Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-04
BOGUs STATE.

A BOGUS STATE.
The Legislature of Nevada rati.
fed the proposed fifteenth amend.
ment to the constitution of the
United States on the LIST inst
Nevada is one Of the bogus States
admitted into the Union during
the late war. The number of votes
in the whole State does not exceed
six thousand-not as great as the
voting population of Davidson
county. The State is vast will
derness of mountains, says the st.
Louis Repablican, interspersed
here and there with a fertile valley
The precious ores which in rich
veins run through the rocks first
attracted needy advenlurers. Some
were willing enough to work, and
these were we'll satisfied with the
simple county government that
existed; but with the adventurers
came also a set of played out"
politicians from the States, and for
these a territorial government was
organized, and soon afterwards,
under the inspiration of these hun
cry office seekers, a State constitu-
ton was adopted, and the Territory
asked for admission into the Union.
This application was made at
time when the thunder of the can
mons of the rebel army resounding
along the Potomac was audible in
the capitol Many seats were emp
ty in the chambers, and as it was
considered a species of patriotism,
similar TO that exhibited by the
Roman Senate when it parceled out
the land on which Hannibal's army
was encamped, at such a time to
admit new State into the confed-
eracy. Nevada gained admission,
and another star was added to the
bright galaxy, at time when
some seemed about TO shoot madly
from their spheres. If the new
State had developed as rapidly as
the States admitted before that
time, after admission into the Union
this would have been well enough,
but such was not the case; for the
State was scarcely admitted into
the Union, when the miners who
had swarmed into it, attracted by
the wealth Of the mines of Washoe,
as suddenly left it. There was
great danger that nearly every
body except the ofhce-holders
would leave the State. Under
such pressing circumstances at
that time the brilliant statesmen of
Nevada conceived the idea to tax
every individual leaving the State
q certain sum, with the two-fold
object of discouraging immigration
aud replenishing the bankrupt
State exchequer This brilliant
idea, however, was exploded by
some plucky individual, who re
fused TO pay the tax, and who,
upon being sued, carried the cause
to tho United States Supreme
Court, where he gained the case.
This decision well nigh ruined the
great" State of Nevada.
While, however, it must be con-
fessed that the people of Nevada
are not numerous, it is certain that
their two Senators, Stewart and
Nye, figure extensively in the Sen
ate. They belong to the Radical
wing of the Radical party, and be-
long to all the big and little
wings that flourish in Washington
and New York. OF course, they
are members of all important com
mittees and favor every scheme OF
the New England States. In their
own State they seem to have sue
ceeded admirably in impressing
New England ideas upon the few
remaining inhabitants, for the tele
graph informs us that the Nevada
Legislature, no doubt a distin-
guished body Of statesmen, had
adopted an amendment to the State
constitution, striking out the word
white" Perhaps this is a bid for
negro immigration? Evidently all
the white people who could raise
sufficient money have left the State
and under the circumstances it /:
more than likely that the office
holders see no other way to save
the great State from " fzzlins
out" except by speedy and mum
erous influx of darkies. That tn,
African is the last hope of the Ne
vada office holder is evinced by tn
further fact that the proposition Il
extend the elective franchise t
white women was defeated by
decided vote.
But seriously, it must be consid
cred one of the fruits of the lat
civil war, that in the Senate of tn
United States the two votes Of tn
representative of a band of rOvin
miners should be equal to the vote
of the representatives OF Ne
York or Illinois. That the sma
States, members of the Union ;
the time of the foundation of ii
government, should be representt
equally in the Senate, was perhal
only just reward oftheir devotiC
to the cause a the struggle for i
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