The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-22
THE DEMOCRAT AND THE LOTTERY
STATEMENT OF MIR. DUPRE BEFORE
THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.

THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.
The following is Mr.. Dupre's statement
which was offered in evidence before the
committee appointed to investigate charges
of corruption against members of the House
Of Representatives. This statement was ex-
plunged from the record under the ruliYig of
tle committee "that the resolution of the
House undero which they were carrying on
these Investigations did not authorize them
to go further back than the present year"
Mr. Dupre said: | wish it distinctly under
stood that do not appear before you tonight
as an
ORDINARY INFORMER,
but that in all this matter | have been aGtl,-
ated bya policy well considered and delib-
erately adopted by my yself and my associates
on the DEMOCRAT oMessrs. Hearsey, Angus
tin and Jann.
The DEMOCRAT, from the date Of it's initial
day, after having
DECLARED OPEN WAR
against the Louisiana Lottery Company, has
invariably avoided having the least connec-
tion with that monopoly. deem itimportant
to establish these facts in order that the &C
tions Of my associates and myself from Jan
uary, 1877, to the present day may appear
logical and consistent. o
In the early part OF the year 1877, the
DEMOCRAT was made the official journal Of
the State of Louisiana, after having beeS the
official organ of the Democratic party during
the campaign of 1876.
In, ho ~ +
think / was introduced to
MIR. JOHN A. MORRIS,
the senior partner, believe, of G.. r. Howard
and others, proprietors Of the Louisiana State
Lottery Company. This occurred on the race
track Of the Louisiana Jockey Club | sub
sequently met that gentleman several times
at the same place. Mr.. Morris sought my
company. He possesses very pleasing man
ner and ready address. Our intercourse cul-
minated in a dinner party given by Mr.. Nor
ris at Moreau's restaurant on Canal street.
The party consisted of eight or ten gentlemen.
Mr.. Morris placed me at his right. During the
course of the dinner Mr.. Morris asked me
abruptly and In low tone of voice, why it
was that the DEMOCRAT would not print the
advertisement of the
@ LOUISIANA LOTTERY COMPANY
and without waiting for reply, Mr.. Morris
went on to state what he had done toward
brbing certain Radical members of the Senate
and House. He said he had bought Senators
Demas, Allain and Breaux and Representative
George Drury, with two or three others. whom
he styled a ring that George Drury controlled
Mr.. Morris claimed that this action placed the
Lottery Company in position to claim the
GRATITUDE OF THE PARTY IN POWER,
and that the DEMOCRAT as the official organ
of that party, should not refuse to advertise
the Lottery Company, nor should it write
| against it. Mr.. Morris told me Of large sums
of money which the Lottery Company had
spent for the relief and support OF certain
papers, mentioning particularly the New Or
leans Picay's,,e and the New Orleans Bulletin.
Mr.. Morris offered me, In q roundabout,
hesitatiDg manner, to aid the DEMOCRAT
under the same conditions, that is, provided
would consent to insert in the DEMOCRAT the
advertisement OF the lottery. | thereupon
rose from my chair, repellng at the same
time Mr.. Morris proposition. Whereupon
Mr.. Morris profusely apologized for what he
styled my misunderstanding of his inten-
tions, stating that the most he meant was
PLAIN BUSINESS PROPOSITION.
This business proposition declined.
One or two days after this was called upon
at the DEMOCRAT office by a gentleman who
stated that prominent gentlemen would be
gratifed If we would advertise the special
drawing of othe Louisiana Lottery which
Gen. Beauregard oand0 Gen Early We're to
supervise. This request coming from such
high quarters, struck me as worthy Of
serious consideration. l requested the gentle
man to allow me until the next day, that
might in the interval hold q
CONSULTATION WITH MY ASSOCIATES.
That consultation was held / laid before
my associates all the facts / have related
about Omy Intercourse with Mr.. Morris. We
discussed the power which the Louisiana Lot
terry Company was destined to WELD in our
State politics, if Mr.. Morris statements to
me were true and these two questions were
considered by u.s.
/. Shall the DEMOCRAT give way to the Lot
terry Company accept its advertisements and
it's aid as the other papers Of this city do, and
refrain from attacking it, as these papers do?
2. Shall we once for all refuse all PROPOSE
tions and hold ourselves in readiness to fight
it when in our judgment the proper time shall
have arrived?
My associates determined to adopt the
policy Indicated in the second question, and I
agreed with them. When the gentleman who
requested me to advertise the special draw
ing called the next day I impaired to him
in substance the determination we had come
to, and declined to insert the proffered adver-
tisemcnt cf the Lottery Company.
Some time in the latter part Of November,
when the Printing Board was about to meet
to determine upon the question of a State
Printer and an
OFFICIAL JOURNAL FOR THE STATE
for the ensuing year, we deemed it our bound
en- duty to advise the heads of the government
of the policy the DEMOCRAT had determined
to pursue toward the Lottery Company and