The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-03-30

wasgery.
The Boston Gazette is pubIshins
some letters from Joseph Thornton To-
his sister-they are said to be "intsr-
cepted for the Gazette" Jossph's
views Of Boston will do very well "a
read "out west" and we copy:
BosroS, March 1st, 1859.
MY DEAR SrsrER--Since my last l
have been up to the State House. whore
the General Court is now settings
Tom ssys-to hatch new laws. Was
introduced to several of the heads of
the departments. Men are called 90, I
suppose, merely for the fun Of it, a.
dogs 90 to church, for didn't SEQ any
thing that thought looked like de-
partnent to serve for body to hitch
the heads on to. However, l mako It .
point not to End fault with queer Gus
toms. AT first coming to Boston I ask
ed a good many questions, and I'm
afraid I made myself seem little
ridiculous, but now wait for Tom to
tell me, and he gives me full as much ~
I can remember. l did venture. tho
other day, in the Court House, to AJAX
him where the scales Of justice were.
and he told me they had gone to tho
sealer of weights and measures to be sd-
justed, they had got so much out Of re-
pair, and that the ermine had gone to b.
washed. The General Court gets its
namo, Tom says. from the fact that the
members are courted 80 hard by people
that want to get bills passed, for nobody
can do anything nowadays without get
ting incorporated somehow. If man
wants to build new cellar wall, or to
Olga we'll, or to make soap. he petitioua
the Legislature for the right to do it, and
then he hangs loa6ng round all winter
instead of being to work, bothering the
members about it. Mr.. Bodge. who
came here from our town. and is Q
member, is worn clean to flesh, skin and
bones by man who haunts him regu-
larly every day about bill. didn't
understand what it meant at first. aud
asked why he didn't pay the fellow
Several heard me ask the question. and
laughed like anything. One man. with
a painted pole in his hand and smile
on his face, asked me if I'd have the
kindness to clear the track. seeing so
many people gathering round me. He
was SO civil about it I couldn't refuse
him. This was in the house of repre-
sentatiyes, ss it is called, though Why
it is called so don't know, because it
isn't house. 1t is only a hall, as big
as our town house. with large concav-
ity over head. There are galleries on
both sides of it, where the wives and
daughters of the members sit, and hence
their name galleries. Opposite the
speakers dssk-he is called speaker be-
cause he isn't allowed TO say anything
a big stuffed Goldfish is hung. l
couldn't help asking Tom what that
meant, and he informed that the laws
were codifed by form of adjuration 10
the Goldfish, prescribed by law. The
answer was more than usually satisfac-
tory, because We often hear of this codi-
flying being performed for the laws. and
may account for some of the laws being
so scaly. The senate chamber is in the
same building. and is part of the Gen
eral Court. 1t is called the upper
branch, to distinguish it from the other.
which is the lower. Over the door ia
drum and gun taken by Gen. Stark. at
Bennington, where Molly Stark. the
widow lied, you remember, and on the
other side, in front, high up on tie wall
the state coat Of arms, representing 4
man very tipsy. with sword over his
head held by disconnected arm. which
Tom says was the basis of the Maine
liquor law, the figure revealing sad
necessity for such protection. The
meaning of "quiet en-" in the motto.
he told me. referred to the bad cases ol
delirium tremens: but / find he ism al
ways to be relied on. l asked where
tile palladium of our institutions wa
kept. and one of the senator's, a large.
fine looking man, with moustache, that
Tom called regular Suffolk, informed
me very politely that it was kept with
the mastodon and hydrarsticus in the
State museum in another part of the
building. l shall try and see it before
l come home. l have just had an in
PRODUCTION to President Walker, who
insists on my coming out to dine with
him some day at Porter's. Be good
and be happy. -.e.'
@ Your brother,
JOSEPH THORNTON.