Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1884 — One of Thurman’s Methods. [ARTICLE]

One of Thurman’s Methods.

A Washington correspondent relates a curious circumstance in connection with the passage of the Thurman sink-ing-fund act, and it may explain in some measure why the Gould-Hunting-ton lobby was defeated: It will be remembered that the efforts of Gould and Huntington were concentrated upon the Senate. Stanley Matthews had charge of the bill, and was enthusiastically supported on the Democratic side by Voorhees and Ben Hill. Gould and Huntington were here in person. Gould had chosen to dismiss for a time his “parliamentary agents,” and had himself undertaken the task of calling personally upon Senators and endeavoring to convince them by the ingenious and plausible arguments of winch he is master to support the amendments which would practically nullify the Thurman bill. The agents of Gould and Huntington sat in the marble-room of the Senate, to which, under the rules of that body, they could have had access only by the introduction of some Senators. They were confident of forty votes to defeat the bill. Senator Thurman expected to pass the bill by midnight. There were indications of an attempt at filibustering by its oponents, and many amendments had been offered. Mr. Thurman was seen to have upon his desk a roll-call of the Senate. He rose, stated that he understood the opponents of his bill were confident of victory; that he had in fact, then upon his desk a roll-call of the Senate, with the names checked upon it of the Senators who, he was well advised, were relied upon by the agents of Gould and Huntington to vote nay. There was intense interest in the chamber. Mr. Thurman did not read that roll-call or tell where he got it. He simply said that as the voting upon the amendments proceeded he should watch it with great interest, to see how well it tallied with the list with which he had been furnished. There certainly was consternation in the ranks of the lobby. The voting began. The forty promised votes upon that tally-sheet dwindled to eighteen. The bill was passed. Thurman put his mysterious roll-call into his pocket. Gould took the train for New York and it is said has never been in Washington since. The Thurman bill went to the House, defied the combinations of the railroad lobby, and was passed by a twothirds vote.