Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 January 1869 — The New Uaited States from Indiana. [ARTICLE]

The New Uaited States from Indiana.

Last Thursday, Holi. WiM. Cuxihauk, the caucus nominee of the Republican member* of the Indiana General Assembly I©r United States Senator, finding that not a sufficient number of the Legit*) Mure wonl<fl unite to elect hin», very con siderately withdrew from the eontest, “f«»r the sake of harmony in the Republican ranks.” This left tbe Republicans at liberty to tnkc up a more popular man—or if not more popular, at least one upon whom they unite—and they Vept into caucns mi Friday morn ing, and Qn.the fir si ballot happily nominated Hpun it, Ifft LogansporU* • Upon ftie assembling of the Leg. ixlsture, Mr. I’katt was elected on the first ballot, as follows: Waffle No. votes cast 143 to choice T'i Total vote for Pratt 83 V Total vote for Hendricks.... 00 j ► 'Urom the Indianapolis Journal of -the 23d inst., wo take the following sketch of his antecedents : “Mr. Pratt was born in C'azeno-1 via, Madison comity. New York, in JRI4, and is now in the 50th year of age. lie graduated at Hamilton College, New York, in 1831, at the early age of 17, with the highest' honors of his class. lie was an earnest and laborious student—poverty spurring him to almost superhuman exertion to make the most of his only opportunity. “In the Spring of 1832, afoot and Alone, he started for the great West, to begin the struggle and battle of life among strangers, with no capital but Kis education, backed by great energy and perseverance, and with scarcely funds enough to defray his expenses. lie reached Cincinnati in April, w here he entered into an engagement as teacli<*r in a common school atLawrcncehurg, Dearbon county, in this State, which he retained until the Spring of 1833, when lie was elected Principal of the Seminary at Rising Sun, Ohio county—then one of the most flourishing institutions of learning in the south-eastern part of the State. Having determined upon the law for his profession, he came to Indianapolis in 1834 and began his legal studies in the office of Messrs. Fletcher & Butler, then among the leading members of the Bar in the State, and remained with them until 1836, when, having been admitted to practice in the variotrs coarts of tlje State, ho located at Logansport, Cass county, where lie has devoted himself almost exclusively to tha practice of his profession in that and the adjoining judicial districts, up to the present, with j great credit to himself and honor to the profession. j “In 1847 he was nominated by the ! Whig party of the Ninth District i as “their candidate for Congress, ; but the District, aswell as theStafe, j being at that time Democratic, lie ' was defeated by a small majority. | ‘ In 1851, and again in 1853, lie i wn* a member of the lower branch ' of the General Assembly of Indiana,! and was an active and earnest mem- + ber, taking a laborious part in its j proceedings, and exerting great influence in tbe important legislation 1 of that period. —4 “In 1 856, he was for District Elector on tbe Republican j ticket, and lias, since the organization of the party, been an ardent »nd zealous supporter of its prinei- ; pies. •. ..4*3® 1860, hr was seleefed as a del-

agate, for the State at large, to the National Republican Convention at Chicago. Being a man pflarge and prepossessing appearance, with a voice in proportion to his mental as well as physical proportions, he was selected as Reading Clerk, and will be well remembered bv the in any‘thousands who assembled at that great and important Ccmy.en-, tion. “In 1863, lie was put in nomination and supported by tbe Ropub- \ lican minority of that ever memorable session of the General Assembly, as their candidate for the United States Senate, but as the Legislature was largely Democratic there was no hope of success. - “In 1868, he was nominated for ! Congress in the Eighth Congres- ’ sional District, and abandoning all else, devoted his whole energy and power to the canvass, and by *his eloquence and convincing argument 1 added no little to the success of 1 the Republican party.'

• “Jn liis profession h« maintains a j most enviable reputation—as a jurist, he is eminent; as a member of society, he stands deservedly high. A finished scholar, of great and refined culture; with a genial dispo-, eition, intermingled with a neverfailing fund of humor, wit and sentiment combined, tie is the life of the circle pf hisprofessiomil friends, and neighbors. Upright- in his character; gentlemanly in his, deportment; generous and sympathetM in his disposition; unostentatious in manner; modest and retiring, to a fault; strictly exemplary In his deportment; in short, posses-1 sing all the qualities which should | ever characterise a good man. He ' ‘Will fill the high and honorable po- 1 aition to which he has been chosen 1 will} >onor to himself, and credit i to (lie State and the party who ; ehosen jbi*o, without even so- j iitiiUi his consent. '

' “With two aucb Senators as Olivcf P. Morton and Daniel D. Pratt , in th* Senate of the United ivtatee,— Indiana will be second in point 61 ability and inducncc to no other * State." ... , .1..- L