The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-29
TRYING TO BUY SENATORS.


pired yesterday. It has been for some day
rumored on the streets that the Lottery Con
pany were endeavorlng to buy up enoug
Senators to defeat the passage OF the Dill re
pealng their charter. These rumors were g
: widespread and so specific that our esteeme
contemporary, the Morning Star and Cdtholi
Messenger, Saturday morning referred +
them editorially. We did not believe that tn
audacity and desperation Of the compan
methods Of salvation. But 1t seems that ou
contemporary was better informed on thi
. point than ourselves.
Yesterday, during the day, subsequent t.
the adjournment OF the Senate by which
vote on the repeal bill was prevented, wei
known partisan and agent OF the Lottery
approached gentleman who Is prominen
Democrat and told him quite mysteriously
that he had one thousand dollars to pay any
Senator who was supporting certain candi
date for the United States Senate who woult
absent himself from his seat tomorrow
Ito-day.l Our friend, desiring to more fully
develop the scheme Of bribery, male af
appointment to meet the one Thousand dollar
man in the evening with such Senator, and
at the appointed hour fulfilled the appoint
ment, accompanied by one Of his friends
A conversation was opened, and after
some talk the agent Of the Lottery stated
that he would give three thousand dol
lars to a Senator who would absent him
self as aboye stated, but added, "He
(the Senator) must not be one OF
my men," Instantly the two gentlemen
dropped" on the scheme. They saw that the
real object was not to get Senator away In
the interest of any candidate for the United
States Senate, but to buy some member OF the
upper house who favors the repeal bill to
absent himself from his seat when the bill
comes up to-day. The two gentlemen
shortly afterwards visited this Office and
narrated to us the facts as we have given
them. They are both gentlemen Of the
highest character, and we withhold their
names only because they desire to escape
notoriety.
The other incident happened on Sunday
evening, and In this case we are authorized
to give the names Of all the parties. On the
evening Of the day mentioned Senators Du-
eros and Zacharle were Sc ated In the law
Office Of the former, preparing the majority
report Of the Judiciary Committee on the
Lottery bill, when ex-Recorder Gastinel,
well known partisan OF the Lottery Com
pany, entered the Office and stated to Mr..
Ducros that he was authorized to pay him
cash fee of one Thousand dollars to defend
Dr. Latham, at Bay st. Louis, in Mississippi
charged with murder. Mr.. Ducros, somewhat
surprised replied that he was not a criminal
as counsel in a murder case. Mr.. GastineI re-
Joined that the trial would In all probability
develop cause for a suit in damages, and that
1t was principally in the latter case that his
services were desired. Suspecting nothing
wrong, Mr.. Ducros consented to engage In the
case, whereupon Mr.. Gastinel said: "Then
you must meet me at the train tomorrow
we must leave right away, as the
case is fixed for trial. I'll have basket of
good wine aboard, and we will have good
time'
On the departure Of Mr.. Gastinel, Col. |
Zacharie called the attention of Mr. Ducros
to the strangeness OF their visitors action,
and to the fact that the Lottery bill was to be |
reported on the very day he was employed to
leave the city, and would be finally disposed of
before he could possibly return. The ex-Re-
corder's persistence In urging the fee and en-
ployment had also been remarked. Mr. Du-
eros eyes were instantly opened; he saw the
trick by which 1t was intended to lnveigle him
rom his seat upon most important OCCASION
Ind the next day instead Of going to Bay st.
Louis he went to the Senate and was In his
,eat when the bill came up. He has not heard
Or seen the ex-Recorder since, nor has he
heard more Of the murder trial.
We call the attention of the Senate of Lou
siana to these two efforts to buy men,
,ers Of their body; it will not be diff
icult to trace up very intimate connection
between the parties who were engaged in
10TH The people Of the State will hear OF
his in the next few days. and they will scan
he vote on the Lottery bill to learn who of
heir representatives has voted knowingly
o maintain the existence Of an institution
which audaciously and shamefully goes upon
he streets and into the Senate hall to buy up
r bride their representatives
We had intended this morning to review
he whole Lottery question and pibbpt some