Weekly Trinity journal., 1873-12-20
LEGISLATIVE MATTERS.
GOVERNOR BOOTHS RECEPTION.
SACRAMENTO, Dec. 18th, 1873.

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 18th, 1873.
The all-absorbing topic thus far in the
session has been the selection of United
States Senators. The State has never
seen so heated contest, one in which
personal rancor and hate have been 50
manifest. 1t is perhaps as well not to
enlarge upon that subject now, the end is
so near at hand. | have DELAYED this
letter to the last moment to give you the
latest news regarding this contest. Even
now what l may say may be destroyed
by the swift-winged telegraph.
THE BALL OPENED
Yesterday in the Assembly, at II NJ,
when the Speakers gavel fell upon the
Special Order-The Election of United
States Senators. First, to take office and
fill Term beginning March 4th, 1875"
Such were the words of the Speaker
Who now will dare TO say that Governor
Booth, whose gubernatorial term does
not expire for nine months thereafter will
not have violated his pledge to the people
If elected and compelled to resign his
present position which he has made a
mere stepping stone to one still higher
There was terrible state of suspense and
subdued excitement in the Assembly,
with its floor thronged With guests, and
its galleries filed to overaowing with an
~ ont ottlf do fla
were made. Tinnin placed James T.
Farley in nomination, in n dignifed man
ner, as did zimmerman for James Mem
Shatter, but Swift, the Dolly driver, lost
his head, and on naming Newton Booth
insulted his fellow-members and the in
telligence Of the House, by declaring that
any candidate who dared aspire and com
pete with Booth was not sound.
THE CRACK OF THE WHIP
was keenly felt, and later, Pendegast in
the Senate returned the blow manfully.
The ballot was had and Booth received
43; Shafter 8; Farley %. The result
was greeted with applause, loud and long,
which Speaker Estee neither tried nor
could control. This was expected, for
all the theatrical lodges were brought into
play for effects sake.
For the short term the vote went scat
tering. The Dollys voted at all points of
the compass and evidently were on n
fishing expedition. Following is the re-
suit: Hager 80; Cole l8 Goodwin 10 !;
Raymond 8 /; Swift s; Haight 8 Edger-
ton l; Lewis l Bradley l..
The House then adjourned, and the
Senate met at P. NJ. All the members,
as in the Assem- mbly, were present. Sena-
tor Edgerton, after long silence, an at
tempt to force others to speak first, rose
and nominated Gov. Booth. He did it
prettily and that was all. He had the good
taste to do it decently. Pendegast nomi-
mated Farley and in the course of his re-
marks warmed Swift for the gratuitous
insult to other candidates. He said
g For the first time in the history of
this State-and trust for the last-the
claims of candidate have been urged,
not by the force Of argument or the pow
ers Of persuasion, but by threats and in
timidation upon the chosen servants and
mouth pieces of the people. We, sir,
who have been elected to seats in this
body and the other branch Of the Legis-
lature, have been boldly threatened, thro'
the public press, that unless we cast our
votes for one individual named our mo-
tives would be suspected and our charac-
tiers blackened for all time to come"
Referring to Swift's speech, he added !:
" Another gentleman, claiming to be
his mouth-piece and his exponent, boldly
asserted, in substance, that any gentle
man who dared to place his name in OPP
position to the candidacy OF Governor
Booth could not, in the nature of things,
be sound man. repel that statement,
sir, as SANDER upon our candidate and
as libel upon the intelligence and the
virtue of the whole people,"
Oulton then nominated Shafter, and
the ballot resulted as follows Booth 13
Farley 10; Shafter 13 ; Pendegast 1.
The Senate then proceeded to ballot for
Senator for the short term, with the fol-
lowing result: Hager lS; Goodwin
Cole s Phelps 8; Laine 4 Perkins l
Belcher /.
JOINT CONVENTION