The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991, 1863-01-31


secret enacted at No. l6, Golden Eagle. ASH
founding disclosures take place in Caucus
and developments are made showing that
they have been trading and bribing or tryi
ing TO bribe back and forth, in most truly
business like style.
Parks comes before the caucus and tells
them plainly that he has been using his
money during all last summer in the canvass
of the counties of Mariposa, Stanslaus,
MERGED. Santa Clara, Sonoma, Marin, Placer,
Butte, Tuolumne and Calaveras. No expose
in all time past in this State, has ever APP
preached this Senatorial race in shameless
corruption-lhe particulars OF which are
gisen with loathsome particularly.
These are the men and this the party
that have been claiming all the virtue, pa
triotism and honesty in California for the
past eight years. and beslobbering the repu'
tarion of honest gentlemen, with their poi
sonous SANDER Out upon them for hypo
critics and lying thieves-let honest men
eschew them rs they would foul thing.
SACRAMENTO CORRESPONDENTS.
SACRAMENTO, Thursday, January 20, 1868.
Editors Herald: Within the past two
DAYS. Senatorial matters have became quite
interesting, if not exciting. For two weeks
or more it has been current as political gosi
sip. that bribery and corruption" was the
order of the day, and that the Park men,
Sargent men, and CONFESS men, had got the
Phelps men in tight place, and whenever
there was any danger of Pie p's nomination,
an "expose" was to be made. Whenever an
outsider expressed the opinion that Phelps
would finally be the nominee, if the individ'
ual addressed was a Phelps man, the declar-
alton was made in REPLYING we have the
dead thing on Mr.. Phe ps-he has been buy
inc, and we can prove it," So the contest
has continued till Tuesdsy evening, when it
seems the opposition to Mr.. PheI ps were
fearful of an election, and courage was mus
tered up to make the astounding declaration
that the U S. Postal agent, Mr.. Watrous
had made corrupt and bribng proposals to
Mr. Smith, Of promising District
Judgshp and $4,000 The announcement
was made in Caucus by Senators McCuI'
Tough and Gaskel two Park men, and in
accordance with the programme precisely
arranged among the Park and Sargent men,
and created considerable excitement and
Consideration. The opponents of Mr.. Phelps
were thunder struck, although they had
planned the inveiglement of Mr.. Watrous,
and had been cognisant of the overtures to
Mr.. Smith, since the 10Th of January. ! am
no Phelps, Park, Sargent or Conness man,
therefore can imparlially and cody exam
inc this case. Phe ps. per Sc is doubtless as
much opposed to using corrupt means to Sc
cure an Office as either Ct his opponents, and
is probably in no way responsible for the act
of his owe, Jealous friend This "Wardrobe
case was doubtless concocted and carried
out by Park and his friends, not for the pur'
pose Of exposing or opposing fraud and corr
ruption, but Git is charged) to vindictvely pre-
Tougn' TITO t,5","or, ;eat;f n-- Mr. McCul
nomination in the Caucus, and passed such
a glowing eulogy upon his skill in overcoml
ing obstacles Of serious nature in connect
ton with the celebrated Mariposa Fremont
grant little dreamed then that his next
would he so dolorous and serious brief;
giving the Union Caucus a history of his ex
perience in a wardrobe Here is material
for illustrated papers-two grave Senators
locked within "A wardrobe, listening to the
proposals of Federal officer. the leading
points-of whose propositions are drawn out
by the associate Smith! Here's dignity and
honorableness sand honesty of purpose and
intentions always are with such high attrii
bues Of manhood! But let us travel back
to tn Caucus. 1t was understood on Tues,
day night that the majorityof the CONFESS
men had concluded that there was no hope
for Join (Conness gave it up hmself) and
many OF his votes were going for Phelps
lhis FASTENED the expose, and the resort to
the last means to defeat the leading man in
the Caucus. The expose led to very long
debate in favor of investigation, and as to
how and by whom the labor should be done
Phelps leading men were opposed TO investi,
cation, and in favor of going on with the
ballot while the combined opposition were
for invest gation. But the question was
"how" The friends of Phelps would not
consent to a committee of the enemies tone
had just reported on bribery and corruption)
and Park, Sargent and Co, would not consent
to a committee of PheIp s' men. The aulhon
ity Of the Caucus, or the Assembly, to inves
tigate was fully discusse, and it seems offer
motions made, and resolutions offered, that
the opponents of Mr. Phelps considered tina,
a political Caucus, was the Legislature OF
the State Of California. 1t was proposed
that committee be appointed to investigate
the case, Dih pOecer to send for persons or
papers. How ridiculous? 1t is pretty ket.
tie of fish in shy way considered, and throws
very strong suspicious of-fottenneSs on both
the Park and Phelps factions. The suisse.
quent action of the Caucus, as binding upon
the minority, was questioned by some, and
the whole Union fabric shows signs of cav
ING in. Others contended that full inves
tigaton is necessary to the salvation of the
party, while some insisted that Park and Wa
trous are the only men to be held responsible
for the damage likely to fall upon the party.
This disclosure falls with heavy weight upon
the party claiming all the purity, honesty,
and integrity, and charging the opposite upon
the Democrats. The result of this expose,