The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-05-19
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SENATOR ZONES


SENATOR JONES. ssg
HIS EARLY CAREER--THE KIND or MAN He
Is-HIs SPEECH ON FINANCE AND HIS RE-
JoINDERs TO MOTIONS INQUIRIES-THE
LESSON OF HIS SPEECH.
''Gath," the Washington correspondent of
the Chicago Tribune, writes concerning
Senator Jones' life before entering congress:
This man, he saws, is hard nut, who has
had his ups and downs as fully as one OF
Bret Harte's characters. Born in Wales, as
his name indicates. he moved from Ohio TO
the Pacific coast. Having some shrewdness,
and as much courage, and more quaint good
nature, he became favorite, and fell under
the patronage of Alvinza Hayward, owner
of the Amador gold mine. Hayward had
pursued career not unlike his own subse-
quent one, and is related to have followed
a shaft into gold lodge 50 long that he was
reduced to one bag of beans to feed
bis workmeD, when, at that dis
tressful moment, the ore was
found. The inc. dent has been clumsily wo.
ven into Mark Twain's story of 1.-THE
Giided Age" Jones showed some capabili-
ties for public life, and was put on the ticket
with Gorham, TO be lieutenant governor of
California, about six years ago. He was
beaten, but, as IL is claimed, because Gorham
was unpopular, not himself Then, abetted
by Hayward, he removed over to Gold Hill,
in Nevada, and began to run shaft into the
Crown Point mine. Suddenly it began to
yield enormously, and for some time past
Jones' income has been 5000 month. His
successes, and that gameness in business for
which Caiifornians are renowned, made it
comparatively easy for Jones to run General
James Nye from the United States Senate.
1t is rumored that he made Nye a substan-
tial testimonial of his good opinion. At
any rate, the latter retired smilingly;
and then Jones made candid speech to the
legislature. entreating them to suffer no
personal inconvenience, or loss of self-re-
spect, if they had found it necessary, in the
course of mutual obligation, to take some
little douceur. Jones was unavoidably
delayed. He and his friend, Hayward, had
formed a strong attachment for Newton
Booth, the young governor of California.
against whom the Central Pacific railroad
and the monopoly interests of the Pacific
coast were making a discouragiog tight for
the United States Senate. Jones had been
the political friend of Booth, and, when the
latter was making ri5li fIe fs
- SPLENDID FIGHT st 20
before the people for governor, lent but lit
tie of the light of his countenance. But the
senatorship was quite another question;
and, around the halls of the capitol at Sac
ramento, Jones delayed until the session at
Washington was far advanced. When Booth
was elected, the Nevada senator appeared in
faced, gray haired, hardly noble, Welsh
looking man, with suave speech, affable
blue-eyed, and propensity for good-eating,
visiting, and knowing agreeable people. He
was more obliging than refined. He went
to the receptions, and was followed
around by mammas and demoiselles
He talked horse with General Grant
and bought five stylish nags for himself.
| For some time he stopped with Welcker, the
great caterer of the capital, and gave some
nice dinners there. After the death of
Charles Aston Bristed he rented Mrs. Bris-
ted's house. furnished-thes same once owned
by Edwin M. Stanton, and the seat of his
death. There Jones took up his residence,
with q widowed sister and her children, and
the rumor prevailed that be had made sec
ond alliance with young girl on the Pacific
side, whom he should presently take out of
school and make Mrs. Jones. In the Senate
chamber he received bat little attention after
the curiosity of so rich widower had worn
off, and the opinion got to be that he was not
to be heard of outside of the social circle, but
would be good natured, quiet attendant
on the votes, until some day he would re-
tire voluntarily and 20 back to the mines.
During the currency debate, however, he
distributed himself around the Senate
chamber, listening to nearly all the speeches;
and when Carl Schurz made his celebrated
speech, 1 noticed Jones at his elbow, looking
up with intelligent approval, which Schurz
|
and addressed Jones. Morton said the peo-
pie wanted more. money, and the country
would come to specie payments whenever it
could. On this, Jones, to every body's sur
prise, stood up
LIKE AN HONEST MINER
to explain. Before he sat down, Morton
felt, like Bill Nye, that sthe heather Chinee
was peculiar" He made speech winch put
him at once in the front rank of sensible
and clear, if not powerful, men. He began
with an illustration from the states Of the
coast where he resided, and asked how it
could be said there was not enough gold
TO perform the exchanges of the rest of the
United States, when all the Pacific COM
munities had steadfastly adhered to gold
and silver since the beginning of their his
tory. To-day, as during the war. ample
gold and silver are to be there had-enough
! for all transactions. Morton made his usual
TRADE about the want of patriotism ofthepeo-
pie who had not accepted the greenbacks, and
said that they had set back the Pacific coast
by refusing to accept them. But they used
| gold and silver as currency because it was
their product. How could the United
States have suppressed the rebellion if all
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