The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-05-21
C;bansGlIs 1aiIg SournaI.
Jesse ID. Bright.

We copy it not to crafty any personal
or political vindictiveness towards the
subject OF it, but from an honest and
sincere conviction, that it is duty to ex
pose to the people of all parties the un
principled course of an arrant demagogue
who is in truth the real author Of the
present disorganization Of the state gov.
ernment. The corruption and demoral
legation he has introduced into the par
ties of the State, will have their effects
long after his name shall be forgotten
There can be no peace, honesty or secu
rity in the politics Of the State while he
has dominant influence in the Democra.
trio party.
About the first notice we have of"Dod.
ger" Bright. is his intrigues with the
State authorities in 1888, and 1910
or thereabouts, to procure the appoint
ment OF his brother Nike as State Agent
He succeeded in procuring the position
for his brother. The result OF that APP
polntment was the beginning of the linan-
cial prosperity of the BrightS While
they pocketed thousands Of dollars O!
the public funds, legally We suppose
the State was the loser to the tune oi
forty or fifty thousand dollars, in the way
OF certain soap factory speculation in
New York, brought about by the super
ior financial management of the two
brother BrightS. A certain Wall street
gambler, by the name Of Lanier, (the
present owner OF the largest part OF the
New State Bank stock, also had finger
in this pie. He is supposed to have been
the stool pigeon" or the Brights in this
affair.
The next scene in which Senator
Bright played conspicuous part, was
as Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, in
which lie had the distinguished honor OF
inausurating the present system of sta
wing oil the elections of important public
officers by the Legislature. His first at
tempt to revolutlonze the government
and trample the Constitution, he had
sworn to support, under his unhallowed
let, proved only too successful. The final
upshot of his political chicanery was that
he was elected a United States Senator.
From this period may be dated the de-
cline of pure and honest Democracy in
Indiana. and the Inauguration of schisms
IN the party. and new and dangerous
heresies. We allude 10 the quarrel of
Bright with Governor Wright, and the
fastening upon the party the stupendous
Bank fraud system, by Bright and his
minions.
In 1853 a United States Senator was
to be elected, and Jesse ID. Bright, feeling
that he was, and bv divine RI Int ought to
6e, the especial guardian of the Indiana
Democracy, undertook, in a m n latory
and domineering manner, to direct the
peoples Representatives how they should
vote. Being member Of the lower
House ut that time, we had frequent cp-
portunties of witnessing the political
villainy OF Bright through his cOnfilen-
tial letterst members, wherein he com
nanded them how to lay the ropes to
beat John Petit, who was the Wright
candidate for Senator, in opposition to
DIR. Fitch, the Bright candidate. That
our readers may properly understand
what kind of political charlatan this
man Bright is, We will just refer to one
instance that came under our observation
during the contest for Senator. Bright,
IN order to influence men to vote for
Fitch, would pie lse his influence with
Frank Pierce, then President elect, to
secure a particular Office for friend of
the mem6er to whom he was writing, if
that member would vote lor his choice
for Senator, while at the same time he
had written to another member prOmis
ing the same office to his friend on like
condition. We actually saw two letters
addressed to two different members, in
which this man Bright pledged himself
to secure the same office to two different
men. These receptions of the very mo-
dest and consistent Senator leaked out,
thank God, in time to destroy the un-
holy combination formed by him. to put
in office his pet, DR.. Fitch.
At the Legislative session of 1854,
Jesse ID. Bright and lis particular friends
juggled around with the Black Republ.
cans Of the Legislature, and by the most
stupendous frauds and villanies ever
practsed in a representative government,
fastened upon the State, Bank system,
that for deStructiveneSS to the best in
terests of our State, was never paralleled
in any country of desE otism. For full
history of this fraudulent transaction, We
refer our readers and the public to Gov
ernor Wright's expose made on the last
day OF the late session of the Assembly.
We only add that Bright and his friends
secured all the stock in this monster Of
iniquity, by locking themselves up in ''old
garrets'' and in dark cellars, where the
light of day could not witness their su-
perlative meannesS in this matter, and
as soon as they had taken all the stock
closing the books, and sneaking off, like
guilty dogs that they were. Prominent
among the heroes of this jugglery, We find
Mike Bright and Lanier, of ''Soap Fac
tory" notoriety, backed up by the al
mighty influence Of Jesse ID.
Coming down to later period we find
Jesse d. Bright endorsing for his friend,
Col. May. in a cattle speculation, the re-
suit Of which was the failure of May, and
the loss to the State of Ind ana of some
$1,000 Of the taxes wring out of the
farmers Of Indiana 1t seems that May
and the Brights got into the good graces
OF the State Treasurer some way, and
were favored with loan of sad sum. -
Bright, who is notoriously expert in pc