The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-17
=. ., senator Philetus Sawyer,
'''' who Recently Died
Started OUT ASA TEAaSTER.
-, $4,000 on a Salary of s1s
save ,,..,b-How He Once outwitted a
s.r. ., Of Spectators in New York

ne "a, tbr banks OF Lake Champ
slD' ,J he managed to save $1,000 on
!''I ,,,ry ~ sl2 q month. With this
.,it. vent to Wisconsin in 1871 and
s.E ,bs foundation OF his enormous
li- ~, nj an auction sale of govern
N',. land Mr.. Sawyer spent two
~, -, ,ramplnr through the timber and
,s,rr The best tracts. and arranged
Irmbermcn in Boston to furnish
49, money to buy on shares. He used
= IN the story with great gusto. The
"a, he grew the oftener he told It and
'.-', NOV. he enjoyed the recollection of
., =, ray In which he outwitted a party
" ,,,rpIators from New York. The
~ knowlng that Mr.. Sawyer was
=. opty man who knew the actunl
,,n, az the lands. followed his bid
,,.g and when he seemed anxious to
ss,,i, certain tract they would raise
Nm until they got 1t. Mr.. Sawyer
I,1, discovered how his rivals were
.y,TIpg themselves of the knowledge
rbIrb II took him two long years of la
bor and hardship to acquire, and then
turned their game.
placing the list OF lands he wished
% purshass in the hands of an uncouth
rps,Is with instructions to bid each up
IN A certain amount, he bid frantically
himself FOR other tracts. but the New
York SPECTATORS perslstently outbld
him He showed so much chagrin that
4 afforded them amusement. When
the sale was over and the land was in
.psc,ed It was found that the New
YORK SPECTATORS had purchased nearly
every worthless piece OF timber in the
state and that the rustic lumberman
had secured nearly every choice tract.
The Boston people We're very liberal to
Nj. Sawyer and gave him a generous
pnpoytIon OF the lands he bought with
their money Some OF y em he still
owned at the tins of his death.
One Of Mr.. Sawyer's colleagues in
Congress. Representative John H.
Hammond. OF Crown Point, n. Y, was
son Of the man for whom he drove
team when a boy.
Log Rolling Legislation.
NJ. Sawyer was the inventor OF that
form Of legislation known as "log-roll-
ing" 1t was the practical result OF his
ability to accomplish things He never
cared for show. He never made a
speech in his life, but no man enjoyed
the sensation of success more keenly.
What he undertook he carried out, and
Il he couldn't do 1t one way he did 1t in
another He had large share of that
faculty the Yankees called "contriv-
ancs' which enabled him to devise
means FOR accomplishing his purpose
that would not have suggested them
s,!yas TO any other man. The log
rolling method OF legislation was sug-
gaSiei 10 him by the familiar habits
o. the lumbermen in his own country,
who helped each other roll the logs
from the winter camp to the banks Of
The nearest stream, where they can be
caught By the spring rise. 1t was the
Application OF this nelghborly practice
Which enabled Mr.. Sawyer to secure
Hesitation that could not otherwise
have been passed. and he gave the
method It's name
Wisconsin needed a good deal OF leg
Station when he first came to Con-
E4's, and Mr.. Sawyer secured more
eaR any forty other men could have
d'ae He let HIS bills accumulate until
hEard the end OF the session, when he
Vo1li take up the calendar and make
nsmorandums OF various measures in
which Influential men in the house and
senate We're Interested. Then he would
eau them together at his house or at
his committee room and say:
Boys, we've got to do a little log
rolling J, We got our timber to the
NIL! this session" The result would be
an agreement to stand by each other
and throw all their combined influence
IN favor q list OF bills which he had
made out and handed to members OF
,As combine The work was conducted
III secret and was almost always sue
'7ss'ul, So that the habits Of the Wis
'on'in lumberman now prevail in every
'sss!auva body in the world.
me river and harbor appropriation
OIL originated In that way. Formerly
separate measure would have pass
Gu io' each river or harbor that requir-
- Improvement, but under Mr.. Saw
ss's los-rouIHg system the members OF
so"sress Interested in such approprIa-
.''hs orsanlzel a trust which finally
s 81, into a regular annual approprIa-
eoh bill! and a speciai committee to
Sensitive to Marked Degree.
@f. s1"ycFs peculiar ability appear
81 In politics as wen as in legislation.
sll a volume OF interesting Incidents
r :, be told Of his political sagacity.
=. considered himself personally re-
, NJ. Tor a Republican majority In
~ '.''i.sin, and was quite sensitive on
40. ,I. subject During the Garfield cam
r,'sn was sitting one day In hls sim
~, o''.a In Oshkosh when gentleman,
~, - unknown, but now occupying
.'''''.nt position in public affairs.
T., r.-',ga with letter OF Introduction
,t., MARSHALL Jewell. OF CONNECTICUT.
,,,- ..''' OF the Republican national
s,s ice. who stated cnat the bearer
49, .''n Instructed to visit Wisconsin
mo-. W.. purpose OF making n report
, ~" me political situation and the