The weekly Ottumwa courier., 1864-07-14
To Des MOimcs and Back-.-The
State Convention.

We attended the State Convention thin
year as we have done all similar convention.
since the organization of the great Unior
Party at Iowa City in 1860, and we can say
to the readers of the Courier. that in mum
bers, ability and devotion to the cause, tn,
late meeting will compare favorably With It,
predecessors.
We left home on Tuesday and found a
the Depot large delegations from all the
counties on theBurngton anjKeokuk roads
enough to I'll at Eddyville the Ave splendid
coaches provided for their accommodation by
that most efficient and very popular stage
manager, Dick Loundsbury. In very
short time we were on board and moving
away over the hills and prairies towards the
capital of Iowa.
The weather was sweltering, but the re.
cent rains had settled the dust, the roads
were hard, the teams were good, the driver
skllful and accommodating, the company were
socially inclined, so that everything being
propitious, we had pleasant ride and safe
delivery at Des Moines about 8 o'clock on
Wednesday morning.
Being a day in advance of the convention
we expected to find Accommodations, and fel.
icitated ourself upon the advantage we
should have over later arrivals, but found on
inquiry that every bed in the city was al
ready engaged. We did finally succeed in
getting very good room at the Sayery
House. But hundreds of others were less
fortunate and had to camp on sofas. lounges,
and some on the floor that same Wednesday
Eight. TIA vote of these respectable indiv.
iduals had then and there been taken. it
would have been unanimous in favor of fin.
istiing off the upper story of the Savery
House before another convention. II ia a
large building and will accommodate when
finished large number of guests.
The heat on Wednesday was intense, but
was not sufficiently SO to melt the ardor of
candidates and their friends, who thronged
the corridors and parlors of the Savery
House, busy all day in preparation for the
grand fight on Thursday. A remark Of
Dixon in the Register of that morning, that
dilgent enquiry had failed to find any can.
didates, should be taken as q "sarkastikap
observation of that eminently facetious and
witty but withal able and judicious itemizer
With the meIcury at 100 or more. it was
manifestly imprudent for corpulent persons
to move out of the shade on the said Wed.
nesday, but we managed to cal on Palmer
of the Register and State Printer, and Tees.
dale at the Post Office, and found both Of
those public functionaries discharging their
onerous duties in manner which will oom.
mand the approval of the present and future
generations. Gen. Wilson, the indefatiga.
bic secretary OF the Agricultural College,
was busy as usual gathering and imparting
information relating to the great interest OF
the age. John Carroll, ate of Ottumwa is
keeping the Carroll House, formerly the
Blodgett, and is doing well; Joseph Gumr
IS with him. We had the pleasure of meet.
Ing John Browne. formerly of this city. He
is still attending to the "Dcs Moines Im.
prove,pent CO.. and finds time to devote
himself to sarohitecture" besides. Some oI
the finest buildings in Des Moines were des
lgned by him. and We were happy to learn
That plan of the Agricultural College drawn
by him, has been accepted as the best O
some dozen others in competition. We sas