAR
The Professional Female Entirely
Extinct and Only Succeeded by So-
ciety Women Who Have Personal
Interests at Stake-The Diplomatic
Contingent.

Deuutys Ot iuEeslisdtius us lie auO OF Won
dering at whatever is unique or unusual
about it were much chagrned and disap-
pointed when they fail to find a real live
woman lobbyist. They have been taught
to believe i'm her existence They have read
papers describing her fascinating person
atty. and for years they have looked for
ward to the excitement OF seeing her. of see
ing her, perhaps, in the very act OF button
hcling d Senator, but this much exploited
person no longer exists.
The woman lobbyists dead AMI forgotten.
She had her day; she was at one time a in
fluence and q power, she made fortunes;
she wrecked thelives of men; she broke the
hearts of innocent women; she !iaunteJ
herself in the halls of Congress- she pene-
trated into respectable drawing ROOMS. she
was Jezebel and Messalina, and she died
of her own corruption.
The "Cornancbes,' the Mis-. Gen. Strait
ors, the Lucy Cobbs and all of their TX rail
sisters with blended hair, painted cheeks
and unnaturally bright eyes no longer fire.
uuent The corridors and conTnlttce c rooms
OF the Capitol They have vanished irto
the past II is hard to relinquish SO pic
turesuue figure; hard for the calamity
howiers; hard for the space writer's. for the
female lobbyist was excellent material: 81
excellent that Mr.. Bryce, an authornotetfo for
hisaccuracy incorporated her in his 'Anleri-
can Commonwealth years after she ceased
to exist
This scarlet creature was one of the many
evils born of the war, and reached Il e
zenith OF her power in the tumultnus
period that folio owed it In a more tran
apiI state OF society IL is doubtful If she
could have gained such prestige A piquant
and graceful figure in the beginning She
charmed and fascinated the nIusty sulOns
oil the Hill, who did not appreciate their
danger any more than do the poor sailors
iured t. their destruction by the LOrelei,
until they found themselves enveloped in
a net Of her weaving, until they were
threatened with disgrace and dishonor
But she descended gradually. Lower and
size fell until she became a nuisance and u
scandal: her very presenceAa pestileuce ami
degradation.
At first subtle and clever, she gained
her ends by covert MEANS later force ard
blackmaH were her weapons. She was
hideous dragon, and assailed her victims
fly or surrender Reyengeful and vintiict-
i've, If she failed in her purposes she fol
lowed the men$ $wh ho foiled her 70 their dis
tricts. defeated them for Congress, tToke
up their bomesSwas a sooGrge and pest
Finally to be seen witt her was TO inr1te
disgrace Men new from her prese nee,
women passed her shUddering, dreading
contaminatioH. She died atlast of berow
wickedncss. Her place In history is side
by side with the Credit MobiIier and the
whisky frauds No monument MARKS her
burial place.
But the scaflet woman did not occupy the
entire field. There were other types Of
female lobbyists The name has become hor-
rid from association, but according TO the
Century Dictionary lobbyist is one who
frequents the lobby or precincts of a legis-
Iatye or other deliberative assembly with
the view of influencing the votes OF metn-
bers,' and truly many noble and fine wou-
en- have done this. There were women with
jrst claims against the government, like
Myra Clark Gaines, of Interesting memory.
Mrs. Dahlgren, Mrs. Kate Chase Sprague
and the women W no espousei some moral
cause or humanitarian measure, Of w hom
Clara Barton and Susan Anthony were
representatives; and those who had some
thing to sell to the United States, pictures,
books or statuary Who does not remember
that attractive little person, Winnie Ream,
the sculptress. all dimples and smiles, with
appealing bleck eyes and captivating ways,
a magnetic bit OF flesh and blood, W no had
talent, to be sure. but who owed, none the
less, her successful career and the many
ant
to her charming personality?
Mrs Gaines story is a long and romantic
one Through some irregularity in her
parents marriage there was a question as
to her legitimacy The matter was brought
before the courts Of Louisiana, the State
in which she was born, where it was finally
decided that her birth was regular, and she
was the heiress to her fathers immense es-
tate, which included part Of the city OF
New Orleans
1t was to obtain possession OF this prop
erty that Mrs. Gaines appealed from the
circuit court of Louisiana to the Supreme
Court of the United states, before which
and Congress her long, hard battle was
fought. This is the most famous claim ever
before Congress, and for years Mrs Gaines
was known as one of the celebrities of the
Capitol, her whole life from girlhood to
old age having been spent in fighting for
the So O00,O 900 or 100000 which was
ultimately awarded her.
The claim for payment for the Dahlgren
guns, furnished to the Government during
the war, was in the hands of attorneys for
many years without action being taken in
the matter. 1t might still be on docket if
Mrs. Dahlgren. grande dame and accom-
plished woman, had not taken charge and
pushed it to a. successful issue The beau
tiful and queenly Kate Chase Sprague, the
belle and toast of her day, lobbied sue
cessfully bill through Congress to have
the taxes which had accumulated on her
fathers estate, and which amounted to
more than the value of the estate itself. re-
moved. And no more persistent lobbyist
ever haunted the committee rooms than
that devoted aud noble woman, Clara Bar
ton. when she was endeavoring to have the
United States sign the treaty of nations
with the Red Cross Society. She labored
early and late She besieged her old friends
and made new ones. Her enthusiasm never
failed until the bill authorizing the Presi-
dent to sign the treaty passed both houses
of Congress. Miss Anthony's work in legis-
lative halls is too well known to need men
ton.
But lobbying is no longer considered
good taste. The woman lobbyist, not even
the ghost of her, can be found. Women still
influence legislation, however,; they are
still the power behind the throne, as they
have been since the days of Aspasia, down
through the ages, and as they will be to the
end OF time. 1t was Peggy O'Neil who
broke up Jackson's Cabinet and caused him