The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-22
MIR. MITCHELL'S CAREER
WAS JOHN HIPpLE IN PENNsYL-
 vANIA BEFORE GOING WEST.
Eeft His Family and Disappeared from His Native State and Turned Up in the Pacific Coast as John H. Mifchell-Was First Elect cd to the Senate in
 lS7I.
Wilmington Ger. New York Sun.


 Washington Ger. New York Sun.
 John Mitchell. senior United States Senator from Oregon. who was indict- ed at Portland yesterday for alleged violation of law in accepting $2,000 for the use of his influence as Senator in furthering a fraudulent land scheme, is 6 veteran of many political battles. He has been charged by his political ene- mics with many crimes. more serious. if possible, than that for which he is under indictment, but he has always been victor when the tug of war came.
 Senator Mitchell was born in Wash ington County, Pennsylvania, in 1885. and went to Oregon in 1860, after a few years residence in California. He became more prominent gradually. and by 1866 came within one vote of being his party's choice for United States Senator. He incurred the bitter hos tility of William Lair Hill. brilliant lawyer, who was then editor of The Portland oregonian. Hill learned that Mitchell was living under an assumed name, and made trip to Pennsylvania where he traced Mitchelfs antecedents.
 It was discovered that Mitchelfs real maine was John Nipple and that while vefy young he had married a poor gifl. the daughter of a washerwoman. byt whom he had several children. He left his family and disappeared, and In due time turned up on the Pacific coast as John H. Mitchell" His identity having been established. The oregonian printed an exposure which caused a sensation in the State. For years afterwsrd The oregonian refer red to him as John Nipple Mitchell. ,"
 Mitchell, did not deny the truthful ness of the story. Instead. fe took the people of Oregon into his confidence admitted that he had changed his name and asked the people to judge him by his record as a man among them rather than by the errors of his youth He took steps to have his new name legalIzed, and made peace with his former wife by propef legal settle ment.
 The people of Oregon took Mitchell at his word and the attacks upon him wero unavailing. In 1879 he was elect ed to the United States Senate and took his seat on March 4, 1873, the same day upon which William B. AL lison entered upon his career in the Senate. Allison has served continu> ously ever since and now has the rec ord of having served longer than any other man, living or dead. But Mitch- ell has been in and out several times and every campaign, with few excep- tions, has been q fight in which the fur flew.
 In 1882 Mitchell received the vote of two-thirds of all the Republicans in the Legislature, but after struggle which lasted all through the session he was beaten. In 1885 he tried again and was successful and was reelected in 1891 without much trouble. but in 1897, af- ter having been unanimously chosen by the Republican caucus, there was violent break. which resulted in twen- ty-eight members of the Legislature refusing to take the oath of office dur ing the entire session. thus destroying a quorum and rsulting in MitchelTs defeat In 1901. after a hard battle, in which his old foe. Joseph Simon, was his principal antagonist, Mitchell was elected again to succeed George W. McBride.