Daily national Democrat., 1859-12-23
The Man beset with Fiends.

The California Express is in stew about
Hon Milton S. Latham. 1t says that be Is
accused of using his influence as Governor
elect to have Gen. Denver chosen United
States Senator,and that he "ought'nt to do it,
1t also intimates that it has felt very well dis
posed toward the young man, Latham, and
would like to see him get along" but that,
if he is going to interfere with the election
Of a United States Senator, it will cease to
think well of him. Dire doom, impending
over your head, Mr.. Latham. But, lest we
misrepresent the tone Of the Express, we
quote as follows:
But as we before remarked, we are not pre-
pared TO believe the charge preferred against hln
and we sincerely hope that conviction oi the
truth OF the statement will not be forced upon US
We are anxious to retain the confidence we now
repose in Mr.. Latham and yield hearty support
to his Administration, but should we hhu tuat ne
has descended from his high position 10 sur up
strife among his friends, aud dictate to them VINO
shall be their Senator, we confess we could not
retail the kind feeling, which we now entertain
for him We should be then forced to the con-
yiction that he had prosttuted his high position
to unhOly purposes, and that the confidence re-
posed by the people IN him had been betrayed
1--WE could not retain the kind feeling we
now entertain for him !"
BY way of aggravating the Nervousness OF
the offense with which Mr.. Latham is charged
the Express reminds him how it, among the
balance of the Administration papers, howled
for him, during the last canvass, or, to use
its own language, how it battled in his cause
when he was "beset on all sides by 6ends"-
think of that, fieads not political opponents
but tIends who threatened to make dis
honest man of him in spite of truth, justice
or mercy. OF course, party discipline haC
nothing to do with this support it was mer'
personal devotion to Milton S. Latham.
By way of properly measuring the enor-
nifty of the act, in its estimation, it plainly
intimates that the fact of Mr.. Latham's using
his influence to elect Denver would be pri-
ma facie evidence that the charges of dis
honesty made against him in the last cam
paign were true. To quote its own Ian
guage:
out to Denver would have been prima facie
evidence of the truth of the charges against
him."
Very well, if it would have been pr-ima
fdcie evidence then-to wit, during the last
campaign-what would hinder it from being
the same now? Verify, if this is to be the
manner in which the Governor elect is to be
talked of by his late supporters, he will think
the .fiends hav'nt all left him, yet Fiends
or friends, it will make but small difference
with him what you call them, if this is to be
the manner of their treating him.
The great trouble with the Express seems
to be that Latham is suspected of using his
influence for Denver and not for Weller
We may do that paper injustice, but we are
inclined to think that, if Latham were work
ing for Weller, it would have mighty little
to say upon the subject, and wouldn't regret
its valirnt defense of him against the "fnds"
at all. 1t be may that Weller himself would
reject all such aid, and beg of the Governor
elect not to interfere in his behalf, and, if he
should happen TO be elected by such means
in spite of all remonstrances, would indig-
nantly refuse the position. But there are
men to whom such bauble as the United
States Senatorship would be accepted even i
they had to receive it at the expense of suct
"debasement"-as the Express terms it-on
the part of the giver, as that of which Mr..
Latham is accused of being guilty. And, by
the way, if there be such "debasement" on
the part of Latham, how can it be any less a
"debasement" on the part of Denver? If the
act of bestowing the favor be debasng, is
the act of receiving it any different? What
says the Learned Theban" of the Express to
this question of moral ethics ?