, 1873-01-23

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NEVADA SENATOR John ~ Jones'
formerly of Trinity county, California.
has been elected by the Legislature of
Nevada to succeed General Nye in the
United States Senate ffem that State.
This is "A remarkable instance of the
power of money in the hands Of man
unscrupulous in its use. in achieving
political distinction. But a few years
since Jones was an impecuniers miner
in the Trinity mountains, without any
trade or profession to fall back en-, or
education or ability to distinguish him
from hundreds ct others in the same
pursuit who never dreamed of public
distinction. The only evidence of gen
ius which he. exhibited was as good
story-teller. ana .free-and-easy address
which made him popular with the
boys" These faculties he turned to
good account in securing several county
offices and subsequently seat in the
State Senate where he was only cistin-
.guished as one of the "jolly good fell
lows y Here he joined the combination
which resulted in the nomination of
George C. .Gorham for Governor and
Elimself for Lieutenant Governor, called
-:he i" boys ticket" which was defeated
After this Jones WAS appointed superin-
tendent of mine in Nevada and back
,ed by the enormous wealth of Alvinza
Hayward, he engaged in mining stock
operations, from which, in the course of
two or three years. he is said to have
frealized $3,OOO,000. With this capita
in hand he entered tie field as candi-
date for United State Senator and could
outbid all competitors, holding his seat
by the title of pur hase, having bought
and paid for it. IT is a notorious fact
that every Senator heretofore elected
rom the State of Nevada "a State with
ont sufficient population to entitle it to
half Representative in Congress--and
q majority of the Senators from Califor-
mia, have held their seats by the same
title. Charles De Long, formerly bar
keeper in miuing camp in California,
having by successful speculation accu-
mulated fortune in Nevada, was the
previous competitor for the Senate with
Gen. Nye, and compromised for the ap-
pointment of Minister to China, bar
gain which was ratified by the Admins
,tration for the sake of retaining the SER
vices of the latter. How many of the
members of the most august Legislative
body in our Government occupy seats
ny the right of purchase exclusive of
the "carpet-baegers' who hold by rob-
Sbery-it would be instructive rs well as
shameful to know. That Simon Came
ron, by whom Charles Summer was su-
eperceded as the chairman of the most
important committee in the Senate, a
.man so incompetent in literary ability
sas TO be obliged to employ the services
aof others TO edit the paper of which he
was printer and publisher, it is we'll
known owes his official position solely
to the corrupt use of ill-gotten wealth.
He never held an elective Office which
he did not acquire by bribery. We
have personally heard him boast of this
fact as an evidence of shrewd manage
mark undoubtedly With truth--when
solicited to contribute funds to eId in
.electins his own partisans to the Legis-
,lature--that he had always found it
cheaper 10 buy the members after cleo
tion than to buy the popular vote ncces-
sary to their election. We might men
tion Pomeroy, Casserly, Stewart and
many other notoriously like cases, but
it is needless to repeat facts patent to
all.4 Bribery and corruption in high
places have come to be regarded as mere
party necessities for which there is no
remedy. Is it not about time that the
people. the source of all political power.
should begin to consider the tendency
OF these things? To eountenanee the
use Of money to carry popular elections
Is to endorse the wht le system of bribe-
ny nnd corruption. The man who offers
lbribes to the voters for an election, does
30 withthe intentions of indemnifying him
self by taking bribes in his official acts.
Hence the large sums expended in pop
ular elections, and the sndden acquisi-
sition of large fortunes by men in Off
eial positions, which is so common at
the present time. The people are cor
rupted with a small portion of the mo-
ney wrung from them by law to enrich
Others, and public virtue. the founda-
tion Of their liberties, is undermined by
the same process. es, "a.
INSULT TO THE PREss.- The Portland
Herald says: Washington Territory
can boast of more worthless, trashy and
sickly papers than any other portion of
the United States. With but two excep-
tiens. these papers are owned and run
by scheming politicians, who use them
to promote their selfish ends" 1t is
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