Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-31
LAMONT A POTENTIAL FACTOR
Nan Who Made the Friends Which Grover
Cleveland Attached to Him.
ADYOckTE or PURE BALLOT ARREsTEO
First Victim of Law which He was
Instrumental in Putting Upon
the statute Books of
virginia.
OFrom a stan Correspondent


WASHINGTON, July 8O.-(special THE
death Of Colonel Daniel S. Lamont last
week removed from earth man whose
record was unique. Lamont was the most
potential force in smoothing the pathway
OF Grover Cleveland towards a second
nomination. without him the case would
have been hopeless. Cleveland lacked the
elements of popularity. He was not
mixer" He was utterly devoid of tact
and fnesse. He failed to appreciate the
foibles of his fellows. From March 5,
1885, when he first entered the White
House, until the day he left to give place
to Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland
never won to himself a score of personal
friends. But Daniel s. Lamont did that
very thing for him. AS private secre-
tary" and afterwards secretary to the
president" Colonel Lamont exhibited tact
ana diplomacy of the highest order. He
demonstrated clearly that he was of that
build that had he been assigned to the
diplomatic corps he would have made a
mark in the world which would have placed
his name among those of the greatest
diplomats of the earth, He had a hard
task in serving Grover Cleveland. That
gentleman was brusque and even rude to
his callers He antagonized men who
should have been his warmest friends;
notably his former associates in Buffalo.
Among these was Daniel Lockwood. Lock-
wood placed the name Of Grover Cleveland
on the democratic ticket for sheriff. mayor,
governor and president. and yet within five
days from the hour he was inaugurated
president Mr.. Cleveland had succeeded in
making a bitter enemy of his old friend.
During all the years between 1885 and 1889
Daniel Lockwood never entered the White
House. After two years in ONCE Mr..
Cleveland asked Lockwood to accept a
position in the federal service Lockwood
spurned the offer, but Lamont succeeded
in patching up peace and Lockwood ac-
cepted the office. This is but one incl
dent showing the value of the services
of Mr. Lamont to his chief. No man ever
had more faithful ally. He was always
on hand to act as the buffer and he never
made mistake. But for Lamont, Grover
Cleveland would never have been nominated
second time. During the past seven
years he has not been much in the public
eye. But in his death Grover Cleveland
has lost his very best friend and the
country has lost one of it's very ablest
men.
Fight for Pure Ballot.
Just across the line in Virginia they are
having some warm politics, but none of 1t
is so warm as a fight to test the efficacy
of pure election law the solons of the
Old Dominion passed some time ago. This
law imposes heavy fine or Imprisonment
or both, on any man who spends money
In an election in behalf of any candidate
or promises directly or indirectly to do So
At the head and front of the agitation
that lead up to the enactment OF the law
was the Richmond News-Leader. whose
editor A. B. Williams, is regarded as one
of the ablest writer's in the south. II
| fought early and late for the enactment OF
! the bill, and has never failed to drive a
peg in behalf OF the purity of the ballot
| But recently there was a primary election
in Richmond, and one of the friends OF
Mr. Williams was a candidate. There hao
to be some work done in a certain pre-
cinct, and williams gave his check fol-
! $25 to have It done. Then the grand jury
was called together to investigate some
alleged violations of the pure election law
1t was rumored that the Williams trans
action was under consideration, and thi.
brought out a signed editorial from Mr.
williams in which he admits the charge
but claims that he had a right to spenC
| the money. 1t is said on every hand tha
the law is so plain in its application tC
! this particular case that there is nothing
left for the grand jury to do but return
an indictment.
Here will be the spectacle Of the highes
apostle OF pure election being the first t
fall under the ban of the very law he wal
most assduous in bringing TO a passage
The whole matter will be watched will
absorbing interest, for its outcome will
demonstrate whether the law is to be
living thing. or whether 1t is to becom
| I,VV