Nashville Union And American

A SENATORIAL SWINDLE

And still the tide of peculation sweeps on. "Mack" writes thus of one of the latest developments

Within the past week there has been in the Senate a partial airing of another of those choice little swindling schemes for which that virtuous body has, of late become noted. I allude to what is known as the McGarahan claim, in which, at least, three of the Pacific Coast Senators seem to have dipped shoulder deep in corruption.

McGarahan, it seems, claimed to be the owner of a tract of mining land which has recently developed into great value, yielding about $50,000 per month By some hook or crook a mining company got possession of this land, and began to work it McGarahan appealed to Congress with a plain case in his favor. but the mining company being rich, and well able to "lobby," has been able to keep him out of his property.

The point is, that three or four of the Pacific Coast Senators has acted in the matter so as to incur the suspicion that they were the agents of the company, as against McGarahan. This is putting it mildly. If I was not of a reverential turn of mind. and impressed with a strong belief in the incorruptibility of Senators, I would say that it was a flagrant case of bribery, for which three or four gentlemen ought to be transferred from the Senate to the Penitentiary.

There is hope that it will yet be ventilated. It is worth while to have it done, merely to show what honest fellows the people of the Pacific Coast select for Radical Senators.

One of the Senators implicated in the transaction is the same who recently reported against the admission of Georgia to the right of representation on the ground of the prevalence of crime in that State. He is now engaged as busily as he can be in attempting to whitewash what looks very much like one of his own crimes.

Take it for all in all, the Senate of the United States is a queer representation of national probity and national intelligence. It is only a few weeks since one of its Radical members was expelled, for the fourth time, from a temperance society another has recently been shown to be deep in half a dozen land swindles. I could name a dozen who have become millionaires under very suspicious circumstances; and now comes another corruption, smelling quite as strong as any of its predecessors.

But they are "loyal men all and he who says a word against one of them is a "copperhead" and a "traitor," so I'd better say no more about it, but pass to another topic