Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-01-16
LETTER FROM DIR. ;. H. DAY.

LETTER FROM DIR. J.H. DAY.
We have been permitted to publish the follow
ing letter from our fellow townsman, which VI
think will be of special interest to our readers
LEAvENwoRrH, Dec. 9th, 1885,.
B.W. Lott, ESQ., @i
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 7th inst
was truly welcome visitor, as it is the first
have had from any person except my brothers
have concluded to give you an answer although
l have not much to add to my former letter.
We have had no winter yet; the nights are COO
with a little frost and sometimes fog. The sur
rises clear and bright, the day is warm and pleas.
ant, so that laboring men are able to put in a
good days work in their shirt sleeves. The roads
are dry and dusty and the finest natural roads
for wheel travelling that can be found in the
world. The river is clear of ice, and none has
been seen, only such that comes from the North
in the morning and disappears before noon.
Now in regard to our politics. Never was the
politics of a territory mixed; we have isms and
factions from all the hot beds of demigogues in
the country; and it is amazing to see them shift
their sails to suit the breeze. We had an election
for delegate which came off on the Goth of Nov
ember. Gen. Whitfield of Tennessee, was the
pro-slavery candidate. Judge Faneken of Penn,
was the free soil, halfway abolition candidate.
notoriety, was the full-blood abolition candidate;
man by the name of Chapman, was a kind of in
dependant candidate, who was so deaf that he could
not hear himself s'crow."-There was about 5000
votes cast of which Whitfield got nearly 1000 the
balance divided between Flaneken and Wake
field. The Territory is decidedly pro-slavery,
but the wish of the great majority is to abide by
the organic act creating the so,.isory anu not TO
agtate the question Of slavery. Since the cleo
ton, it is amusing to see the shifts and turns of
the petty Office seekers, who profess great prof.
cheney and profundity in political matters. Many
of these men are political outcasts at home and
it is very probable they will meet with but little
better success in Kansas.
Our Governor is a shrewd, sharp lawyer, from
the old Keystone State,-a man so deeply imbu-
cd with speculative tendencies that from his ac-
tons he must imagine that the Territory was es-
pecaly organized for field in which ahs Excel
lency could carry out a successful plan of gigan-
tic speculate ms for his own individual benefit.
He has made two or three towns through the
Territory for the pretended purpose of looking
out a suitable location for the Capital-but for
the ostensible purpose of purchasing half-priced
lands, and getting interests in town cites under
false pretences that in all probability he would
locate the capitol, &c. &c. He has not Temporal
rly located the Capitol yet, and is afraid to do so
for fear of the Legislature removing it, which
of course they would if it was located on lands
of his own. He says it matters not where it is
now put as its location cannot miss him. The
people are much dissatisfied that he has not long
since located the Capitol, and called the Legisla-
ture together. This he would not do until he
had secured the property where it should be
placed.
lie has published a card that he will convene
the Legislature early in the Spring. Pcnsylva-
MIA is out in all her might and main, their ewes
stick out feet when they see these fine lands,
and they run after the Governor for "advice,"
and he of is only to tell them where he has
invested. The Governor owns some of our best
town lots. He obtained five shares for a mere
song, promising the Capitol, &c. We stand the
best chance of any place when the matter comes
up before the Legislature.
Our town continues to improve rapidly-build-
ings go up as rapidly as materials can be had.
This town goes ahead of any in the Territory,
and is given up to be the place. We are put to
all manner of shifts to make our buildings CON-
Portable, owing to the scarcity and high price of
material for p!astering. l resorted to canvass
wall paper and -four paste. lined my house all
around with domestic, in place of lathing, pasted
and put on wall paper. which makes it answer all
the pu poses of a plastered house and looks fully
as we'll. Many have carpets hung up and some
have but the weather-b boarding. All this will be
remeded as soon as the saw mills are completed
that are now in the course of construction.
Very truly your old friend.
j. II. DAY.