Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-12-27
SENATOR LAMAR.
Important Letter en- the Texas.Paci6o.

important Letter en- the Iexas'raclnc'
In replying to n published letter
addressed to him hy prominent
Mississippian, M Senu'rr Lamar has
written the following interesting
letter:
U. s. SENATE CHAMBER,
WASHINGTON, Dec. Z, 1875. !
Dear Sir: 1 have only recent
ly received through the
press a copy of your
open letter on the subject of q
Southern Pacific Railroad connec-
tiOn, addressed to me on October
2Sth. While am grateful for the
kind appreciation you are pleased
to express, both of my motives and
my influence, you must permit me
to correct your impression that
the enterprise sis peculiarly a
measure with which my name is
identified" or that any modest
place may occupy 'in national
estimation" can be affected by its
success or failure. Profoundly con-
vinced, as am, ttsst its success is
VITAL IMPORTANCE
To the future of the South, earnest
as l have been in the support
which have given it, I cannot,
with Justice or truth, claim the
measure as mine. When L re-
turned to public life after the close
OF the war, l found it one of the
earliest and most important of all
the measures waiting for legisla.
tive action pressed upon the notice
OF Congress by men of all parties,
and its prompt adoption urged by
commercial conventions, public
meetings and legislative proceed
ings of nearly every Southern
State. And if you go back to the
history of its first inception, you
must attribute its practical author.
ship to that distinguished son of
Mississippi, Jefferson Davis, who,
when he participated in years long
gone by in the national council,
was known as the efficient advo-
cate OF any and every policy
which harmonized the interests of
the South with the broader pros
perity of the whole country.
In the support which 1 have Civ
en- the measure, my intention has
always been exactly what you de-
sire, to
OBTAIN THE ROAD
Without reference to the interests
of the rival individuals or corpora
tions who may wish to build IL.
And with this view, / supported q
former measure, which directly
proposed to reconcile these conflict
Ing interests by allowing them to
adjust their relative portions of the |
work. 1 regret that the good |
understanding which would have
effected this purpose has never been
reached, but candor compels me to
l., ID that l have seen nothing to
"'o'i a. me in thinking that the
'os Angeles Pacific Railroad Com.
ne peculiar esponsible for the fail
of this coup either unable or unwil-
4 :, .., scute its share of the OBJ
n'tn l am sorry cannot say
cas- much for the other party, who
had professed equal anxiety to have
the measure reported.
Think you have truly described
the condition of this enterprise
when you say that the measures
for its completion must be adopted
NOW OR NEVER;
and know that you are entirely
right when you say that Northern
and Western Legislators are pre-
pared to pass any measure upon :
which the South agrees. Senators
OF both parties, from whom 1 c
might naturally hsve expected
opposition, springing either from
peculiarities of constitutional creed
or partisan prejudice, have assured
me, In spirit that does them great
honor, that they recognized the n
right OF the South to this connec- =
tlon, and would cordially vote for
the measure reported to the Senate
and House if Southern Senators
and Representatives would unite
In its support. a
am confident the bin, with one a
or two amendments, fc
WILL BECOME A LAW, N
If the Southern Senators and Rep II
will so unite. 1t is. Q,
therefore, with inexpressible regret a.
that find a difference between 2
Southern men upon this biIl-one =,