Year: 1867




it has depressed the business OF the State. 1t
may also be that the National situation has
had something to do with the matter, and
that the meeting of Congress on the 4th OF
March next. and the consequent anticipation
that we might possibly have to elect the
Members from this State to the lower House
at special election, may have enlivened the
ideas of the people in political matters But
whatever the cause may be-whether the
National situation, whether the dullness OF
business consequent upon the severity OF the
weather, which, throwing men out OF their
regular lines of business, lands them in the
haven of politics-certain it is that the polit
ical canvass is opening uncomlnonly early
this year, and promises to be uncommonly
interesting. There will be determined eff
fort made to force a breach into the solidity
of the Union ranks, and no scheme will be
left untried which promises to weaken the
Union strength in Congress or our State
Legislature. We are pleased to see that the
Union party, so far as heard from, is alive to
its interests throughout the State. We have
yet to hear the first syllable of discomfort
expressed against any of our present delega-
ton in the lower House of Congress, and
every expression of public opinion seems to
be in favor of returning to that body the
present members, who have proved, in the
most trying ordeal, their fixed loyalty, and
their entire fitness fer the positions which
they now hold. We are glad to see that the
people are in earnest about public affairs,
and not likely to run after novelties IN the
shape of new and untried candidates for
Congressional honors; and we shall be still
more pleased if we should see the same steady
purpose applied by them in the selection of
our next State Legislators. Our next Leg
islature will have to pass upon the Constitu-
tional Amendments, elect a United States
Senator, and transact other business of the
greatest moment to the people, and it is of
prime Importance that there should be as
little experimenting as possible in selecting
the Union legislative candidates. The rule
should be uniform throughout the State to
return the old members who have never
lodged any of the party issues, nor ever
wavered in their allegiance to the Union
party and their Union constituents. Wher-
ever there will be a chance of defeating
Union legislative nominee at the polls, no
effort will be spared by the opposition to do
SO. and where that is hopeless they will bring
every scheme to bear to defeat the renomina-
ton by the Union party of the true and tried
men whom they have found invulnerable and
unapproachable in their loyalty. Such will
undoubtedly be the policy of the opposition,
and they hope, not unreasonably, that the
same wiles which will defeat in a Union
convention the denomination of a tried and
firmly loyal man, will succeed in replacing
him by one whom they can manage and
twist to suit their purposes. We have plen-
ty of smart and ambitious young men who
would be only too glad to relieve our veter-
and if in their efforts to do so they should
get material help from outside influence,
they might possibly be willing to return fav-
ors to the opposition after their election
Such things might be or might MOTT is al
ways safe to guard against them, and hold
fast to what you have and know to be true.
A man would be foolish one if he should
discharge his servants as soon as they had
learned his business and proved their fideli-
ty, and take new and untried ones in their
places, and the people of any county would
do foolish act if they should discard legis-
lators who have experience without suffic-
lent cause, and send every year new men to
the Legislature. who would not more than
get the run of business and post themselves
on parliamentary law during their term, and
would have to contend for their local inter-
ests against the veterans from antagonistic
parts of the State. A great cause of the sway
which the South, in old times, held in Con-
gress, was that she returned and kept return
ing her members, while the North kept send
ing new men all the time, who, from inexperi-
ence, were unable to cope with the Southern
Members; hence the South appeared always
to have the most talent in Congress. and de-
rived vast benefit thereby. Let any county
pursue the same policy, and her interests
will be enhanced in the same measure. What
we have said above we have said to very
little purpose if il does not appear therefrom
that we think it best for the interests of the
county and of the Union party therein that
our present members of the Legislature
should be re-nominated and reelected. 1t
may possibly be that we are prejudiced in
their favor, for they are all friends of ours,
but we certainly think that the county and
party have nothing to gain and everything to
lose in discarding them for new men. If we
are in error in bringing the matter thus early
before the people, it is one of judgment, and
not of the heart, and because we believe it is
in politics as it is with breeches-"a stitch in
time saves nine"


Fo,LIsH.-A correspondent of the San
Andreas Register, writing from Whisky Slide
takes exceptions to an item which appeared
in this paper several weeks ago, in relation
to the mines in that vicinity. The trouble
seems to be that, in mentioning the various
leads upon which labor was being performed
and which promised to become valuable, we
named other claims than Wallace, Cockley
X Co.'S A person would be led to suppose,
by reading the Whisky Slide scribblers COM
munication. that there was but one CLAIM in
that whole district worth noticing. We re-