[chemengineer42]

it means that senate seats were being bought by big industry especially in the small states, In Montana they were bought by the copper industry.

[rellimpank]

--and in Nevada in its early history by Senator William Sharon, who was the Nevada silver mining "king"--(not that I think that that was all bad.)

--Sharon was an interesting character, who probably deserves the overall title of "worst" senator ever, from the standpoint of constituent service--he was only present in D. C. for something like six weeks of his term, spending most of his time in San Francisco and precious little in Nevada.

--in later life he was embroiled in one of the leading sex scandals of the time, which indirectly lead to the death of another scoundrel named David Terry---.