Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1859 — INDIANAPOLIS CORRESPONDENCE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANAPOLIS CORRESPONDENCE.

Indianapolis, Jan. 20, 1859. Mr. Davies: —Jack Frost lias been very kind this last day or two, and gives up pedestrians a much better pavement than our City Fathers vouchsafe to us in a muddy time. Of all the towns, putting on city airs, that I have any knowledge of, this is the muddiest of the muddy; indeed, in a wet time, Washington street looked in the moonlight of evening like a sea of mud and water; a perfect lob-lolly holding out pressing invitation to young ducks. With all the disdiscomforts of this city of bells and railroads, attendant on muddy streets and wretched side-walks, there is much to interest and admire. Beside the benevolent institutions established here by tiie State, Indianapolis abounds in humanitarian enterprises; and I apprehend there is no city in the West where the poor and destitute find more wholesome attention and systematic protection. There are several academies and schools, well filled with scholars, with church edifices on every hand, anti, I am glad to say, ! not given over to the owls and bats, but are j diligently used for tiie purpose designed. The citizens of this place have the reputation of being hospitable, moral, industrious and enterprising; a character that an acquaintance with them fully sustains. I did not, however, start out to say anything about this place, but to drop you a word or two touching some of the ‘‘wise men” of the State, congregated here. I ain free to con- j fess, that, like some of them, during the recent election of State officers, I received a nervous shoefe, from which'l am only slowly! recovering; so that if my pen is found wan- ; dering it need not cause surprise. In my last I gave you to understand, that, j as to the alliance between the Republicans j and Anti-Lecoinpton men, there was a“dog-in-the-well;” subsequent events have proved that it was a considerable sized dog. I also then intimated that some of our own men | were taking positions endangering the sucdess of our party in this Legislature; and; in this, the result of our recent elections, prove me to be correct. Would that it had not beeri so. But lam constrained to say, that a “rule or ruin” policy among some of our own men; a determination that their own favorites—irrespective of the interest of the ! party —should lie nominated for office, was j tiie first moving cause of our defeat. This -j defection (to give it as mild a name as pos- j sjble) -was the cause of bickering, and dis- ! satisfaction among our own men, and distrust and want of con fidence among the Anti-Lecomptonites. In connection with this, the Old-Liners were offering all the offices to the Antics, if they would come over to their party. On the same night, the Republicans occupied the Senate Chamber, and the Buchanan Democrats, the Hall of the House; both parties in caucus. With so much dissatisfaction among the Republicans, and distrust and uncertainty on the part of the Anti-Lecompton men, as to the action of our party, it may not be wondered at, that apolitical marriage should then and there take place between the two wings of the democracy. It was a wedding growing out of a total want of sympathy between the Lecomptonites and Republicans; seeking an excuse for the aforesaid nuptials, and finding it, in a total want of goed management, and the defection above referred to, in our own party. So let it be. Let us learn wisdom by experience. Let us, hereafter, make no such unnatural alliances; nothing but disasters can come of it. Ido not regret the defeat of our candidates so much as the defeat of the party—the loss of its vitality and power during this- Legislature. The people have hoped for the correction of many abuses in our benevolent institutions, and especially in the high places of our State; and they have looked to the Republican Legislators to search out these abuses and correct them. This cannot be realized. Samson is shorn of his locks; and the responsibility of the j legislation of this General Assembly, must rest upon the party having its control—the m jority—the so-called Democratic party. I regret, also, that any Republican should have preferred the success of his own selfish ends, to that of the party; in an endeavor to accomplish which, they have frittered away the interest a-nd power of the party in this Legislature, and, for themselves, built hopes that have already turned to ashes. In political caucuses there should be no selfish ends to gratify-; mi dictatorial rod should he held over its members. The success of the party —the good of the whole, making principles the guiding star —should be the ruling sentiments Harmony and concert olf action grow out of this state of things, and generally insures a triumph, always of principle, if not an election. But, let it go. Wi»e men learn by experience:—fools, never! Let; uS gird on our aoinor for the fight of iB6O- Let no party disturbances turn us

aside from prosecuting with vigor tbe great end in view. If we have any mischief makers among us; any one in our ranks who loves himself more than he does the cause; any disorganizes; let us hunt them out from their hiding places, and drum them out of camp. We have a glorious party .to battle for—a party whose principles are based upon the God-given right of freedom—a party which has reared itself upon the battlements of our common Constitution, and whose sentiments are but the natural and spontaneous offspring, of a nation of freemen. On Tuesday, tfie Hall of the House was given up to the State Temperance Convention. Even in this body there was not that harmony of action necessary to success. Whilst they rebuked the Legislature for not giving the people a sound temperance law, they could not among themselves agree as to the best mode of procuring the desired end. One member was for a stringent license law; another, that any one might sell it—one,that it should be drank where bought, and another that it should not be drank there—whilst one thought it intemperate to drink a glass of lager, another thought it no harm to take a little of the “critter,” when he felt as though he needed it. This reminds me of a man, I once heard of. who had been pursuaded to join a temperance society. For several days after,/when lie came home to dinner, he would eommenre rubbing his stomach, making wry faces, and complaining to his wife that “he didn’t feel well.” “Plague on it, John,” says his wife, “I wish you hadn’t joined chat pesky temperance sosity. You hain't seen a well day since.” If we were privileged to take it when we thought we needed if, cases of cholic would be astonishingly frequent. This is a day of great discoveries! Sheep— Beavers, without tails,have been seen in the moon!!(!) It is the day of Ocean Telegraphs, but more, and above all, it is the day when women meet the lords of creation in legislative halls, and, in their own propria persona, present their claims to the right of suffrage, and assert their rights to be the equal and coworker of man, in every capacity of life. It is even so! The ladies, upon their petitions, were admitted to-day, into the Hall of the House of Representatives, to lay their grievances before that body, and the members of tbe Senate in Convention. It was looked forward to, by tbe membeis and outsiders, as a day of fun, and when it come, the Hall was, as you may suppose, crammed in every nook and cranny. Never have I seen so many congregated there before—not half were seated, and, indeed, he or she was lucky if a standing place was procured. The ball opened by the reading of a petition, signed bp one thousand persons, which was supported by Mrs. 15urdsel,of Wayne, in what was said to be a well word’ed speech. Her remarks were made in so low a tone that comparatively few heard them. She was followed by another lady, in a speech of considerable length, the most of the crowd only obtained the benefit of its pantomime. This brought the Convention to a close, and the President declared it adjourned; whereupon, the Senators returned to the Chamber. Then came—l was about to say the fun — but I love women too well to use such an expression, and I cannot take pleasure that she, “the last and best gift of God to man,” should place herself in a position calling forth sneers and ridicule. That such was the case in the present instance, is emphatically true, and, T am sorry to say, from no portion of the crowd present was it so heartily accorded, as from that portion called the “softer sex.” After Speaker Gordon resumed his seat, he made an attempt to call the House to order—an order as futile as though he had commanded the billows of the mighty ocean back to their beds. Motions were made to adjourn—calls of the house were frequeunt; but what business could be done in such a sea of pouting lips, and rosy cheeks and la’ghing eyes—legislation came to a dead stand. The ladies, God bless them, had possession of the Hall—there was no bill of eecjtment strong enough to oust them—they knew their rights, and determined to maintain them. The House, finding they could hot get clear of theVrowd, a member, making a virtue of necessity, moved that the House adjourn, and resole itself into a “love feast;” which motion received a unanimous affirmative. Then commenced a Pandemonic order of business, never to be forgotten by. those who witnessed it —excuse me if I make no attempt at describing it, for I am convinced that any effort to do it. justice would utterly fail. One or two gentlemen made laughter-provoking speeches, and two or three ladies pitched into the lords of creation with a “vim.” 'One lady especially, culled down the house,-in her vehement denunciation of the wrongs and abuses of women, sustained by our laws. No one could doubt her sincerity that saw her earnest gesticulations and the language of her sparkling eye, nor could any one doubt her meaning when she proclaimed, “that if the law would not protect her in her rights, she would take it in her own hands!” “I don’t care if they do call me a mobocrat—I’ll be a law unto myself. 5 ’ I have seen many conventions, but never have I witnessed one before that left such powerful impressions on my mind —never one so irredeemable farcial and ridiculous. Would to God our women would cease their attempts to unsex themselves. Let them look more j,o such examples as the mothers of Wash-

ington and Napoleon! Let them nurture and train up heirs for the battle-field; statesmen for the forum and philanthropists for the world, and thus command our love and admiration, and fulfill the glorious mission given to them by our common Father. Teddy.