Show Mark Twain T s Description of Nevada Nevadas s First First Legislature ARK TWAIN TAIN the th Inimitable MARK American In his hll In Intensely tensely Interesting book hook Roughing It portray the first legislature of ot Nevada Nade und and tells of or Iti tt It trials In to language so o simple and anI nol graphic no 10 o entrancing mid good na natured natured that hi hili description It I herewith reproduced uc Originally wa WU a part of ot Itah nod was called Careon county a 1 pretty large lor e county It wa w ss too Certain of ot Its It valley produced no end endot of ot hay lla anti and thin attracted cob olo Ille of or Mormon and farmers to them Gov jO GO Hoop wins as the anil only onI chief tn of Ct It IL In dUI due course of or time lime Congress passed lAsell n 1 t hill bill to oranie orr Nevada Ter Territory r and Ami Lincoln sent lent out clot Clovi Gov Nye Nyc re to supplant Hoop Roo 1 At u time the population nf or thc the territory was 18 bout about or OL rapidly Increasing Silver Sliver mines were being vigorously developed and r milia erected limitless Hulne of ot all alt kinds waa active and no prosperous anile growing grown more bore more no an day by day ria 0 ed to 10 Immigrants I nun t The Tha people were glad Klad lad to ha have hav a 1 le Ie legitimately government but hut did dill not particularly enjoy hitting havIng Ii strangers tranger from distant put In authority over them a sentiment that WRit was natural 1 enough They rhey thought the tho should hould have hive been beau chosen from tram fromI I I among from among prom prominent I bent who had Imd earned a 1 right t to ouch Buch promotion and who would tie lIe lIei bein i In sympathy with the populace Ce and likewise thoroughly acquainted with r the needs nelda of ot the territory tory They were r 11 right IM li viewing tho the matter thus thue with without without I I out doubt The rhe now new officers were weri i Immigrant and that lh t wa was no title to affection or admiration I ratio n either I The new lIew government w received with considerable coolness It wo waa not only a n foreign Coln Intruder but a ii 1 poor one oneIl It Il was not even worth plucking ex except X capt by the smallest 1 of or mull try fry tl and uch Everybody knew that t Congress had hai appropriated only u it 1 year ear In green backs back for tor lu Its It I about money mOlley enough Jo o run a 1 1 quartz mill 1 a month And ind n everybody i knew Kilo Allo Io that the tha years money still In Washington and that tho the getting hold of ot It would be a tedious and process plOCe Carson Caron City Wall waa too wary and too wise to open up a ii 1 credit account with the Imported taint bunt buntling bantling ling hug with anything like hike Indecent hut heats Struggle There ts Is something solemnly funny about the struggle of or a newborn Ter Tt Territorial 1 government to get et a II start In inthis this world Ours Our had hall a trying time of or r It The Organic O Act cl and d tho th mimic from th HUtc datt 4 com Coin commanded l that a n 1 should mould be bej elected ted at RL It s j hur J i h a cc date dads U It j ww ya a flY to tl g gt f t 1 c an n nt lit litI I 1 L three dollars a I day although board boar wan MOB four fout dollar dollars and nd fifty lifty cents centa for tor distinction has hM Its iti charm chann In III Nevada as aswell aswell well elsewhere as and thieve there were plenty of o patriotic souls out of employment but Jut to get Tet a legislative hall hail for tor them then to meet In III was wan another matter altogether Carson blandly declined to give Ie u a 1 room or let one to the government on oil credit Currys Patriotism Hut But when Curry Curr heard of or the dim dICI cully he ho camo caine forward solitary and and anel shouldered the ship of ot state over the bar and got Jot her afloat again n I 1 refer reter to Curry old Curry old Abe Curry Curr Hut Slut for him hini the legislature Ic would have been obliged to sit nt In the desert He lie offered his hla large atone stolle building Just outside the capital limits and It nna wiri gladly at opt ept opted ed ad Then him he built a 1 horse railroad from rom rain town ton to till the tim capitol and carried the legislators gratis lie lIt also alan fur furnished ur fished pine benches belU he and 1111 chairs chain foi In the legislature and covered the with clean sawdust by way say WI of ot carpet 1 d cI spittoon combined Hut But lor for Curry Curl the government would have hae died In Its ita It ten tender tender der Infancy A canvass partition to separate the senate enato from tram the house of at was IS put up lip by h the secretary lar at a cost cast of at but the United Stile State declined d to ony for tor It U Upon being reminded that the lIlI In Iii permitted tho the payment of or ofa It a liberal rent for Cor a 1 legislative hall hail and that that money wa wn was saved to the tine coun country country country try by b Mr dr Ir Curry Curr generosity the Iha United Stilted States State saId Mid that did not Niter alter the tue matter mailer th the 3 40 would bo ho 13 subtracted from rom the thc 1800 3 salary and It wa weal ul Printing Problem The matter of ot printing was from the tine beginning an all Intel feature of ot tho tIne new governments The Tine Will was sworn to obey his volume of ot written writ tell Instructions and the these e commanded him to do two certain tain tam thing s without tall fall viz I 1 Oct net the house and senate Jour Journals nals inIs printed and Z 2 For this tinia work pay 1 50 per thousand for composition and aind t I 50 O per token for tor presswork pre work In green reen greenbacks greenbacks backs back Economic Uncle Samuel It wan IM easy to 10 swear to do two things thing but hut It was all entirely Impo lIbie Ible to do more than one of or them When greenbacks had bad none gone one down don to 40 0 cents centa on the tile dollar the prices price regularly charged everybody by b printing establishments were 1 50 per thousand and 1110 p per r token In gold Kold To l o instructions Instruction commanded that tho the secretary regard a paper dollar Issued by hy the tile government ai III equal to any oth other er lit dollar Issued by b tho the Hence the he printing of ot the Journal was waa discontinued Then tho the United UnlIt sternly the secretary for tor Ills reg th tb Instructions Instruction rind and rindS v S iri n d mimi hIm to corre correct t his ways i j i rM I M M f l ty w v oo r ov ovA J I S t 1 1 I 1 A n 1 1 je s i 0 C S it iti 1 e i t t tp 1 I I j i x i p V ti M Mt Mc j c i i I M J I I t r 1 JO 1 1 1 1 I 1 A j b k Y A n a S Y 1 A 1 S A 1 I I AA A A AA A A t S hi j I 1 5 5 Y i t A A YA X I I i jt Ih IhA 1 A A c A AA Y Y A t AIA Y YX IA i f jr A X x 1 w 00 t M X iX MARK MAnK TWAINS CABIN AT AURORA NEVADA NEVEDA It In inn Hits i UK IIII lie I t V mine till Hie Mot nf or Ills III tot for It II Wherefore he ho spit got ot sonic some printing done dOlIt forwarded the bill to Washington with full exhibits exhibit of ot the high price prices of oC things In inn the th territory and called attention to toa toa a 1 printed market report wherein Il It would bu bo observed o that even eveni hay har wee waa 1260 n a x ton tOil The United 1 II States re responded by br subtracting the printing bill from the secretary suffering sal col color or and moreover mor oer remarked rents eked with dense denle gravity that he would find noth nothIng nothing ing In tin lila ht Instructions requiring him to purchase hay Gray Matter Nothing III In this world is II pelletS palled In iii I such MiRth obscurity aa as II a 1 U n S treasury ur comptrollers understanding The very nr tIre n of o tile the hereafter er K get et t up lip nothing more than a 1 fitful i In it In the days da I I speak of ot he never ner could coul J to comprehend why It wa WI that would not nol go o aa as far till in Ne Nevoda e evain vain voda where all 11 commodities ranged nt It an figure ure as all It t II the tine othor other t territories where ex ch cheapness a s was tho the rule Ho 11 was all UH all a who ho looked out for Cor the th little ex fX expenses I pennies all 1111 the th time The t of at the territory kept mis in inn hi his hie bod hd b ii room nn fin I 1 before remarked td and he parsed charged the l States no rent al though lila hili provided 1 for that lt Item tn and he Inc could have hot justly jU token taken advantage of ot It a n titling thing which hl h i I 1 u would have done don with more mOle than lightning promptness It if I mail had ben been sc se f rotary myself Hut the United State nver applauded thin In tn no dew dell I think m ia lilt country wo was ashamed to have so 10 Improvident Im a II person In Its employ Mental tlc we WI used to read a chapter from even morn It Ing g H s i tim gymnastics and a ac c lUp uple of ot chapters in HI linol i s tier foi they th treated of ot all un tine the sun tiun and had much religious matter In them along 1 Ion I ith th other othor statistics statistic thus In looM commanded omina that envelopes reins pen and writing paper be furnished the thO members member of ot the legisla legislature ture turo Ho o the Ihl secretary made mad the pur purchase purchase chase chall and the tha th distribution The knives cost S 31 J There wa was on cnn ona too limn ninny and alid 0 the lIlt thi gave mv it to the clerk of the thO house hOUM of ot representative Tine The United Platen said sabi the clerk oink of or the house Ilou was flU not a member of fit the leg I and took that SJ U out of or the salary loll M as usual hout Sawing Wood White men charged 58 8 or H l 4 n a load for Ing up stove wood The secre seere secretary tary tAr was aA enough to know kno that the United would never neter py pay uch price an aft that 10 so IN he got un urn S Und Indian Inn to saw up II a U load of ot wood at Jl 60 He lie mad made out nut the tho lh Initial vouch voucher er Ir but signed no IO name to It limply lY ap lip lipI l I H K tintS note explaining that an In Indian dian lIln hail had don the work and had hall done don doneIt dona It a In a R very ery capable and satisfactory u y but could not lm sun the voucher owing to lack lCk of ability in the necos necessary n rl sary The Tha secretary hud hind to pay that il uro 1150 M Ha IL thought the thO States State would fid r ml re both bo l hi hIs economy and und hi his honesty In getting the work done at Bt halt half price and riot not putting a pretended Indian Indians signature to the voucher but the tine United State Slat did diLl not nol nollee see lee It IL In that light The United Stale tates wa was too much accustomed med to employ lag hg In thieves thieve in all eli manner of of official 0 tidal capa to regard hi hf his explanation explanation tion of or the hit voucher her an u any MY foundation fou In tact fact hin lIed Mans Inri I SlIt But the next nm time Ume the Die Indian saw sawed IlL ed eft wood for ID us u I taught t him bias to tu make a craM emsa at the bottom of t the voucher It looked like a cross that had hud been unlink drunk n ii year and then I H it sail and It went want through tilt nil right The States never said a 11 word VII I IWas Was Borry I 1 had nut not made the voucher for tor 1000 loads land of at wood Instead of ot one The government of at my m country snubs tty but fondles fondle villainy and I 1 think I might have de loped Into a n very pickpocket It If I J had remained In the public a 0 year or two Singular That was wan n it I fine Sn rm collection of sever sovereign signs eign that Nevada legislature They Trey levied taxes tU I to 10 the amount of or orS S OOOO or ond and ordered expendi expenditures tures to the tIne extent of about Vet Yet they Ihy ln had Id d their little period leu I is t of nt economy like Ilka all othe Lodl 1001 Lodie of ot the Ih kind kimi A member propos fd ru I to I say ave M 9 a a day to th the nation By Iy dispensing with the chaplain And yet yot that shortsighted man needed the i roars more 10 than any other member primp for tor he ht gen generally rally sat eat with hi his fret f lt on Sits his hi lIe ilek sating eating raw turnips turnip during durt the morning prayer Over O ter er Fhe legislature l sat lILt fO 50 0 days day aya and nd private t franchise all the When they adjourned It WH was VIti that very every clUIn owned about three franchises and d It II wa WU be hi believed o that thaI unless unIs Congress Congre onre ga gave e the tha territory another degree dree of ot longitude there would ou not be room IO tn enough to 10 accommodate The Time ends end of ot them were we hanging over the fInn boundary line everywhere like II ilk a fringe The fuet U Il the freighting business had grown Irown to such uch Important prop r tion that there was waa nearly aa u much snuck excitement over suddenly acquired l toll loll road mad 4 M S over tb tn the wonderful all sll Inver allver ver er mines mine I |