The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-05-01
JONES OF NEVADA.
The New Light in the National Senate.
Especial Correspondence of the Boston
GIaha

w ASHIkGToN, II. u, AprlI D.
Col. John w. Forney, of tn
Philadelphia Press, tells a goo
story of his first introduction t.
Senator Jones, of Nevada, VIII
made so marked a sensation il
the Senate the other day by hi
speech on the financial question
Forney was on q visit to the Pa
cific coast, accompanied by Col
Thomas A. Scott, Senator Sher
man, and other friends. 1t wa
in the fall preceding the election
of Jones, as a Senator of Nevada
to succeed James W. Nye. A
San Francisco there was largt
Republican meeting, whereat For
ney, Sherman and others were in
vited to speak. Among those
present on the platform was Sena
tor Nye, then a candidate for re
election. AS 'Forney went for
ward to speak, Nye whispered
"Colonel, say a good word for the
old man, won't your" to which
Forney replied, Certainly, old
fellow and in the course of his
speech he kept his promise, pay.
ing a handsome compliment to
the Senatorial and other services
of Gen. Nye. His reference dur.
ing the speech to the lamented
Broderick, and the fact that dur.
ing his life the California Senator
and Forney had been the warmest
and most intimate friends, was
greatly in his favor, and the APP
plause was so frequent and bois-
ferrous that it was difficult for him
to proceed. Jones, the embryo
Senator, was among the auditors,
but, as the sequel shows, he did
not appear to be offended at For
ney's commentator of his rival
for the Senatorship. At the close
of the meeting the speakers and a
number OF prominent persons, and
among them Jones, adjourned to
the rooms of Col. Scott. Jones
seemed to have taken a fancy to
Forney, and kept close to him all
the evening. Finally, when near
ly everybody had left, Forney said
to him, "Who are you-what is
your namer 81 am Jones'" he
replied, "Jones, of Nevada; I am
the fellow who is going to beat
Jim Nye; I'm going to be elected
Senator. was a Broderick man
a Broderick Democrat, and l like
you because you were his friend"
AS might be supposed, the first
thing that came to Forney's mind
was his eulogy of Nye, but Jones
never alluded to it. "He talked
for a long time" says Forney,
"and impressed me as a very re-
markable mana man of great
force and energy"
The fact that Jones is very rich,
worth from $15,OOO,OOO to $2O,-
100000, with q fabulous annual
income, preceded him to the Sen
ate. When he took his seat he
was regarded by those who knew
little about him as a successful,
"honest miner" like his colleague,
Senator Stewart, only more so;
but there was not much expected
of him as legislator or debater.
1t was supposed that he would be
an exceedingly quiet member of
the Senate, willing to let others
do the talking while he did the
listening, and be satisfied with be-
ing pointed out to the curious as
the richest man in the Senate.
Those who INDUCED in such calcu-
lations as these were, as may be
imagined, struck with amazement
when Senator Jones arose in his
place, last Wednesday, and set
about demolishing the financial
theories of veterans like Morton
and Logan, in style that for the
moment led them to doubt their
senses. "Jones made more points
in ten minutes says Senator
Thurman, ethan all the rest of us
made in ten days" Nor were his
style and diction out of harmony
with his forcible logic. Every
one of his sharp, epigrammatic
sentences pierced Morton's theo-
ries like a keen Damascus blade.
Evidently speaking without pre-
meditation, and for the first time
in the Senate, he appeared as cool
and self-poised as if he had been
there all his life, and felt that he
was master of his subject. Nor
toms effort to interrupt him by
asking questions did not in the
least disturb his remarkable self
possession. The replies of the
Nevada Senator were so pungent
and well directed as to "bring
down the galleries." as the phrase
is, to the great discontinue of
Morton and the inflationists. The
experience of the Indiana Senator,
in this line was so disastrous that
no other Senator cared to repeat
it, and Jones was allowed to pro-
coed without further interruption.
What was most astonishing was
the facility with which he quoted
column after column Of statistics,
principally from the census, with
out reference to book or to notes.
Senator Jones has given such a
favorable account of himself, and
has made such a decided impress
sion, that hereafter there will be
no occasion for the inquiry, "Who
is Jones" He is of medium
height, heavily built, a good sized
head, well balanced, and showing
unmistakable signs of indomita.
BILE energy and perseverance, as
well as a full development of the
intellectual faculties. He has
brilliant, keen, dark eyes, which
look straight at you as if theil
owner was determined to take
your full measure at a glance
His full beard, mixed with gray
is in fine contrast with his rudy
complexion, the latter the result
Of good living and robust health
His manner impresses you as tina
of straightforward, earnest, bus
mess man, accustomed to reacl
his point with as little circumlO
cution as possible. Senator Jone
is about forty-four years of age
in the prime of manhood, will
thirty or forty years of work il
him. His dress is quite unosten
tatious, plain black, with very lit
tie jewelry, neat and becoming
He keeps a bachelors quarters il
the residence formerly occupie,
by Secretary Stanton, and he er
tertains his friends literally an
handsomely. Mac.
During the days of ''specie pay
ment," before the war, the countr
was flooded with paper money
; Every State had banks of its ow
, liking, but all were ostensibly o
the "specIe" basis. But in thos
days 3 man could not travel froI
one State to another without suffei
, ing 9 shave of from five to twenty