Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1884 — “THE THIRD HOUSE." [ARTICLE]

“THE THIRD HOUSE."

It* Good and Bad Member*—'The Remarkable Experience of a ( lose Observer ol Its Working* During a Dong Residence at Washington. [Correspondence Rochester Democrat] No city upon the American continent has a larger floating population than Washington. It is estimated that during the sessions of Congress 25,000 people, whose homes are in various parts of this and other countries, make this city their place of residence. Some come here, attracted hr the advantages the city offers for making the acquaintance of publio men; others have various 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 a morsel at the public crib. The latter class, as a general thing, originate the many schemes wblfh. terminate in vicarious bills, all of which are either directed at the public treasury or toward that revenue which the black-mailing of corporations or private enterprises may bring. While walking down Pennsylvania avenue the other day, I met Mr. William M. Ashley, formerly of your city, whose long residence hero has made him unusually well acquainted with the operations of the lobby. Having made my wants in this particular direction known, in answer to an interrogative, Mr Ashley said: “Yes, during my residence here, I have become well acquainted with the workings of the “Third House,’ as it is termed, and could tell you of- numerous jobs which, like the • ‘Heathen Chinee,’ are peouliar. “You do not rogard 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. ;Tho bad influenoe bf the lobby cami* keen in the numerous blood-ljills that are introduced at every sessloh.” ■ i ‘ “But how can these be discovered?” -* “Easily enough, to the person who has made the thing a study. I can detect them at a glance.” “Tell me, to what bills do you refer?” “Well, take the aqnqal gas bills, for instance. They are introduced for the purpose of bleedthg the Washington Gas tight Company. They usually result-in an investigating committee which never amounts to anything moro than a draft upon the public treasury for the expenses of the investigation. Another squeeze is the abattoir bills, as they are called.' Theae, of course, are fought by the -butchers and market men. The first attempt to force a bill of this de. seription was in 1877, when a prominent Washington politician offered a fabulous sum for the franchise.’-’ “Afiything else in this line that you think of, Mr. Ashley?” “Yes, there’s the job to reclaim the Potomac flats, which, had it become a law, would have resulted,, in an enormous steal. The work is now being done by the Government Itself, and will rid the place of that malarial atmosphere of which we hear so much outaide the city.” “During your residence here have you experienced the bad results of living in this climate?” “Well, while I have not at all times enjoyed good health, 1 am certain that the difeulty which laid me up so long was not malarial. It was something that had troubled mo for years. A shooting, stinging pain that at times attacked different parts of my body. One day my right arm and log 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 frantic. There would be weeks at a time that 1 would be afflicted with an intermitting kind of pain that would come on every afternoon and leave me comparatively free from pain suffering the balance of the twenty-four hours. Then T would have terrible paroxysms of pain coming on at any time during the day or night, when I would be obliged to lie upon my back for hours and keep as motionless as possible. Every time I attempted to move a chilly sensation would pass over my body, or I would faint from hot flashes. I suffered from a spasmodic contraction of the muscles and a soreness of the back and bowels, and even my eyeballs became sore and distressed me greatly whenever I wiped my face. I became ill-tempered, peevish, fretful, irritable, and desperately despondent.” “Of course you consulted the doctors regarding your difficulty?’’ “Consulted them? well I should say I did. Some told me I had neuralgia; others that I had inflammatory rheumatism, for whioh there was no cure; that I would be afflicted all my life, and that time alone would mitigate my sufferings.” “But didn’t they try to relieve your miseries?” “Yes, they vomited and physiced me, blistered and bled me, plastered and oiled me, sweat, steamed and everything but froze me, but without avail.” “But how did you finally recover?” “lhad a friend living in Michigan who been afflicted in a similar way and had been cured. He wrote me regarding his recovery and advised me to try the remedy which cured him. I procured a bottle and commenced its use, taking a tablespoonful after each meal and at bed time. I had used it about a week when 1 noticed a decrease of the soreness of the joints and a general feeling of relief. I persevered in its use and Anally got so I could move around without limping, when I told my friends that it was Warner's Safe Rheumatic Cure that had put me on my feet.” “And do you regard your cure as permanent?” “Certainly. I haven’t been so well in years as I am now, and although I have been sub-* Jected to frequent and severe changes of weather this winter, I have not felt the flrst intimation of the return of my rheumatio, trouble.” “Do you object to the publication of thia interview, Mr. Ashley?” “Not at all, sir. I look upon it as a duty I owe my fellow creatures to alleviate their sufferings so far as I am able, and any communication regarding my symptoms and cure that may be sent to me at 508 Maine avenue will receive prompt and careful attention.” "Judging from your recital. Mr. Ashlejr, there must be wonderful ourative properties about this medicine?” “Indeed, there is, sir, for no man suffered more nor longer than did I before this remedy gave me relief.” “To go back to the orignai subject, Mr. Ashley, I suppose you see the same familiar faces about-the lobby session after session 1” “No, not so much so as you might think. NeW faces are constantly seen and old ones disappear. The strain upon lobbyists is necessarily very great, and When you add tc this the demoralizing effect of late hours and intemperate habits and the fact that they are after found out in their steals, their disappearance can easily be accounted for.” “What proportion of these blood-bills are successful?” “A very small percentage, sir. Notwithstanding the power and Influence of the lobby, but few of these vicious measures pass. Were they successful it would be a sad commentary upon our system of government, and would virtually annihilate one branch of it. The great majority of them are either reported adversely or smothered in committee by the watchfulness and loyalty of our Congressmen.” S. E. D. The motto of the rich—and it is a motto very easy to live up to—is, We are all Adam’s children, but silk makes the difference.