The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-22
One Reason why Lamar Helped Hayee


II IL proper 60 inquire whether Mr.. bUc1Us
OutNrus CuRrIus LAMAR OF Mississippi had,
like JonN YouNa Brown of Kentucky. any
Interior object In helping the Republican
conspirators to complete the fraudulent
count and inauguratc HAYES in the Office to
which he was not elected
Mr. LAMAR figures in the senate, NJ he fig
urcd last year In tho House, ~ the peculiar
representative Of THOMAS A. SooT'r's Texas
Pacific subsidy Job He makes no secret Of
his intimate interest in the success OF that
scheme and his frank and candid avowal of
his real attitude entities him to degree Of
respect
Three days before the end Of the Forty
fourth Congress, Mr.. LAMAR asked and failed
To obtain unanimous consent to offer the fol-
lowing resolution:
That the rues Of the House be su.pc nded dis
charge The COMMITTEE on the STATE the Union from
further consideration Of Senate bill No IL. aud to i'm
mediately consider the same"
Senate bill No IA, which Mr.. LAMAR want
cd taken up and considered out OF order, exc
tended the time for the construction and
completion OF the Northern Pacific Railroad.
II had been passed by the Senate and re-
ferrcd by the House To the Committee ON
Pacific Railroads, of which Mr.. LAMAR was
Chairman. while rather an important
measure involving, AZ IL did, the restora-
ton Of about thirty-six million acres OF for
fcitcd lands ~ this company. IL was not one
in which Mr.. LAMAR or Mr.. LAMARs capital
ist friends had special interest. He
brought it up for another reason.
Two days later Mr.. LAMAR renewed his
attempt to get the Northern Pacific bill
before the House. This time il was dos
pcratc effort. He walked the aislcs and
personally appealed 10 every Democrat to
help him give the bill "a chance to be con-
sidercd." The House was not unfrcndly to
this bill There were probably enough
favorable votes To pass IT, We make the
following extract from the Record:
Mr. I..AR-If the hill Is not passed 1t will be prsc-
teal connscauon Of the interests OF lapc number Of
mertorious stockholders, widows, orphans aud trustees
The hill passed the Senate with but few diss.
votes aud unanimously rccomnc ndcd BY the Commit
tee on The Pacinc Railroad OF this House
MI BvrsskR-I dcsre 10 inquire II II y the object OF
the gent, suspend the rules the purpose vi
bringing the bill bcfor. the Hou~e for considerations
mr. LsssR-That Is the proposition .mlly ot,u,0 ut.
fore The Hps. for consideration.
MY fkss-wiil the hill then he open anne ndmcnti
The speaker-unduubtrdv, unless the previous ques
ton Is called on It, and the call sustained ny the HOUSE
Mr.. FESNs question and the Speakers re-
ply exhibit the motive that lay behind LA
MARS apparently harmless motion. IL was
notorious at that time that the Tom SCOTT
people were ready with rider in the shape
~ the Southern Pacific amendment, to at
tach u the Northern Pacific bill whenever
1t came TO u vote. After two-thirds vote
Ia consider, II would require "a mere lori
measure could not be passed alone ut that
stage 81 business except by two-thirds
vote. The subsidy men knew that they had
not two-thirds Of the House; simple ma
iority they believed they could command
Hence LAMAR's adroit but unsuccessful at
tempt 10 saddle Ton Scurr's subsidy Job
upon II comparatively harmless measure
and rush it through in the Last hours Of the
session.
That Mr.. LAMAR had this object in view
and not merely the passage OF the Northern
Pacific till. is clearly shown by the course
he adopted. II he was not privy to the pro
poeed trick, why did he insist on " consider
ation," requiring two-thirds vote, when
the bill could probably have passed without
it, And why when consideration" was re-
fused, did he TAIL IA call up the Northern Pa
ciic bill for square vote ON its own
merits?
Had it not been for number of the fill
busters, who had agreed to watch vigilant-
ly, aud defeat, If possible, any and every job
which had been employed to influence votes
for the contamination OF the Electoral
Fraud, Mr.. LAMARs plan would have sue
ccedcd, and the Southern Pacific subsidy
would have passed the House. As II was
the motion To suspend the rules and con-
slider Senate bill No. IA, had more than
majority. A few mere votes, enough to
have made the majority n two-thirds major
ity would very likely have cost the country
a hundred million dollars. Mr.. LuCIus
QuNTUs CURTrrs LAMAR came very near to
success when he tried to make the Northern
Pacific bill stalking horse for the bigger
scheme Of Col. THOMAS A. SCoTr.
LAMAR was playing for heavy stakes, and
failed; JOHN YorNG BROWN played for an
insignificant sum, and won it, But in both
cases the game was the same; and in both
games the first and Indispensable move was
TO get the Electoral Fraud consumnatcd.