Locomotive, Volume 32, Number 7, Indianapolis, Marion County, 7 April 1855 — Page 2

liirrl only as 1 saw him at first, in what I may call the poetical part of his career, when he in a manner devoted himself to elegant pursuits and enjoyments, and was a bird of music, and song, and taste, and sensibility, and refinement. While this lasted, he was sacred from injury ; the very school-boy would not fling a stone at him, and the merest rustic would pause to listen to his strain. But mark the difference. As the year advances, as the clover blossoms disappear, and the spring fades into summer, he gradually gives up his elegant tastes and habits ; doffs his poetical suit of black, assumes a russet dusty garb, and sinks to the gross enjoyments of common vulgar birds. Ilis'notes no longer vibrate on the ear ; he is stuffing himself with the seeds of the tall weeds on which he lately swung and chanted so melodiously. He has become a "bon vivant," a "gourmand ;" with him now there is nothing like the "joys of the table." In a little while he grows tired of plain homely fare, and is off on a gastronomical tour in quest of foreign luxuries. We next hear of him with myraids of his kind, banqueting among the reeds of the Delaware ; and grown corpulent with good feeding. He has changed his name in traveling. Boblincon no . more he is the Reed-bird now, the much saught for titbit of Pennsylvania epicures ; the rival in unlucky fame of the ortolan ! Wherever he goes, pop ! pop ! pop ! every rusty firelock in the country is blazing away. He sees his companions falling by thousands around him. Does he take warning, and reform? Alas, not he 1 Incorrigable epicure ! Again he wings his flight. The rice swamps of the South invite him. He gorges himself among them almost to bursting ; he can scarcely fly for corpulency. He has once more changed his name, and is now the famous Bice-bird, of the Carolinas. Last stage of his career; behold him spitted with dozens of his corpulent companions, and served up, a vaunted dish, on the table of some Southern gostronome. Such is the story of the Boblink ; once spiritual, musical, admired, the joy of the meadows, and the favorite bird of spring ; finally, a gross little sensualist, who expiates his sensualty in the larder. His story contains a moral, worthy the attention of all little birds and boys ; -warning them to keep to those refined and intellectual pursuits, which raised him to so high a pitch of popularity during the early part of his career ; but to eschew nil tendency to that gross and dissipated indulgence, which brought this mistaken little bird to an untimely end. Wolf erf s Boost.

CORRESPONDENT'S TRAIN. Evils of our Present System of Legislation. Any one who will take the trouble to observe the working of our present system of legislation, will see that there are some evils connected with it which might be remedied ; the laws enacted are sometimes not in accordance with the will of a majority of the people ; when this is the case it is impossible to arrest the mischievous results or inese jaws Dy naviog'-iueui repeated, ior several years ; and again, the Representatives and Senators being elected for a whole county, it generally happens that they are not well known to a majority of the voters, so that the latter are not fully able to judge of their honesty and fitness for the office. These evils might be avoided by adopting such a system as the following: First, the Senate should be dispensed with, as it is only an imitation of the English House of Lords, and is entirely useless. Second, the voters of each township to elect a deputy, removable at their will at any time. The deputies of each county conjointly to be invested with the representative power of the same. But as the number for the whole State would be too great to allow of their meeting in a general assembly, the deputies for each county to select one agent or representative to represent them in a general assembly, each of these agents to act unconditionally in obedience to the instructions of the deputies of his county, and to be removable at their pleasure. The power of each deputy in voting for or instructing their agent or representative, to be reckoned in proportion to the number of registered voters in his township. ' Each representative from the least populous counties to have one vote in the general assembly, and those from the other counties ranging higher within a limited scale. The difficulty of counting the votes in the Legislature would be no objection to this, for it could easily be so arranged that it would take no more time than is now occupied in calling the ayes and noes. Some of the advantages of this system would be the following: The voters of each township in selecting their deputy, would be much better acquainted with the candidates than they are under the present system, so that they could easily select a proper person from among those who had in their private affairs shown themselves men of strict integrity and of suitable abilities. And again, if the former should ever find that they had been deceived in these matters, they could within four days displace their deputy be electing another. If it should be objected that this would increase the number of officers, and consequently the expense of legislation, it may be answered that the pay of such officers would not amount to much, as they would perhaps not meet together more than once in a year, before each session of the general assembly, to elect and instruct their agent or representative. Their decrees signed by a legal majority of them, and sealed with their seal, would be suffi-1 cient without there being any absolute necessity for their meeting together at all. This being the case, their pay would be a very small amount ; and the duties of the office would be such that they could be performed without interfering with the ordinary business of the incumbent. It may be added that the yearly interest, at ten per cent., on the amount that the people of the State have lost in the last year, through the agency of improper bank laws, would probably have been enough to pay for the services of such officers for all time to come. How much more

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the people will lose through similar bad laws, now in force, passed contrary to their wish, but which could not have been enacted under the system here proposed, time alone can determine. The deputies of each county would merely be an executive committee of the people, removable at their pleasure. Having the right to forestall or reverse the vote of their agent in the general assembly, and of recalling him when necessary, this would secure his absolute obedience to the will of the people. And the deputies being in like manner subject to immediate removal by the voters of their respective townships, no law would be passed contrary to the will of the people, or if passed it could not remain in force. A State ruled in this manner is as near an approach to an absolute Democracy as could easily be attained. The people themselves would rule, not as they now do in an imperfect manner, but practically and with the power of carrying their purposes into immediate effect. If our legislators pass unjust laws now, there

is no power authorized to compel the repeal of such laws, nor to remove their authors until their term of office expires. Under the present sys tem they are, for the time being, the masters of the people. Under the system proposed they would be, as they ought to be, merely the agents of the people. One of the People. jg"The following article was written in reply to one which appeared in the Locomotive some four weeks ago, written by a young student who is now receiving his education at a New England College: Dear Loco. Another Yankee has made her debut in Hoosierdom the land of corn-dodgers, hoe-cakes, ague and fever, mosquitoes, new corn whisky and rotten potatoes. Yes, another Yankee is being converted into a Hoosier, in this land of beech-nuts; and if it be not effected, then Hoosierdom is not to blame, for the most liberal provision has been made for her graduating and taking all the Hoosiers' degrees, in a liberally endowed Institution, three miles from the Hoosier Capitol. The population consists mostly of people of both sexes, who are of stern, regular I had almost said aboriginal stamp. They are industrious, if minding every one's business better than their' own, constitutes industry; virtuous and intelligent, if knowing how to feed swine and eat pawpaws be intelligence, and if knowing how to gamble and bet on elections be virtue. t ': So much, merely in reply to a Hoosier. The reader must not think that the writer believes all that the above might imply; but in controversies of this kind I believe it is customary, in retaliating, to go about as far beyond our opponent as he went beyond the truth. But, seriously, if this western country be the El Dorado a Hoosier would have us believe it is, then we would think that the western people might build their own Colleges, and, by the help of Yankee teachers, at least educate Iheir own Hoosiers, ,and not be obliged to send them off a thousand miles, and subject them to the danger of having their morals changed, to wmcii danger 1 should think a Hoosier would be very much exposed. Dulcina. City Boundaries Hog Limits. First, of the city boundaries. A late stroll around the north part of the city has astonished me. I had no idea before of the rapidity of its extension. Drake and May's Addition is almost all built up as compactly as other parts of the city. Indeed, I believe one third of our, in reality, city population is outside of the corporation limits. I noticed some fifty dwellings already commenced this spring. Our city population is now properly embraced, on the north, by the road running immediately south of the Henderson farm, and to that line the limits of the corporation should be immediately extended, that our population may all be taxed, and not a part. Justice requires this. Let any one visit the section mentioned and satisfy himself. Second, of the hog limits. These are at present North, South, East and West streets, and yet the hogs annoy persons beyond those limits just as much as they do those within them. This I know by experience. I am out of patience with it. I think the hog ordinance should be made to operate throughout the corporation limits. Will not the1 City Fathers make it do so? The favor is respectfully asked. Justice and Comfort. For the Locomotive. Scenes Behind the Curtain. BY "AZTEC." Oh Jupiter ! our city has been all agog over the world-renowned mysteries of this revolutionary age. The productions of living oracles of ancient obituary, the subjects of which lie buried in their kindred dust, have been called forth by a modern angel, whose unparalleled attractions and beauty have never been seen or heard of in in any country before. Every mouth is stretched ,;n, i;:.j a i . . , '

"like never was seen before." , has begun. The idea prevails generally that this Oh, crackeyl : ain't this a wonderful era? j1? Sd yCar ' build-that the Pressure Voices that once so violently raised the hue and ' tlmeS Wi" reduC6 the price f kbr a"d cry of warfare against this speculation (?) have ! mater,als' Rnd that ild.ngs of every kind can been turned by the silver jingle for value received ' be CreCted ch C,ieaper la8t7ear- This in Printers' ink. How strange! Hundreds 1 fact W" 'nduC6 ma"y l bmld that WOuld n0t joined the battle cry, who, like the Journal lead- ! haVe dn5 S' Rnd W6 har f mR7 em, (with some exceptions) "saw the folly of , distane that inte"d locatlnS "e, who will their ways," and consented to give audience to i haVe t0 prVide themselves with hos- ' the tragical wonders and "unparalleled success" of I t0 yet l fom CneCt pinin aS t0 the Mr. and Miss What-you-call-ihem, from time to i prbable buSlneSS f tI?e Cmins SUmmer' in comtime, and have seen what London, Paris, and ! panson th the'-s but we hoPe ifc be far Rome never produced. "Oh! Consistency, thou j Sreater-ur continually increasing population

art a jewel." If St. Paul should make his ap pearance in our midst, there would not be more excitement than has prevailed for a few months past.

Nearly everybody is stage-struck ! The latent j for those who intend planting to get really beaugenius which slept so long in ignorance, has been j tiful and desirable plants. They were grown

roused to action, and led many to fall in love ! from seed, in the Nursery of the late Aaron Allwith the "profession;" and some of our denizens dredge. They have been transplanted two or have actually "taken parts" in the plays, and ' three times, which gives them a fine root, so have manifested great zeal in the cause. But ' that when removed to their final destination, they the "particular star" has departed amid tears i will continue to grow with a slight, or no check.

from the well-springs of an hundred broken hearts, or more, with no balm to heal the wounds save a faint hope of the "star" once more making

Us appearance in our midst. It is but a lingering hope, the rays of which will not, we fear, be seen by those who so fondly cherish this faint desire. But we don't mean to object to any fond desire or hope any one may possess in this re spect. We can Say that the world has produced equally as great, and probably more brilliant "stars," over which there was much less excitement than was manifested in our lflidst in regard to the "bright particular one," who caused such great sensation, and left enraptured the hearts of so many of our young gentry. But the disappearance of the first star was but a herald of a second; and we are once more en-' raptured with the -grand and unprecedented per-; formances' of "La Belle ," from the same horizon, and of course it wouldn't be fashionable if we refused to give her a like reception. The fact is, we have become quite a theatre-going people, and must therefore keep it up, or we shall not be considered as 'living up to the times.' Now, Mr. Editor, we don't mean to object to theatres, by any means; but we do not like to see such a hub-bub over any one, as if we never saw or heard of the like before making more of an excitemeht than the 'Yorkers did over the Poole tragedy. No! indeed we don't. ' But were this all, we might excuse the excitement of the lovers of the drama, and even dare to raise the curtain that all might be convinced of the excellences of the art, and the perfectness of its characters. Having our own doubts of many parts being performed to life as intended by their authors, and delineated to nature, we forbear to lift the curtain to show the unfinished scenes of the artists. As practice makes perfect,' we suppose allowances must be made in many respects. But for your own sakes, take it calmly ! ' SATURDAY, ATRIL 7, 1855. ' - JTJ'Saturdayisthe day of publication of the Locomotive when itwill alwaysbereadyfor subscribers. In nocascwill weietacopyoflhepaper go from theoffice before publica tionday. OFFICIAL PAPER FOR THE CITY. OFFICIALPAFERTO PUBLISH THE LIST OF LETTERS The Gas Question. The excitement and discussion in the Council on the Gas question, has had the effect of hurrying up the posts on Washington street, between Meridian and Illinois sts., and on Pennsylvania street, between Washington' and Michigan aVtrtets. The northern part of the latter street has been lit for over a week, and presents quite a brilliant appearance. An ordinance is now before the Council to repeal the ordinance under which these posts are erected, and is made the order o the day for the meeting next Monday. . This ordinance provided that where the property-holders erects the lamp posts, and furnish the lamps, the city will supply the light and have the lamps lit and kept in good order. This is an agreement between the city and the property-holders, and the repeal of the ordinance, as we are informed by legal gentlemen, will not annul the contract unless the propertyholders consent. If it requires two parties to make a contract, it requires the consent (L both parties to break it. On the other handrfl is asserted that the Gas Company will not lay pipes through any streets that they are not now in, and that only the streets through which the pipes are now laid will be lit, at the expense of the balance of the city. The property-holders on' Illinois street, north of Washing, and other streets, are anxious to have them 1ft, and had engaged and contracted for posts and lamps, but on the refusal of the company to lay the pipes, they had to abandon it. The Gas Company contend that the price they get for the . gas, and lighting each street lamp, does not more than pay the actual cost for it that they make nothing by supplying the street lamps, and that they are not willing to extend the, pipes along any street unless the private consumers along that street will justify it. This is about the state of the case, as we understand it, each party contending that they are in the right. iT3? The evidence that spring is upon us is apparent on every side, The carpenters, maj sons, and other mechanics hurry through the j streets at an early hour, with their little tin buckets, to work in various parts of the city, and every thing assures us that the summer work i should be a pretty good guaranty for this. jJSrWe call attention to the advertisement in this day's paper, headed "Beautiful and desirable Evergreens." This will be a good opportunity

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Riots in Cincinnati. The late election was the cause of a great excitement, riot, and bloodshed in Cincinnati. The ground of the difficulty was the destruction of the ballot box in the 12th Ward by the American party, on account, as alleged, of the Germans, who have a large majority in that ward, refusing to let Americans vote in the early part of the day. By telegraph on Wednesday night, we learn there had been little disturbance and no fighting on that day, and that it was likely order and quiet would be resumed. The Cincinnati papers are filled with accounts of it. giving all the details and particulars from the Commercial we copy the following: A fierce excitement raged through the city yesterday afternoon, in consequence of a rumor that the tickets, tally sheets, and poll books of Twelfth Ward had been destroyed by a mob. By most persons it was discredited, and innumerable stories found currency. Men protested that they had witnessed the destruction, and others declared that they had investigated the matter, and that there had been no mob that the story was founded upon the burning of the tickets subsequent to counting them. We proceeded with care and perseverance to look into the facts, and visited the ward where the outrage was stated to have been committed. The form which the various rumors took on Third street, yesterday afternoon, will be found on our first page, as given in our afternoon edition. We found the street in front of the engine house where the Twelfth Ward elections are held, deserted, and everything wearing a quiet appearance. We experienced much difficulty in arriving at the exact truth, but are assured that the following statement is correct. ' The Know Nothings were first on the ground on Monday morning, and elected their judesand clerks, with oue exception. The following is a list of the officers at the city and township polls: A. T. Williams, S.L. Snodgrass, Kissine, Harry Winton, Henry Eskel Judges. - Eskel is a German; the others, we were informed, acted with the Know Nothings, and, whether members of the order or not, were considered by outsiders to be identified with it. The clerks whose names we learned were Thos.

Scott and Thompson Biles, both "American Re form." We were informed that the election passed off quietly, or as one of our informants expressed it, "There was only a Dutchman knocked down once in a while, and that didn't amount to much, you know the general proceedings were peace able. No demonstration of violence occurred during the night following the election, and the counting of ballots was proceeded in without mo lestation until about one o'clock yesterday, at which time all of the ballots cast, ( twelve hun dred and sixty,) were counted, except three. At one o'clock a mob of near four hundred persons suddenly collected, appearing ' on the ground in squads of thirty, forty and fifty men, and a gang of perhaps thirty entered the engine house, and snatching the tickets, poll books ana tally sheets, thrust them into the stove where they were consumed, then run up the American nag over the lower of the engine house, cheered re peatedly and retired! ,'Ihere was no hglit, no struggle the audacious act was performed in an instant, and there were few spectators besides those engaged in the work of destruction, and the clerks and judges. ' As for the story of the illegal voting which was the ostensible, cause of the outrage that was nob believed by any person p the Iwelftli Ward with whom we had the opportunity of conversing. And if it was true, the "American Keform judges and clerks are responsible for it. From every circumstance one can learn of this affair, it appears to have been coolly calculated, and utterly unmitigated. There never was a more wanton and horrible desecration than the hoisting of the star spangled banner by the Twelfth Ward mob over the scene of their unparalleled outrage. In the very smoke of the ballots thSflagof our country fluted fair and beautuul and the mockery was enough to sicken the very hearts of all good citizens. . , As near as we can learn, the facts are these The Germans borrowed a brass cannon of the American Military Companies, with the purpose of firing it on election day, in honor of the birth day of Jefferson. The cannon was taken from them while they were using it on Jackson's Hill, by a -body of excited Americans, during the trouble at the Eleventh Ward ; an"d after being paraded through the streets, and once fired when loaded with boulders, in the Thirteenth Ward, was deposited in the armorv where it belonged The Germans, it is said, took this cannon, or some other one from the armory, and placed it in a shed near Vine street, some four squares above the canal. There is a disputed cannon, but what one it is we do not know, and perhaps it is not important. 1 It may be sufficient to say that there was a dispute about a piece of artillery, and an immense accumulation of feeling iiSthe city, which tended to spontaneous combustion. ; ' The rumor that caused most excitement down town, was that the Germans had loaded the can non, and proposed to use it against the Ameri cans. ' ' Passing up the street we saw unmistakable evi dences of preparation for a desperate contest. Pistols were being loaded publicly. Nearly every German was armed. I he handles of pistols pro truded from their pockets, and many had swords by their sides. - . - - - We met a party of about a dozen sturdy fel lows carrying rifles, upon the tubes of which the glistening of percussion caps showed that they were prepared for active service, and to the rifles were attached sabre bavonets-making altogether a terrible weapon, at once a rifle and a spear. Meeting a German acquaintance, he informed us that the halls of the Freemen and Turners were each filled with men armed with rifles, who swore to defend the disputed cannon to the last. ' Returning near sundown the street was even more densely filled. The Sheriff with a view of removing the cause of difficulty, was endeavor ing to get possession of the gun which was the immediate cause of contention, and no resistance was made by the German Officers, but the mul titude pressed about the shed where the cannon was stationed, so that it was entirely impossible to get it away, and the Shenti lelt the ground on receiving assurances from Capt. Moore, and other German Officers, that the gun should not be lm properly used, and should be surrendered to the proper authorities at any time. About this time the Germans detected in their midst, or thought that they did, one of the per sons who destroyed the ballet box in the Eleventh Ward ; a cry of "Know Nothing" was raised, the individual in question fled, and the boulders flew about in a manner quite obnoxous to peaceably disposed persons. The Germans, we then understood, were expecting a grand attack in the evening, and making resolute preparations to re pJ it. Coming down town, we saw, scattered profusely about the corners of the streets, triangu lar bits of red paper . which were supposed by out siders like ourselves, to be the distress sign of the

K. N.'s calling for a meeting at once. Ihese scraps of paper, taken in connection with other

matters, seemed indicative oi war signs mat blood might be expected to flow. But it would be useless to speculate on the probable significance of the red. paper certainly it had a mean ing. In the meantime the Germans fortified them selves most formidably, erecting three strong barricades of wagons, carts, drays, , and whatever vehicle or available material tney couiu manage to get hold of. These were erected one across Vine street at the crossing of Fourteenth one across Walnut at the crossing of Mercer, and the other at the junction of Mercer and Vine., They had two pieces of artillery crammed to the muzzle with chains and slugs, and planted one in Mercer street, and the other at the corner of Fifteenth and Vine. The Halls of the Freemen and Turners were crowded with men armed with rifles, ready to march out at a signal. The house tops were lined with men provided with all descriptions of fire arms, and with boulders and bricks. Sentinels were stationed, and the Ger man portion of the town thus placed absolutely in a state of siege. It was near ten' o'clock when a body of reckless Americans, about four hundred strong, with a drum, fife, and banner, crossed the Vine street bridge, and with gay music marched steadily in to the German territory. They had proceeded nearly to the first barricade (parties of half grown boys being in front as skirmishers, throwing stones at every appearance of a German) when they were hred upon from the front, each side, and the house tops. We imagine from the sound of the volley, that near fifty shots were fired. One man was killed dead, and five wounded seriously, one, it was thought, mortally. The one killed was named G. B. Monroe, a resident of Indiana, who was stopping at the Fallow House. He was shot through the head and dropped lifeless. He was at the head of the pro cession. William Grey, a cooper, was struck by two slugs, one of which passed through his left hand and the other lodged in his abdomen. A man named Boggs, of this city, was hit in the throat by a musket ball, which drew some blood, but did not inflict a dangerous wound. He returned talking loudly, and may not be considered in peril. John Coleman was shot in the calf of the leg, not considered dangerously. Patrick Dorey, of Covington, was wounded in the side, severely. One effect of this fatal firing was to drive back the procession which was entering the German portion of the town.. The K. N.'s rallied on Vine street bridge, which they made a kind of head quarters for warlike operations. After this time no person was allowed to cross any of the canal bridges neaK the scene of the fight, and few indeed had much inclination to undertake it, as there was danger on all sides. The news of the fight soon reached the great crowd on Fifth street, producing fearful excitement. Many persons were in favor of charging the Germans in solid mass, and making a regular battle of it, but the knowledge of the formidable preparations of the Germans, and the judicious counsel of several men with good lungs, and perhaps a little stratagem restrained them. We heard from the canal bridges at half-past Iwo o'clock this morning. Large parties were moving about, and the sentinels were going their rounds, with business-like solemnity. A number of our best citizens were engaged last night in attempting to arrange some compromise to stop the effusion of blood and sa"fe tbs city from more damning disgrace and irredeemable ruin. Condition of the City. The scenes of mob rule and riot with which our city has been disgraced during the present week, are the natural offspring of Secret Political Societies. Such associations never did exist without begetting proscription, persecution and violence, ancj they never will. . Secrecy is so abhorrent to evjry principle of true republicanism, that the two cannoemain in juxta position. The secret order is-t lotbed of tyrannical resolves and unjust concTi'.ons, carried out by rash and cruel acts. Bodies whose individual members would shrink from a breach of the law or a disobedience to its commands, find no difficulty in ignoring the statutes of the State, and breaking every precept of civil society. The doings connected with thislection are worthy to be remembered and pohSlied upon. We seem to be approaching a condition of things terrible to contemplate, but still worse in the realization. To be inoffensive is now no guaranty of security. The dregs of society are uppermost, and when such is J the case there is no offense so likely to be punished as respectability. ' , Our city is, at this terrible moment, to every intent and purpose without a government. A Mayor without capacity to govern or command, and a police force that have been tampered with, or are intimidated by recklessness and power, can do nothing toward enforcing the law, or bringing the guilty to justice. Sad as is the tale, it is demonstrably true that Cincinnati is in the hands of a mob. Its government has no power of self-defense. Whatever functions it may perform are carried on by the permission of the rabble. There is no restraint upon violence, and, as far as we can discover no attempt to impose a limit to the popular madness. No man who has become obnoxious to the dislike of the excited mass can, for a moment, look upon himself as safe. Neitlier'goodness' nor virtue, nor 'weakness, is a guaranty of safety. The cruelty of a mob is indiscriminate. Cin. Com. 3T The last accounts confirms the death of the Emperor of Russia, and gives the full particulars. From long accounts we select the following, as reliable : MANIFESTO OF THE CZAR TO HIS ARMY. The following is the 'Manifesto of Alexander II. to his Army, dated St. Petersburg, March 3: "Valient warriors! Faithful defenders of Church, Throne, and Country! It has pleased" Almighty God to visit us with the most painful and grievous loss. We have all lost our common father and benefactor. In the midst of his unwearied care for Russia's prosperity, and the glory of the Russian arms, the Emperor Nicholas Paulovitch, my most blessed father, has departed to eternal life. " His last words were : 'I thank the glorious loyal guard, wl.o, in 1825, saved Russia, and I also thank the brave army and fleet, and I pray God to maintain Jhe courage and spirits by which they have distinguished themselves under me. So long as this spirit remains upheld, Russia's tranquility is secured both within and without, and woe to her enemies ! I loved my troops as my own children, and strove as much as I could to improve thsir condition. If I was not entirely successful in that respect, it was from no want of will, but because I was unable to devise anything better, or to do more.' May these ever memorable words remain preserved in your hearts as a proof of his sincere love for you, which I