The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-09-18
pr William c. Nelson.

! Lane and Samuel &. PoueSToy, ne
former for 4 short term OF four Years.
in keeping with the rule Of Tie senate
by which the terms # the two sona-
, tors CT a state should not expire il the
same vtar and the latter for the full
term OF SIX years.
Nowhere assuming 70 be Of the 1ilet-
tamil. as a campaigner IN h country
districts Senator Lane came down 10
the level of The farmers and villagers
who comprised his audiences and Wa
what later has been called Il spell
binder" and 2 powerful n at chat
Ccauess and coilarleSs. with tobacco
juice streaming out Of the corners o.
his mouth, he poured lot shot into his
detractors and stated the issues OF the
day IN language that went over
the heads" of his auditors. A favorite
defense OF his was: They charge ne
with political treachery and with leav-
ing one party for another, when the
fact was that | never left Il party until
il became too corrupt for an honest
man TO remain in il. But this is only
one of their prosecutions. Great God!
They even impu@n my virtue!' The
fact that a Western member of congress
81 some Years later, who did not bear
t44C Ill ~ 1<1-ICs IIio btCGl ~
wink at the suggestion when III his
u that he was a son of the senator,
seemed 10 lend some color TO a susp!-
cion that his virtue was not of the
character possessed by the late Mms.
Julius Caesar, who had been a member
OF the Thirty-third congress from In
d.aua
Lane had hao e va "araor in Kan
sas during the "border rufian troubles
but it is only Ct his senatorial lfe
that is intended 10 be briefly touched
upon kece. Early in his second term,
10 which he had been elected in 1865,
the break between President Andrew
Johnson and the republican party took
/ place, in which Lane sided with the
president. The people OF his state
were 50 incensed 1T his position tina
numerous demands We're made for his
resignation. TO which he made .e-
sponse by blowing his brains out at
L~eavenwOrth during vacation OF coQ-
greSS in 1866.
BY appointment of Gov. Samuel J.
Crawl I'd, now a departmental Official
IN Washington, Edmund G. ROSS, an
obscure country edieOr and printer, sue
ceed2d Lane and at the ensuing SEES
sion of the state legislature was elected
TO till b remainder of The term. which
expired in 1871. A possibly a~pOchryphaI
story is old of the election of ROsS.
and which is said to have put all sub
seq ent financial transactions with he
Kansas legislature on a strictly clsh
basis. AS the story ran, a gentlemanly-
appearing and we'll dressed man APP
peared On the scene = day or two be-
lore the election, and. speaking sepa-
fately (Of cOurse) TO the members. |
said:
u course We know that the door. |
miserable So a day which YOU receive
1or your services in the legislature does |
not even pay YOU expenses here in |
topeka. Now. We are very anxious %
have Mr.. Ross elected to the senate
Take this blank check. which YOU no.
tee Is signed, and fill it in for what you
thlnh Will Tec0mperse you, at the same
Tune giving Mr.. Ross your cOnsidera- |
ton.
The checks were signed by a we'll
known private banking firm and were
payable at a Lawrence bank. about 90
mics away.
1nls was away back in 1867. in a
orand new state, remember, when brib-
ery n political corruption were not
SO much talked about. OF course. sucn
oners at this day would be spurned
with oontempt-espec.all the check
proposition.
MI. Ross was duly elected. and the
next day what had the appearance of
Il ieSlslatlVe excursion went from To-
peka TO Lawrence. But. alas! When
cnecks were presented at the pay
teller,S window, the answer was
and unanimously made:
-" 4 Co. have no funds On
deposit in this bank"
Whatever of popularity Senator Ross
Lh@! nave mad was lost by his voting
tSalnSt the Impeachment of President ,
'ohnson, and at the expiration of his
Ierm IN 1871 he retired, "unwept. IN ;
IGNORED n unsung," into obscur;tv.
. resume MS vocation as a printer ar /,
a tact which was mentioned 6
- evidence that. however he was ejfct-
~, ana now bad may have been his {
uoSn!thl' ne mad made no money OUT {
lol!Ccs. Foss having become a dem {
Id IL tne meantime, President Cleva- g
~ appointed MIN governor of New q
49, ana at the expiration of his :
= - NC returned to printing, at which 9
lneI until his death. Il few i
nOney-maker. "' y,
Caldwell was elected Ross q
uccessor III 1871. and there having +
cen much discussion as to the man. q
l7r OF MS election, he resigned in 1879 q
EN-: succeeded by Judge Robert Gro :
Ter, IN February, 1874, by appointment q
ne governor. but he was NOT e,ac--
q oy the legislature. g.
On. James N. Harvey was elected 6
! 1874 10 serve the remainder of he r
4rm' which expired in 1877. Gene.aI =
larFeF a1ferward returned TO Virginia h
hence ne mad gone to Kansas, and n
On the farm which had been his ;,
oyho1d home. u
Fres-"n b. Plumb succeeded Harvev