Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1881 — The Fourth in Rensselaer. [ARTICLE]

The Fourth in Rensselaer.

The Fourth of July in Rensselaer was, to say the least, satisfactory. The streets and grounds were thronged with an immense concourse of people who seemed to enjoy themselves as well as oduld be expected under the circumstances of the extreme heat of the day and the depressing effeti of the tragedy at Washington. The oration by Capt. Rice was a fine effort, and was listened to with attention by a large audience. In the afternoon there Were short speeches by the following named gentlemen: Revs. Wood and Loder, G. E. Marshall, Hon. R. Si Dwiggins, Dr. S. W. Ritchey and Capt. F. W. Babcock. ’ , A very notable and rather unusual feature of several of the speeches, and especially of that of Mr. Rice, was the strong poeifion taken in them in favor of woman’s suffrage. The justice and expediency of granting to women perfect equality before the law with men was advocated by many clear and forcible arguments, and with which The Republican, for the most part, heartily agrees.^ The races and other games Wliieh were advertised were, for various reasons, indefinitely postponed. The weather was quite too hot for the foot races, and the greased pig that was to have s been, was found by the executive committee, when they went after him, to be already so slippery with perspiration that they could not catch him themselves.