Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-04-06
Communications.
Correspondence Of the Charles City Intelligence
Letter from Montana,
WASHINGTON GuLcH,
FEB. 7th, 1865. {

WASHINGTON GuLCH,
! FEB. 7th, 1865.
EDITOR INrEILIGENcER:- weathe
has moderated, and we are all once
more in good spirits. Nothing seems
to produce more salutary effect upol
human nature than pleasant weather
At times one would think that fine
warm and pleasant days, reignet
winter king !" then we are brough,
to realize that such days are only the
captives of cold wintry blasts, driving
snow, and cold nearly 400 below zero
The Legislature, if such it might
be called, has been in session at Ban.
mock for about two months, and have
done nothing of Importance, especial
ly to the public but have been of inn
mense benefit to a few favored indi-
viduals, in the way Of granting char
ters for "toH roads" &c. Innumerable
charters have been granted, some of
them in main thoroughfares where lit
tie or no work is required to form a
good practicable wagon road. sup
pose they think this cheaper and bet
ter way to get rid of these hanger
on" than to levy road tax and have
free road for every body.
The assembly is said to be very
spiritually inclined" and exhibit.
spiritual manifestations daily. The
spirits influence different subjects in
different ways ; some get exceedingly
:" near sighted, some decidedly thick
tongued, while others get in "wcav-
ing way" between their boarding
houses and the capitol.
When the Legislature convened all
the members were required to take the
Presidents prescribed "lron-clad" I"
oath before taking their seats, and be-
fore the Governor would deliver his
message. This created great confu-
sion among those whose political opin-
ions were based upon the "nigger's
head" They "speechilied," they
blowed OUT they "ilared up" they
said it was entirely useless" but the
Governor was incxorable. Finally
when they found they could not es-
cape, they one after another made a
speech, declaring it not TO be their vol
untary act, but for "the good of their
constituents" they would take the
oath. No matter how bitter was the
pill, or what the dictates of their con-
science, all took the oath except John
A. Rodgers who said that "he could
not perjure himself that he had not ta-
ken up arms against the United States,
and therefore would not swear that
he had never done this, but that he
would dictate an oath himself which
he would take" This would not do,
so he resigned, withdrew, and went
home, sorely disappointed at not be-
ing allowed to represent his constitu-
ents."
Such are the kind of men elected by
the so-called Democratic party of Mon
tana-men who are rebels and traitors
to their country, and do not deserve
the right of suffrage, but still are al
lowed all the privileges of loyal citi-
zens in this country.
Some acts have been passed prohib-
iting certain games of chance, where
the chance was all on one side.' Such
as three card monte" "strap game
thimble rig game" "black and red !"
known as true dice game, &c. Thus
from the way they prohibit games, |
should think some of the Legislators
had, in some of their past days, been
"carders and dicers" also and prob
ably had been losers " bucking at fam"
or some other of the learned scien-
ces.' So the time has arrived when
some of these d" light fingered" who
throw loaded Dice, and in many other
ways cheat the unsuspecting, have
got to put stop to their business and
vamose the ranche.' #.
The mail route is again broken by
the Sioux and Cheyennes and no more
mail will be sent by the overland
route" until they are cleaned out in
the spring till then all mail matter
will go ria San Francisco and New
York. The earnest wish Of everybody
here is that those Internal red skins !"
will be exterminated The Snakes
and Bannocks used to be at variance
with the miners in this country, but
they soon got tired of being shot at
every time they exposed themselves,
and last winter asked for peace when
the chiefs met at Bannock and treaty
was made satisfactory to both parties.
Since then they have been very peacea-
BILE, and are not likely again to resume
offensive operations" ae
They don't like the way the miners
fight. They think the miners try to
kill too many Indians for the few
scalps which the latter take.
The miners in Alden Gulch are now
offering IS per day for men to work in
their claims and will agree to keep
them at this price all summer. Some
of them intend to work two hundred
days this year. They are desirous of
finishing up their claims, and going
home next fall. afa
Truly yours. W.