Gold Hill Daily News

true growth, to the destruction of Bedlam, ruin of "public spirit." Cliquism, however, prevails far less in the Atlantic States than formerly, as emigration has broken up many tendencies to form better-than-you families, the boys travel, the girls go to distant places to school, and coming home refuse or refrain from an exclusive tea-party communion. The education of the times is schooling men and women of our East to like the best of books and folk; irrespective of miserable conventionalism in introduction. Sectarianism is far less strict in its social divisions as of yore. In the older States, as all are aware. But the cliquism of the New England and Middle States was always founded on a sincere conviction, or prejudices. It was a purely social ostracism which it carried out, and though detestable in effect, it bore no comparison in evil to certain characters of cliques that have arisen on this Coast. The great "San Francisco clique, was founded not on the noble Pioneer Association—that would have been something more excusable than the Yankee "circles" even; it rose from the Vigilance Committee. It has been broken up through the falling away from it of its really deceived or misguided members. Coming way, way down from that grand clique of the metropolis, we find in interior towns, in the Pacific States, little political cliques, that arrogate all the ability and merit of every kind to themselves, and proportionately stigmatize the poor "outsiders." Not to be misunderstood, in illustration, we will mention the fact that this county for several years has been blessed with a clique that "know it all," "deserved it all," and were entitled to damn everybody if they didn't "have it all," politically or otherwise. Any one who presumed to disagree to the proclamations of this select junta of Great Ones—composed in part of as vile wretches as ever breathed—was forthwith denounced as a knave or a fool, dishonest and crazy, etc., etc. This sort of thing has been submitted to, in most instances, or passed by, without much reciprocating notice. Various motives have led to this real indifference to the claims and the clamor of the great Clique in Storey county politics. Many have had such a sovereign sentiment of contempt for the professional libellers who formed a part of the clique, that no severity of slander could induce them to notice the dogs; or the persons most abused may, at the time of the utterance of the slanders, have been so employed that they did not have time or opportunity to make the suitable character of reply if there was any disposition to descend to the making of a reply. And so it has happened that the Clique has, though often and even usually beaten in primaries and local elections, gone on from one "grace" to another, until up to a few months since they believed their privilege was to say almost any wicked word of others, and assume almost any altitudes of dictatorship. Recently, however, they may have gathered the idea that they were not autocrats, and the bladder of their conceit has been rather cruelly gashed. It only took a word of square pointing, to direct the attention of the people to their shallowness, and the absolute audacity of the pretensions of the Cliquers. In fact they had no claim at all to superior wisdom or average honesty. All the force of their picturings against others, come from a faint, instructive, unconscious self-appreciation of iniquity. Thoroughly rotten, in all moral respects, they had, from the dull throbbings of their own conscience, suggestions of anathema. So they fulminated. And it happened, years ago, that they have started out to denounce and destroy men whom they themselves had made, by association, distasteful to the people,—had perhaps made them rascals,—as judges and as associate counsel. It has undoubtedly been a part of their scheme to trap judges and others whom they would ruin into schemes of wickedness, and then turn about and give what was really State's evidence, to the Clique's great self-glorification before the people. O, such honesty as they, the Cliques, possessed! They wouldn't corrupt judges, suborn witnesses, bribe jurors, plunder a city or county treasury! O, no: not they! But these creatures have now reached the end of their tether. Their exposure has commenced; and the work of their outcasting will go on until they shall confess they have no shame, or hide their heads under Universal Contempt, for which there will be no legislated Amnesty. It is about time that the infamous characters who have trotted about the streets of our towns, bellowing "that man is a knave" and "that man is a fool,"—against persons whose shoe-latches they were not worthy to unloose,—should receive their own political and social "quietus." Something like a faint appreciation of their approaching doom may have come unto the consciousness of the Cliquers; as they seem now disposed to indicate nearly all the people of the State of Nevada! calling the vast majority of white men "traitors," etc. The "Cliquers" of Storey county are already in a bad way to see company, and they will have no visitors next Summer. Their damnable record, systematically and thoroughly exposed, will place them in such a view, that unless without a single spark of remorseful emotion (as may be the case,) they will adjourn their proceedings in conclave to other portions of this Universe. They may choose to adjourn to Alaska. They should remove to Africa.