Locomotive, Volume 8, Number 10, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 May 1849 — Page 2

your humble servant ? , Why, sir, if I start off on a little buggy ride. to the country to enjoy a little fresh air, I have to run my horse nearly down before I get out of this mighty growing city. Why, bless my stars, sir, if you should happen to stop on your way, and read all the advertisements stuck up on the posts and trees, and look over all the plats of the new additions about to be made to Indianapolis, I don't think you would get very much beyond what the very best part of the city is going to be, as they say. Why, sir, you go along out North South, East, or West, or almost any point of the compass, you will see the old surveyor, with his measuring line, a mile' or mile and half from the town proper, laying off lots about big enough for a 12 foot cabin. Ask the owner why he don't lay off .his lots a little ' larger. Oh! he will say, "My" Dear sir, this is a going to be the very heart of busi ness. Then, such a round as he will take you, showing you the advantages of his great addition, the won. derful prospects, &c, &c. Every block almost and farm contiguous to town, is thought of as a new addition. " Ah ! the corners pointed out as the place for business ! 'Why, sir, what in the name of com

mon sense does it all mean ? Is all Germany com

ing, or is it all California? What! are we going to have a city, or kind of settlement of it, all over

Centre Township? Well, fellow citizens of Cen

tre Township, you who have not made up your minds to go to California, can just do as well here by laying off all your farms into town lots, 20 feet

front and 45 back. They will all sell, (according

to the calculation of our knowing folks.) Now

fellow citizens, let us sober down a little and take a

good common sense view of things. Now, if any per

son will take the pains to look over the town proper, as

it is called, he will see at once that there is hardly

half the lots improved. Indeed, if you lay off the lots the same size of those out of the town proper,

it is not half, I think. Just look at the number of

vacant lots, whole squares, and although I admit

they are held a little too high, but if they were cut

up as those out side, there would not be much differ ence, and I know at least in wet and muddy weath

er there is some difference in the walk. Not long

since I took occasion to satisfy my curiosity by trying the price of property in the various,parts of the

settlement, (or city, I suppose you may call it,) round about here.' And I wish I had room to tell -you of the display made by each man, in attempting to show off his property for sale. Why, sir,

you could (in fancy) see the large stone warehouses, paved walks, the clattering machinery, the engines, the bustling draymen disputing for the freight, and a thousand other things ; and then the low price of such property. My dear sir, it is almost useless to work now, (especially if all should get their prices.) Now, gentlemen, you who hold propert', if you want your city to look well, and have others to share some of the blessings you enjoy, particularly you who own vacant lots in the town proper, put them at a fair rate act like men of sense. Some of you are so avaricious, you must hold on to whole squares right in the best part of the city. If you expect your city to become a prosperous one, act in reason; give up your visionary speculations and avarice; give the man of industry fair play; don't throw him by necessity a mile out of town to reside ; build up your town like thinking men : those on Washington street, act accordingly; if you are able to build, do so; if not, sell to others at a fair price and let them build. Among other things let the buildings hereafter be of a better kind. I close by saying I do not want to buy property nor sell. ...... A Friend to Indianapolis.

enigma: I am two words of five letters each, in all ten. My 1, 6, 10, 10, 9, is the sirname of an Ex-Secretary. My 4, 8, 9, 6, is the name of a county in Indiana. My 3, 4, 5, 6, is the sirname of a member of the Indiana Sen

ate. - ; " - . '

My 4, 6, 7, 2, 10, is the name of a river in France. My whole is the name of a persecuted establishment in Indi

anapolis.

ANSWER TO ENIGMA LAST WEEK. Marie Paul Joseph Roch Yves Gilbeet Motier MARqius De La Fayette Solutions, Massasoit, Africa, Rochanibeau Isaac, Equador, Philip. America. Ulvssus. Lee. James. Olive,

Socrates, Eria, Parees, Horse, Rochester, Ohio, Clay, Ham.

lates, Vottane, Europe, besostns, Georgia, Irtish, Louisville, Baltimore, Egypt, Raleigh, Tripoli, Mystic, Ophir, Trumbull Italy, Elbe, Rome, Madrid, Algiers, Russia, Guiloa, Ural, lslip, Sicily. David, Ethiopia, Ladoga, Arabia, Florida, Argos, Gamasee, Euphrates, Tiber, Thermopylae, Elis.

THE LOCOMOTIVE.

TO CONTRIBUTORS AND CORRESPONDENTS. Curious Customs As no name accompanies this ar tide, of course it cannot be expected that it will appear. 1 : ' . Several anonymous communications came to hand this week, that have been disposed of in the usual way.

a-.nirf 1 Life it" i&'yafcfsii

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 1849.

The Election. The election for Mayor last

Saturday created, in nearly every ward, u great

deal of excitement, and there was more personal

interest felt, and more wire working at the polls in

some wards than we have seen at the more general elections. In some of the wards it was sectional

interest, in some Temperance was the hobby, and in some personal strife and excitement pervailed.

The following is the vote in the different wards :

. ' For Mayor." 1st 2d 3d -4th 5th f.'h 7th total

II. C. Newcomb, 123 111 121 25 74 85 73 617

Joshua Stevens, . 26 17 20 10 25 22 30 120

B. M'Cluer. 5 8 13

For Councilmen.

1st Ward H. Bates . - - -. 80

.Geo. M'Oiiat - 73

2d Wrd James' Gillespie - - - " 74

" - Henry Tutewiler - - ". 50

' , . .D. Woodruff -3d Ward C. King :. .A. A, Louden - - -

4th Ward S. S, Hooker - - - And. .Wallace ""'-' 5th Ward James Sulgrove - - - - - , D. Carlisle , - . -

6th Ward W. Eckert - ...... - . 84 Jas. R. Nowland - - . 19

1 J. S. Dunlop - " - - ' 11

7th Ward Wm. Montague- - - 64 Samuel Merrill, - - ' - ; 43

Speaking of Time. The petition circulated

and signed so extensively last week, has induced us

to make inquiries as to the practicability of having

a .city clockv: ihe Governor's circle should be giv-

en to the city for the purpose of erecting a Town

Hall ; a hall should be erected there by the city, and a clock should be a grand feature in the building. This should be done, and perhaps might be, in time, but it will be some time before it is. The next best

place would be the dome of the State House a clock should have been erected there years ago at

the expense of the state, but as the " bond holders' have a heavy lien, as well on the property as the

honor and money)f the state, it is not likely that one will be put there. The next best place, at this

particular time, is the Baptist church, and we can

see no good reason why one cannot be erected there.

We understand a good clock, with 4 large dial

plates, can be bought for about $600, and that the Baptists would go to the expense of putting it up.

and take care of and keep it in order, if the citizens would furnish the $600 to purchase the clock. Can't this be done ? It might be very easily if a

few individuals would say so, and to some of these

we want to talk. A clock on that Church would be

a town clock it would be put there to regulate the time in the city and every person in the city could hear it strike hourly, and could be regulated thereby. The clock would be of no more advantage to the Baptist, than to the Presbyterian or Methodist and the Baptists, for the privilege of having it there, would be at the expense of having it properly regulated, and of keeping it in order. With this view, its not being a sectarian matter in any way, cannot we have a town clock ? Who will take the lead in making up the money ? How many

men in town can afford, $50 ? .How many $25 ? We want to have a clock, and we are willing to give our mite, and we suppose there are hundreds in the same way, if some one would take the matter in hand and see them. Who'll do it ?

. We have often thought, with "a friend to Indianapolis,'? in another collumn, that an unwise policy has been pursued in building up so many surburbs, while there is so much, vacant and unoccupied ground within the limits of the city proper. It does seem to us that the tendency will be, eventually, to divide business over the whole donation, instead of confining it to a proper and legitimate centre, when it could bo condenced and brought within a reasonable space. We wouM like to have the subject considered in its proper light by all, and we would also like to hear from any that , could give any good ideas on the subject.

What will they do ? A great anxiety is now expressed as to what the new Council will do ; what course they will take in regard to the various matters of interest that have been discussed previous to the election.. Will they oppose groggeries, ask the temperance man. Will they have the city, alleys and all, properly cleaned, and kept clean, asks the friends of cleanliness and health. Will they take decided steps to clear off the city debt, that hangs like a threatening sword over the city, ask the hon

est citizens. We cannot pretend to say what they " will do, but we are decidedly of the opinion that they will oppose groggeries, and prevent the unlawful retailing of J.he ardent ; that they will have the

entire city renovated and purified, and especially the many dirty alleys that now infest and pollute the air ; that they will be kept clean, and that a board of health will be appointed to council and advise with es to the best means to prevent the approach of any malignant or contagious diseases, and that decided steps will be taken to economize, in every way, to reduce the city debt. If these are not done, with all the necessary improvements made that the city requires, then we are mistaken in the men that compose the council. The world, from the first to our last hour, is our school, and the, whole of life has but one great purpose education. " ' ...